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Ski Areas Still Open Memorial Day Weekend

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Even though weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, you can still make some turns here:

Whistler Blackcomb, BC – May 27th
Heavenly, CA – May 27th (weekends only)
Mt. Bachelor, OR – May 26th
Mt. Hood Meadows, OR – May 26th
Aspen Mountain, CO – May 26th
Crystal Mountain, WA – May 26th
Breckenridge, CO – May 27th (then first 2 weekends in June)
Killington, VT – June 2nd
Sommet Saint-Sauveur, QC – June 2 (weekends only)
Arapahoe Basin, CO – June 9th (longer conditions permitting)
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, CA – July 7th
Mammoth, CA – July 7th (at least…)
Snowbird, UT – Open weekends as conditions permit
Timberline Lodge, OR – August 31st

So who's skiing?
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Sounds like Snowbird has committed to staying open for Father's Day, June 16. They are teasing about a special opening for July 4th, according to a SLC media report on May 20.

I re-arranged the list geographically. Hadn't realized that Crystal stays open late. The mountains not on Epic or Ikon are those in Oregon plus Saint-Saveur. Next season A-Basin won't be on Epic. When it says "weekends only" that usually includes Friday. The terrain is limited and for intermediates and up.

Whistler Blackcomb, BC – May 27th

Crystal Mountain, WA – May 26th
Timberline Lodge, OR – August 31st
Mt. Hood Meadows, OR – May 26th
Mt. Bachelor, OR – May 26th

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, CA – July 7th
Heavenly, CA – May 27th (weekends only)
Mammoth, CA – July 7th (at least…)

Snowbird, UT – June 16 at least (weekends only), maybe special opening for July 4th

Aspen Mountain, CO – May 26th
Breckenridge, CO – May 27th (then first 2 weekends in June)
Arapahoe Basin, CO – June 9th (longer conditions permitting)

Killington, VT – June 2nd
Sommet Saint-Sauveur, QC – June 2 (weekends only)
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
While spring skiing in March or April can be a good time for beginners, especially kids on spring break, late season skiing in May is not the time to introduce someone to sliding on snow.

Rode up the Squaw funitel last May with a family from the southeast who were beginners. Parents and two older sons (high school, college). The father and sons had rented skis and were going to try skiing for the first time without a lesson. Father had skied long ago. First time for his sons. Mother was going to wait until the private lesson they had scheduled for the next day. Ran into the men around 9:30. By then it was obvious there was only a couple easier blues open off Gold Coast. They asked about trails off the Shirley lift but those were far too steep for beginners. There was a big sign near the top of Shirley directing beginners back to the Gold Coast Lodge. They were having a good time though. By noon, it was too warm to slide. Seeing snow for the first time for the sons was just part of their vacation, so it didn't matter too much.
 
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Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
I so want to go, but not sure it makes sense economically for the terrain accessible to a timid intermediate. Lodging is cheaper but airfare and rental car seem to be a fixed cost.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I so want to go, but not sure it makes sense economically for the terrain accessible to a timid intermediate. Lodging is cheaper but airfare and rental car seem to be a fixed cost.
If you don't have a lot of vacation time and frequent flyer miles to burn, I wouldn't recommend a trip in May based on my experience last spring in Oregon and Mammoth. I had a good time, but have a fair amount of experience with late season snow. Plus my ski buddy Bill provides the car and the driving for our trips out west. Fly in April . . . yes. Fly in May for a solo trip . . . no.

Given that you live near an indoor ski facility, investing money and time for private lessons during the off-season seems like a better idea in the long run. Once you get over the intermediate hump and can be comfortable on any black in the Mid-Atlantic and any blue at a destination resort, the more fun you can have skiing full days during a ski vacation that requires buying a plane ticket.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Snowbird got 14 inches out current snowstorm so far.

What unusual is that Mammoth will be open daily, not just on weekends
What I meant is that most other places still open are only open on weekends. Not that being open daily is usual for Mammoth.
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
? Mammoth doesn't shut down during the week, less chairs running maybe.

Mammoth has a lot of weekly training camps. Lifts are running for that main reason. Not Ikoners. More snow more camps = mammoth can compete with Mt Hood for training options.
 
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marzNC

Angel Diva
What I meant is that most other places still open are only open on weekends. Not that being open daily is usual for Mammoth.
? Mammoth doesn't shut down during the week, less chairs running maybe.
Ack . . . typing too fast and not reading before posting. :redface:

The point is that Mammoth is a good place for travelers to go in May or later because it IS open daily. There are other destination resorts still open, but many are only open on weekends after early May.
 

mustski

Angel Diva
No doubt it's been a great winter. I feel bad for the folks who live in Mammoth though ... I suspect they are hankerin' for some warmer weather and some actual springtime. I, however, am excited to keep skiing ... but, I do get to live in a more temperate climate.
 

Mountainerd

Diva in Training
No doubt it's been a great winter. I feel bad for the folks who live in Mammoth though ... I suspect they are hankerin' for some warmer weather and some actual springtime. I, however, am excited to keep skiing ... but, I do get to live in a more temperate climate.

At this point everyone up here is kind of wandering around in a bewildered daze...lots of looking around at the genuinely ridiculous amount of snow that is still up on the hill and muttering to each other in disbelief about it. Many conversations end up containing some variation of “this is a absolutely bananas, can you believe it’s May?!” But then we smile, grab our skis and head out, super stoked to be out on the hill skiing in late May and feeling like it’s the middle of winter :ski:
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Hadn't realized that Crystal stays open late.

There have been years where they legitimately stayed open late, but they just reopened this weekend on a single slope--it's really a gimmick. We are so far below average snowpack that the governor has already declared a drought emergency. There is not actually a lot of snow.
 

mustski

Angel Diva
At this point everyone up here is kind of wandering around in a bewildered daze...lots of looking around at the genuinely ridiculous amount of snow that is still up on the hill and muttering to each other in disbelief about it. Many conversations end up containing some variation of “this is a absolutely bananas, can you believe it’s May?!” But then we smile, grab our skis and head out, super stoked to be out on the hill skiing in late May and feeling like it’s the middle of winter :ski:
There is a group of us heading to Mammoth next week - from May28-June 3. Are you going to be around any of those days?
 

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