J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Ski areas in California are celebrating after a huge Christmas snowstorm deposited up to 1.8m (6 feet) of snowfall on their slopes.

Most had been suffering one of the worst season starts in history until the storm arrived, either unable to open at all due to the warm and wet weather that dominate November and December, or in the case of some of the largest ski areas like The Palisades, reporting only 3 of their nearly 300 slopes open. It has reported 160cm (5.3 feet) of snowfall and is now up to 33 runs open as it battles to make runs safe to open more.

Unfortunately, the poor conditions continued through the key Thanksgiving Holidays and Christmas was largely lost as blizzard conditions also stopped slopes opening due to high avalanche danger, power outages and similar resulting issues. Now though, skies have cleared and resorts are opening up their terrain at last., whilst warning of tree well and avalanche danger off groomed runs.

"We're now 90% open!" a spokesperson for Mt. Rose - Ski Tahoe said, adding, "We've received over 6 feet of new snow in the last 5 days, and conditions couldn't be better. Slide Bowl had a stellar bluebird opening day today, and all Main Side and Slide Bowl trails are now open! Huge shoutout to our Mountain Operations crews for their incredible work getting Slide terrain open."

Mammoth Mountain in Southern California had the most terrain open on the US West Coast prior to the snowstorm, about 40% of its slopes, but was completely closed on the 26th and 27th December due to high avalanche danger, with two of its team injured whilst carrying out avalanche mitigation work. It is yet to post snowfall totals but indications (buried slope and road signs) are that its had more than 2 metres.

A small ski area that is (or was) however part of one of France and Europe's biggest ski regions has decided to offer free skiing this winter. Euronews reports, however, that that's not really good news – it's an attempt to curb losses which have been growing for 25 years due to climate change.

The small Alpine resort of Saint‑Colomban‑des‑Villards, part of the France's fourth biggest ski areas Les Sybelles, is taking the unusual step of offering skiing completely free, but at the same time drastically cutting the amount of skiing it offers.

The move isn't a marketing stunt but a financial necessity for the village whose ski area has been losing money for more than two decades due to rising operating costs and unreliable snowfall at its 1100m elevation due to climate change.

This winter, a reduced ski area will operate with two drag lifts and a children's conveyor belt, aimed mainly at beginners and families. Running it for free is expected to cost €150,000 to €200,000—far less than previous seasons. A crucial part of the decision to run lifts for free was that staffing a lift office was expected to cost substantially more than the revenues ticket sales would bring in.

Saint‑Colomban‑des‑Villards said its operating deficit grew to an unsustainable €1 million in 2025. With a municipal budget of just €2.7 million, the town could no longer justify spending almost 40 per cent of its funds on a loss‑making operation and was under pressure from regional authorities to cut expenses. However they decided to keep the small area open to reduce the impact of closure of local businesses.

Previously, Saint‑Colomban‑des‑Villards ski area extended to around 70km of slopes with 19 trails (3 green, 10 blue, 5 red and 1 black) served by 7 ski lifts. Although there has been no official change to the 310km of slopes claimed by Les Sybelles it appears the ski area's removal from the pass reduces it to less than 250km.

For the village's Mayor Pierre-Yves Bonnivard, the move signals a shift toward a future less dependent on alpine skiing. The village is now investing in snowshoeing, walking routes and year‑round outdoor activities as it works to build a more sustainable, four‑season tourism model. They will assess how this switch and the free-skiing model is going in April.

"At 1,100 metres, alpine skiing is ultimately doomed to disappear," Bonnivard told Euronews, noting that, "climate change is progressing faster than anticipated, especially in the Alps.

Lake Louise ski area in Alberta says that it is enjoying its snowiest start to the season in 75 years.

"You have to rewind back to the 1950/51 season, before many of us were even around, to find a start this deep at Lake Louise. No wonder everyone's been calling it #DeepDecember. And it's only the beginning of the season," a spokesperson said.

Snow conditions in Alberta and the eastern half of BC have been in marked contrast to the rest of western North America where ski areas have been struggling to open at all due to warm and dry conditions in the Rockies and warm and wet along the Pacific coast. That has been changing over the past few days though with heavy snowfall arriving at last along coastal mountains and a bigger fall forecast over Christmas.

North America's largest ski area, Whistler Blackcomb, has gone from less than 10% open with reports of vast lift queues, to around 40% open so far, after a 95cm snowfall in the last seven days.

For now though, most of North America's open steep and deep terrain is in Eastern BC and Alberta, with Kicking Horse (pictured) reporting the biggest snowfall in the last week, 155cm (over five feet) of fresh snow.

I'm afraid it appears not assuming this camera is live as it seems to be:
https://www.cyprusski.com/north-face-camera

Breckenridge has once again claimed bragging rights in the battle for the world's longest shot ski, surpassing its own previous record and keeping long‑time ski town rival Park City in Utah at bay.

