After a warm later half of October, temperatures began to dip on October 30th. This resulted in multiple ski resorts across the Northeast turning on their snowmaking equipment and creating some whales. With a few more days of cold weather, some ski resorts could be opening, with a Quebec ski resort already announcing that they’re opening tomorrow.
The key factor that the resorts will have to consider is a warm front that is coming through over the weekend. Conserving what they made, and making an official opening next weekend may be the best decision for some. Here are some of the mountains that have made snow this week.
Ski Ward: The first ski area to open in North America was surprisingly Ski Ward in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. They opened up their magic carpet on October 22nd for a day of shredding. They have since been closed but will be reopening for private ski & snowboard lessons today. A rail jam, which was originally scheduled for October 28th, is now scheduled for November 11th. A public opening has yet to be officially announced.
Killington: Killington is consistently a contender for first to open and last to close in the Northeast. The snowmakers at Killington began their work in the North Ridge terrain pod on Tuesday. Snowmaking is also ongoing on Superstar for the Stifel Killington Cup. They told us that they made “decent progress” yesterday. Snowmaking continues in North Ridge today, and they’re getting some natural snow as well. After we published this post, Killington announced that they’ll be opening on Friday.
Bretton Woods: One of the top contenders in New Hampshire is typically Bretton Woods, as they were the first to open in New Hampshire last winter. Bretton Woods announced that they had completed their first snowmaking shift yesterday.
Waterville Valley: A surprise early-season contender is Waterville Valley. Snowmaking has begun in the High Country, accessed by taking the Tecumseh Express and then riding the High Country T-Bar. They have made snow in this area over the past two days.
According to Matt over at Skiology Weather & News, they’re making snow this early for competitive programs to use the slopes for the middle portion of the month.
Sommet Saint-Sauveur: The first & last ski resort open in Quebec is Sommet Saint-Sauveur. Their first snowmaking push began yesterday, with more opportunities to make the white stuff in the next few days. Somme Saint-Sauveur just announced that they will be opening on November 2nd, making it likely that they will be the first to open in Canada.
Sunday River: Sunday River typically competes with Killington to be the first to open in the Northeast. Due to the construction on the Barker 6, early-season operations will be happening at the Jordan 8 chairlift. Today, Sunday River shared a post of them making snow, so we now know that their snowmaking push has begun.
Image/Video Credits: Bretton Woods (Featured Image), Killington Resort (Header Image), Ski Ward, Fahri Yavuz/Sommet Saint-Sauveur, Sunday River Resort
