There's been varying amounts of fresh snowfall across Western North America over the past week with the hoped-for start of the 2017-18v season less than three weeks away.
Ski areas from Alberta to New Mexico reported up to 40cm of fresh snowfall – although in most cases it was less than 10cm/4 inches so far. The big winner was Marmot Basin in Alberta which posted the 40cm figure at mid-mountain.
The snowfall there began on the last day of summer and finished on the first day of Autumn.
However most of the 'early opening' ski areas in North America do so thanks to snowmaking rather than snowfall. Colorado is hope to several of the world's highest ski areas and these are often amongst the first top open.
Loveland is reported to be targeting an October 14th opening date, Arapahoe Basin a week later. The year-round snow field at Timberline on Mt hood in Oregon is also expected to re-open having closed on September 3rd at the end of their long 16-17 season.
Over on the East Coast Killington in Vermont is also aiming to open next month - if conditions are right.
Banff (pictured top this week) is usually one of the first to open with natural snow cover either at the end of October or in early November.
Last season saw very varied snow conditions in North America. The early autumn was very warm and only Arapahoe Basin managed to open in October with other resorts delaying to mid-November. From then on however, most ski areas on the Western side of the continent had almost non-stop snow all winter with some building up bases deep enough to keep them open in to summer, with Mammoth in California staying open in to August for only the second time in its history.
It was a different story in some areas in Eastern North America however with the Midwest in particular suffering warmer than usual temperatures which rendered snowmaking obsolete and caused many to end their seasons early.