The Colorado mountain town first set the benchmark in 2013 with 192 participants and 60 skis. Since then, Breckenridge and Park City have traded the title back and forth, with Park City's annual "Shot Ski" fundraiser, organised by the Park City Sunrise Rotary Club, periodically snatching the record with impressive community turnouts. Each time Park City has edged ahead, Breckenridge has responded with an even bigger showing, turning the friendly rivalry into one of North America's most entertaining mountain‑town traditions.

This year, Breckenridge Distillery reported that 1,420 people lined up behind 507 connected skis, creating a shot ski stretching 2,489 feet (760m) comfortably reclaiming the crown and extending the town's lead in the ongoing competition.

The record attempt is now a centrepiece of Breckenridge's annual Ullr Fest, a lively celebration honouring Ullr, the Norse god of snow. The festival brings a parade of Viking helmets, winter revelry, and ski‑town antics to Main Street, all in hopes of securing a generous snowfall for the season ahead.

"Winter worshippers donning Viking helmets take over downtown Breckenridge with a rowdy parade and ski‑town shenanigans to pay homage to Ullr, the Norse god of snow, in hopes that he will bless the town with a powder-filled ski season," Breckenridge Distillery said in a statement.

Swiss ski racer Marco Odermatt from Engelberg has taken his 50th World Cup win, competing in an extra downhill race in Val Gardena on Thursday, rescheduled from Beaver Creek.

The 50th win places him equal with retired Italian racer Alberto Tomba and one of only nine people to achieve the feat, four women and five men. Already the most successful male Swiss racer of all time, It also places him just five wins behind countrywoman Vreni Schneider who took 55 wins in her career.

At 28, Odermatt is the youngest of four skiers in the top nine are still active, including all-time greatest American, Mikaela Shiffrin, who is the only racer to win more than 100 competitions, reaching 105 wins earlier this month.

Fellow-American, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn returned to racing after five years in retirement last year and last week won her first competition in eight years, the St Moritz Downhill, making her the oldest person to win a ski race and taking her total number of victories to 83, including a record 44 downhills.

She's now just three wins behind Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark who held top spot with 86 wins for more than three decades until overtaken by Mikaela Shiffrin a few years ago.

Marcel Hirscher also returned to racing last year, switching from his father's Austrian to his mother's Dutch nationality to compete, but unfortunately his comeback has been hampered by injury. He has 67 wins, the fourth most to date.

Image credit Red Bull Val Gardena

Snow Camp, the UK's national youth snowsports charity, will be the focus of BBC Radio 4's Appeal this year, highlighting its work supporting young people across the country. Combining snowsports with mentoring, qualifications, and wellbeing support, Snow Camp helps young people build confidence, resilience, and hope.

The three-minute broadcast, presented by Snow Camp patron and four-time Winter Olympian Chemmy Alcott, will share the stories of two young participants, Marcus (name changed) and Connor, whose lives have been transformed through the charity's programmes.

Operating across London, the Midlands, the North West and Scotland, the charity guides participants from its introductory First Tracks sessions through to its award-winning Apprenticeship Programme. Along the way, young people gain access to mental health support, employability skills, a safe community, and pathways into careers both within and beyond snowsports.

The BBC Radio 4 Appeal will air on Sunday 28 December at 7:54am and 9:25pm, with a repeat broadcast on Thursday 1 January at 3:27pm.

"Skiing gave me confidence, purpose, and eventually, the honour of competing for my country. But I know I've been lucky. For many young people, snowsports can feel completely out of reach, and that's why I became a patron of Snow Camp," Chemmy commented.

Since its founding in 2003, Snow Camp has supported more than 23,000 young people from inner-city communities. In 2025, the charity was ranked 15th in the UK's Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers—the highest-placed charity—and named Social Justice Apprentice Employer of the Year.

Whilst ski areas in the US Rockies and on North America's West Coast are enduring one of their worst season starts in many years, with some still unable to open due to warm wet weather, New England ski resorts on the East Coast are enjoying a historic start thanks to early, abundant snowfall.

Loon Mountain in New Hampshire opened on 21 November and has already unlocked more than 60% of its terrain, its best early‑season coverage in decades, according to president Brian Norton.

Across Vermont, resorts are smashing records. Jay Peak (pictured above on Friday) dubbed November "a November to Remember" after receiving 123 inches, the most in its 70‑year history. The mountain has now surpassed 177 inches—nearly 15 feet—and is closing in on 200 before year's end, a milestone last reached in 2003. Stowe Mountain has logged 97 inches, with Mount Mansfield setting a record for earliest 50‑inch snow depth. Smugglers' Notch joined the celebration after crossing into triple‑digit totals, reporting 101 inches so far.