J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Snowfall is expected on the highest slopes in Colorado this coming Sunday, June 4th, closing day for Arapahoe Basin (pictured above on Tuesday), which is, as usual, the last ski resort still open in the state, following Winter Park's closure last weekend.

Snowfall is expected above 11,000 feet (3,350m) as part of a continuing trend of unseasonably cool and wet weather in the region, home to several of the planet's 10 highest ski areas.

Breckenridge, which closed nearly a fortnight ago, should also see snowfall up high.

Snowfall totals are not expected to be enough to make Sunday will qualify as a "powder day". The best case is expected to be anything from one to five inches.

After A Basin closes there will still be one patch of lift-accessed snow accessible in summer in Colorado – but only if you are signed up for a private camp. The Woodward freestyle training facility at Copper Mountain aims to keep a snowpark open for campers through the summer.

Killington, the last ski area still open in Eastern North America, has announced it will open on Thursday, June 1st, which may be the last day of its long 22-23 season.

The Vermont ski area, the largest in the Eastern US, piles snow high on its Superstar trail through the season so that the run can stay open late into spring as all the snow melts away around it.

It was last open on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday in the US, with free lift passes for military veterans, on Thursday June 1st Tickets will cost $25 with all proceeds going to Rutland County Pride to mark the start of pride month.

"June skiing is a go! The Superstar Glacier is running thin in the May sun, but we've managed to hold on to enough of our stockpile and are stoked to offer a bonus day of advanced skiing and snowboarding this Thursday. The Superstar Express quad spins at 9 a.m. and we anticipate top-to-bottom turns thanks to our expert grooming team but be aware walking may be required as the day progresses," a resort spokesperson said.

Snow depth is reported to be 13" (35cm) with 1 miles and 16 acres of slopes still open and the season lasting 181 days so far.

Sommet Saint Sauveur in Quebec to the north re-opened on the evening of Tuesday, 30th May (below), for an unexpected evening ski session on its final patch of snow, probably the last in Canada this season.

A very long planned indoor snow centre will open in Abu Dhabi next month, believed to be the first time snow will have piled up on the ground in the Arab Emirate.

Snow Abu Dhabi, construction work on which began in 2017 after the complex had first been announced many years before, will finally open next week. The surrounding Reem Mall has had a number of different developers over the years but is now operated by the Majid Al Futtaim Group who already run Ski Dubai, Ski Egypt and the most recently opened Snow Oman. They've they've worked with the LA-based American group, Thinkwell, who are responsible for theme park and attraction design around the world, including Harry Potter themed projects in Florida and London, on the snow and ice attractions of the new centre.

What's not yet clear is whether the facility will offer any skiing or snowboarding? Some reports say it will, but most refer only to the 'rides' and it being "…one of the largest snow parks in the world." All should become clear when it opens on June 8th.

"We can look forward to 12 exhilarating rides and 17 engaging attractions spread over a 9,300 sqm snow area. The temperature will be regulated to a super chilly 2ºC, and the slopes will be dusted in a snow capped coating to a depth of 50cm," one reviewer anticipated ahead of opening.

Feature rides and character theming created by a team that incorporates American theme-park designers Thinkwell and the company behind Ski Dubai and several other indoor snow parks in the region, Majid Al Futtaim Ventures.

Confirmed attractions include two giant slides, one named 'Ice and Floes Toboggan Race' which sounds nice and gentle, and 'Grauppel's Summit Escape' which sounds less so.

Attractions include "Flight of the Snowy Owl" billed as, "a suspended journey over the enchanted forest offering breathtaking views of the project."

Other rides include The Magic Carpet, Polar Express Train, Crystal Carousel and Ice and Floes Bumper Tubes, which are all currently reported to be in the testing phase. Trolls Bowl, Drifts Downhill Run and Snow Hares Bunny Hill, are all nearing completion too. The Snowflake Garden will be the place to build a snowman, enjoy a snowball fight or navigate the ice labyrinth.

The first new mountain tram (cable car) to open in North America for 15 years will debut in Montana next winter.

Work to replace Big Sky's Lone Peak tram began last year and has recommenced now that the ski season is over. The original tram, which opened in 1995, opened up one of the biggest lift-served verticals in North America.

The original lift had small cabins that could only carry a maximum of 15 people and had an uplift capacity of 200 people per hour. The new lift quadruples that to 800 per hour with the lifts ascending at 10 metres per second, up from 6 metres per second for the old lift ascended at. It means the ascent will take less than four minutes.

