So who's still open?

[ski diva]

It's April 23, and here in Vermont, the only ski areas I know of that are still open are Killington, Sugarbush, and Jay. And Sugarloaf in Maine is open, too.

I just got an email from Odyssey Resorts saying that Lutsen Mountains in Minnesota will be open this coming weekend and next. They say they had 13 feet of snow this year and have 2-3 feet of snow cover left, with some more snow expected tomorrow.

I know a number of places out west are still open -- A-Basin for sure -- but perhaps some other Divas can fill us in..

So who else is open, and for how much longer?

 

[MissySki]

I believe Wildcat is now closed during the week, but is planning to reopen this weekend if conditions permit.

 

[Jilly]

Mt. Sutton is questionable for this weekend. Know more later.
I believe that Mont St. Saveur is still open - SkiBam?
Mt Ste Anne is open this coming weekend for one last hurrah.

That's it for eastern Ontario, Western Quebec.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Sugarloaf is open daily through (they hope) May 4.
Today's trail report shows 52 miles/885 acres/106 trails open, and they had 1-2" overnight.

Not that I doubt this, but....the quality has suffered, no thanks to the many freeze/thaw cycles we've had in last 10 days. Most dining/drinking establishments are done for the season, so this is totally die-hard season. BYO?

 

[Jenny]

Looks like Boyne Mountain is on a weekend to weekend basis . . .

 

[WaterGirl]

Mammoth with snow expected Fri / Sat up top 1+foot
Only Main lodge open now, closed Eagle / Canyon Sunday (which was a fun Easter Weekend /Pond Skim).

 

[2ski2moro]

Whiteface is considering opening this weekend if the weather cooperates.

 

[Christy]

Crystal is open weekends until May 18; Stevens is open through this weekend; Blackcomb is open of course.

 

[marzNC]

Alta will be open for two more weekends (Fri-Sun), but just the Sunnyside and Collins lifts. Last day is May 4. I know Alta Lodge closed on April 20 and guessing that the other lodges in Alta are done for the winter season as well.

Snowbird will be open for a while yet. But with limited terrain. Peruvian, Gad2, GadZoom, Baldy, and Mid Gad are closed, leaving Chickadee, Wilbere, Little Cloud, Mineral Basin Express, and the Tram open. LCC got a few inches of fresh snow overnight so those still around could hunt for softer lines on the upper mountain. Chair-only passes are allowed on the tram.

 

[marzNC]

Mt. Bachelor is still 95% open according to the website. That's a lot of skiable acres given that the total is about 3600 acres. 8 inches of snow in the last day or two. Spring hours are 9:00-2:00. One of these days I'd like to get over there for some late season turns since I have good friends who live in southern Oregon. A spring pass is $179. Started on March 31 and could be good until May 25, weather permitting.

 

[SkiBam]

St. Sauveur will be open weekends for a while. Still good coverage. Might consider going if Sunday is sunny, but forecast isn't promising.

 

[Albertan ski girl]

Norquay closed last weekend. Nakiska is open until May 4th, weekends only. Lake Louise and Marmot Basin are open daily until May 11. Sunshine Village is open daily until May 19.

 

[pinto]

Breck and Winter Park open until 27 April
Copper open 25-27 April
Crested Butte open 26-27 April
Aspen Mtn open 26-27 April and 3-4 May
Loveland open until 4 May

ABasin into June, no hard date yet

I think that's it for CO

 

[abc]

Today's trail report shows 52 miles/885 acres/106 trails open, and they had 1-2" overnight.

That's a lot of terrain!

Not that I doubt this, but....the quality has suffered, no thanks to the many freeze/thaw cycles we've had in last 10 days.

How has the "quality" changed the last warm cycle?

 

[Skise]

18/73 resorts still open in Finland including my two home resorts. Not sure I'm going skiing any more tho, my friend had way more fun than I did last weekend (my 39th day, her 6th) in spring slush.

 

[MissySki]

It's always interesting to see how "open" places are at this time of year though. I've skied at Jay when they were open in the spring, but you had to walk through mud to get back to the lifts from somewhere on the trail where the snow stops. Not that much fun to me after the first novel experience!

 

[abc]

you had to walk through mud to get back to the lifts from somewhere on the trail where the snow stops. Not that much fun to me after the first novel experience!

Spring skiing isn't for everyone. Some really like it, some only does it grudgingly. While many just say NO!

I actually like the fact one have to dodge obstacle!

Last weekend, I was skiing at Wildcat. The trail directly under the lift was officially closed. But so many people sneak in around a gap in the rope... The trail was closed for a reason, there were simply not enough coverage to ski top to bottom. But the people who sneaked in was having tons of fun snaking around the narrow white ribbon of snow remaining on the shaded side of the trail! The object was obviously trying to work one's way down on the white stuff without scratching the base of the ski (too much)!

There were quite a few trails that still had wall-to-wall coverage. But for many, the added challenge of seeking one's way down an almost gone trail was more fun than cruising down the open trail with good coverage!

The first time I ski at Jay in May, it involves a bit of puddle jumping and walking. I thought that was kind of fun in its own way (for me, it's real fun beyond just novelty). I would have gone more often had Jay not been so darn far away. I've done Killington late season far more often, primarily because it's a lot closer (4 hr instead of 6).

 

[MaineSkiLady]

That's a lot of terrain!
How has the "quality" changed the last warm cycle?

What happens is that it gets below freezing at night, so everything "sets up" pretty firm. Minimal grooming now, maybe a dozen runs per night. Patrol ropes the "solid" runs until/if they soften, then ropes drop. Last Sunday (last warm day that I was there), it started out firm but quickly softened between 11-12.

There are bare spots coming now, and the rain from 8 days ago turned certain sections of some runs to glacial ice - that is NOT going to soften. Overall, it's still quite a bit of terrain, although the glades might not be skiable at this point (they are open but....). Snow pack could well be receding from the base at this point. They do "farm" snow to the main quad. The MO is to stay above a certain elevation (which is clearly marked by a cross-cut) - that snow usually makes it for the duration. Then the trek to the base can be adventuresome, but - it's spring.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

@abc, I agree with your comment above. Spring skiing is definitely "an acquired taste." It sure can be a fun party, though.

 

[MissySki]

Spring skiing isn't for everyone. Some really like it, some only does it grudgingly. While many just say NO!

I actually like the fact one have to dodge obstacle!

Last weekend, I was skiing at Wildcat. The trail directly under the lift was officially closed. But so many people sneak in around a gap in the rope... The trail was closed for a reason, there were simply not enough coverage to ski top to bottom. But the people who sneaked in was having tons of fun snaking around the narrow white ribbon of snow remaining on the shaded side of the trail! The object was obviously trying to work one's way down on the white stuff without scratching the base of the ski (too much)!

There were quite a few trails that still had wall-to-wall coverage. But for many, the added challenge of seeking one's way down an almost gone trail was more fun than cruising down the open trail with good coverage!

The first time I ski at Jay in May, it involves a bit of puddle jumping and walking. I thought that was kind of fun in its own way (for me, it's real fun beyond just novelty). I would have gone more often had Jay not been so darn far away. I've done Killington late season far more often, primarily because it's a lot closer (4 hr instead of 6).

I actually do like the dodging of obstacles on the trails and bumps themselves along with the soft snow of spring skiing.. the challenge is lots of fun. The warmth is great, I enjoyed it very much this year.

I guess I just draw my line at walking through yards of mud that I was sinking below the toes of my boots in. The baking mud smelled bad, there were flies hovering and it was just all around gross.

It's not always like that in the spring, I think it was just particularly bad the year I happened to be there, the snow went really fast and we had 2 consecutive days in the 70s, they went from almost completely open to a full on mess while we were there. Besides the gross factor it was impressive to see how quickly things turned even from run to run.