Although old and new lifts ascend to 3398m, the new lift begins about 60 metres lower ascending from 2470m. The plan is to connect the base of the new lift to the resort village with another new lift, this one combining chairs and gondola cabins. There are also plans to build a glass viewing platform at the top.

Vermont's Killington Resort, the only ski area still open for skiing in the Eastern US, is offering a free "commemorative t-shirt" to any holding one of their season passes who manages to ski or snowboard, go biking and play golf in a single day this weekend.

There's not much snow left but Killington is officially open for skiing or boarding on its Superstar trail, as well as summer activities like mountain biking and golf, so multi-activities are possible. It's one of a dozen ski areas across the US (the other 11 in the Rockies or further west) open for skiing and boarding over the final weekend of May.

The weekend is a long one in the USA with Monday 29th May a national holiday, Memorial Day, to honour America's military men and women who lost their lives in service to their country.

In addition to the T-Shirt offer, veterans ride free on Memorial Day, receiving a free ski/snowboard lift ticket, bike Park lift and trail ticket, or a free round of golf on Monday.

It's a fortnight to the start of Australia's 2023 ski season, and ski areas have reported another good pre-season snowfall in the past few days.

"We woke up to a beautiful sight today at Perisher of 15cm of snow and with just over two weeks away until opening weekend on June 10, we cannot wait to welcome guests back for the season," confirmed Maddi Ventura, Marketing Manager at the country's largest resort, Perisher, in New South Wales.

Similar falls were reported by other areas including Mt Buller.

Emily Smith, Marketing Manager at Mount Hotham said they'd had 12cm and have snow guns firing, commenting.
"Things are looking very good for opening weekend on 10 June here at Hotham. We are thrilled to welcome guests back in just over 2 weeks - bring it on!"

11 ski areas are open across the USA for the upcoming holiday weekend, including Memorial Day on Monday.

Three areas will be open in California with Mammoth Mountain (pictured above this week) and The Palisades joined by Dodge Ridge which is re-opening especially for the Memorial Day weekend.

There are two resorts open in Colorado after Breckenridge closed last weekend. Winter Park says its Mary Jane slopes will finally close for the season at the end of Memorial Day skiing while Arapahoe basin plans to stay open through to June 4th, the following Sunday, when it too will close.

There are two ski areas open still in Utah as well, where several ski areas have posted all-time record snowfall and their longest ever seasons. Among them, Brighton ski area, although this is the final weekend of 22-23. Snowbird will also close after Memorial Day but says it plans to reopen in mid-June for more snowsports.

Also still open are Mt Bachelor and Timberline in Oregon, the Arizona Snowbowl and Killington in Vermont. Mt Bachelor and the Arizona Snowbowl both say this is the final weekend of the season but Killington has not yet announced a season end date.

America's only summers ski only area, Beartooth Basin up on the Wyoming/Montana border, also opens for its 2023 season this weekend.

A new administration covering Swindon is reported to be seeking to find out what is happening with the long-planned indoor snow centre for the town.

First announced in 2011 and gaining planning permission in 2015, the Snoasis indoor snow centre, then backed by a company named Moirai Capital Investment Ltd, appeared to be progressing prior to the Brexit vote, which it blamed for an £80m hole in its £270m plans when initial delays were announced in 2017.

However by the start of the pandemic, new developers Seven Capital had anchor stores for the wider development in place. The Snow Centre, which already runs indoor snow centres in Hemel Hempstead and Trafford, was named as the new centre's operators.

However, everything has been quiet for the last three years and there has been no start to work. The new Labour administration says it wants a meeting with Seven Capital, the company behind the redevelopment project, to find out what the current situation is.

In early 2020 a Seven Capital spokesman told the Advertiser: "It is a delay, but we are definitely going ahead – there's no chance that we won't be building the snow centre."

Snoasis is just a part of a wider proposed redevelopment of the town's Oasis Leisure Centre, which closed in 2020, and a wider site known as North Star.

Seven Capital has a 99-year lease on the site with around 90 years remaining and a contract with the borough council to construct an indoor snow centre on land adjacent to the Oasis Leisure centre, with part of the deal also giving the company the rights to build houses on a further site. However the terms of the deal are reported to require work to begin by spring 2024.

"One of our priorities is to get the Oasis open again as soon as possible and we need to see what support we can provide, as an authority, to work with Seven Capital to help them achieve their ambitions of rebuilding the Oasis as soon as possible," Councillor Jim Grant, the new cabinet member for communities and joint working told the Swindon Advertiser.