Ski season

Last updated January 18, 2024

The introduction of artificial snowmaking with snow guns in the late 1950s revolutionized the ski industry. Schneekanone.jpg — The introduction of artificial snowmaking with snow guns in the late 1950s revolutionized the ski industry.

A ski season is a period when skiing, snowboarding and other alpine sports are viable in an alpine resort. The season corresponds to when ski lifts are running and lift passes are available. Depending on the latitude and altitude of the resort, the season will typically run from early to mid-winter until mid- to late spring. Ideally, the season will be over before the thaw begins.

A typical ski season has three stages, and therefore three levels of lift ticket pricing:^[1]

Off-peak, at the very beginning and ending of the season, when the number of lifts open is limited and the snow cover in the lower sections of the mountain is typically patchy.
Shoulder, during which the mountain is entirely snow-covered but lift pass sales are not sufficiently lucrative to justify opening all lifts or areas of the mountain.
Peak, during which all lifts and most if not all runs are open. These periods are usually at the height of the season or during school or public holidays.

Typically, in the United States, a ski season lasts from late November to early April, however larger resorts in Colorado and California are known to spin the lifts as late as the 4th of July.^[2]

The introduction of artificial snowmaking with snow guns in the late 1950s revolutionized the ski industry, drastically changing the ski season for every climate. With snowmakers becoming popular for large ski resorts to invest in the 1960s, we began to see more and more smaller resorts open up with the ability to maintain snow in places where snow didn't naturally occur very often. By the start of the 1970s, snowmaking technology had progressed far enough to see ski resorts open all across the east coast mountains and Midwest in places that can regularly see less than 3 feet of natural snowfall a year. Today, we can see ski resorts rely on artificial snow making even more as climate change shortens the window for natural snowfall.

Some ski resorts, like the small mountain resort of Cataloochee found in western North Carolina, almost entirely rely on artificial snowmaking to stay open. With an average yearly snowfall total of only around 35 inches (most of which occur in January and February) Cataloochee is still able to open up around November 20 and maintain snow till March 25. Even in bad snow years thanks to heavy investments in snowmaking technology, Cataloochee can open with no natural snowfall and will often be open for months before the first real snowstorm occurs. With a base elevation of 4,660 and a peak of 5,400, it is the second highest ski resort on the entire east coast, second only to its neighbor 2 hours to the north, beech mountain. Both of which are in the high southern Appalachian smokey mountain range. It is because of these high elevations that they are able to operate with the valleys around the resorts seeing much less, if any snowfall.

The snow season can change drastically from year to year and mountain to mountain. One of the most well-known mountains in the US to keep snow on their trails and lifts spinning is the timberline lodge resort at the base of mount hood. With a base elevation at 4,540 and a peak elevation of 8,540, it is not the highest elevation ski resort on western United States. Its unique climate can bring an average of 400 inches of wet heavy snow, also known as cascades concrete. The wet heavy snow takes a lot longer to melt than dry fluffy snow that the central Rocky Mountains are known for.

Related Research Articles

A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes and a ski lift system. In North America, it is more common for ski areas to exist well away from towns, so ski resorts usually are destination resorts, often purpose-built and self-contained, where skiing is the main activity.

The Falls Creek Alpine Resort is an alpine ski resort in the Hume region in northeastern Victoria, Australia. It is located in the Alpine National Park in the Victorian Alps, approximately 350 kilometres by road from Melbourne, with the nearest town being Mount Beauty, which is approximately 30 km (20 mi) away. The resort lies between an elevation of 1,500 and 1,830 m above sea level, with the highest lifted point at 1,780 m (5,840 ft). Skiing is possible on the nearby peak of Mount McKay at 1,842 m (6,043 ft), accessed by snowcat from the resort.

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Snowbird is an unincorporated community in Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is most famous for Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, an alpine skiing and snowboarding area, which opened in December 1971.

Alta is a ski area in the western United States, located in the town of Alta in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, in Salt Lake County. With a skiable area of 2,614 acres (10.58 km²), Alta's base elevation is 8,530 ft (2,600 m) and rises to 11,068 ft (3,374 m) for a vertical gain of 2,538 ft (774 m). One of the oldest ski resorts in the country, it opened its first lift in early 1939. Alta is known for receiving more snow than most Utah resorts, with an average annual snowfall of 545 inches (13.8 m). It is also regularly ranked as having the best snow in North America. Alta is one of three remaining ski resorts in the U.S. that prohibits snowboarders, along with nearby competitor Deer Valley and Vermont's Mad River Glen.

Whiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in the U.S. state of New York, and one of the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Set apart from most of the other High Peaks, the summit offers a 360-degree view of the Adirondacks and clear-day glimpses of Vermont and even Canada, where the skyscrapers of Montreal, 80 miles (130 km) away, can be seen on a very clear day. Located about halfway between the town of Wilmington and Lake Placid, the mountain's east slope is home to a major ski area which boasts the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies, and which hosted the alpine skiing competitions of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Unique among the High Peaks, Whiteface features a developed summit and seasonal accessibility by motor vehicle. Whiteface Memorial Highway reaches a parking area at an elevation of 4,600 feet (1,400 m), with the remaining 267 feet (81 m) being obtained by tunnel and elevator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowmaking</span> A device to spray artificial snow

Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliability of their snow cover and to extend their ski seasons from late autumn to early spring. Indoor ski slopes use snowmaking. They can generally do so year-round as they have climate-controlled environments.

Killington Mountain Resort & Ski Area is a ski resort in Rutland County, Vermont, United States, near the town of Killington. It is the largest ski area in the eastern U.S., and has the largest vertical drop in New England at 3,050 feet. Since the 2013–14 ski season, it has been called the "Beast of the East."

Mountain High resort is a winter resort in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County in California. Mountain High is one of the most-visited resorts in Southern California. The resort is located along State Route 2 west of Wrightwood, California. The elevation of the resort is 6,600 feet (2,000 m) to 8,200 feet (2,500 m) for the Mountain High East Resort, 7,000 feet (2,100 m) to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) for the West Resort and 7,200 feet (2,200 m) to 7,800 ft (2,400 m) for the North Resort.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Snow</span> Ski resort in Vermont, United States

Mount Snow is a mountain and ski resort in southern Vermont located in the Green Mountains. It is Vermont's southernmost big mountain, and therefore, closest to many Northeast metropolitan areas.

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Appalachian Ski Mountain is a ski area in the eastern United States, one of three ski mountains in the Watauga County area of western North Carolina. It is located off of US 321 between Blowing Rock and Boone.

Elk Mountain Ski Resort is a ski area in the Endless Mountains on the summit of Elk Hill in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. It is located 30 mi (48 km) north of Scranton. The mountain has been given favorable reviews from Ski Magazine, including a listing in "Six Unsung Heroes", a roundup of hidden gems in skiing.

Bristol Mountain, formally known as Bristol Mountain Winter Resort, is a ski resort located in South Bristol, New York, in the Finger Lakes region. It is located 30 miles (48 km) from the center of Rochester, New York, the nearest major city to the resort, and about 10 miles (16 km) from Canandaigua on NY 64.

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The Mount Buller Alpine Resort is a ski resort located on Mt Buller in the Australian state of Victoria.

Skiing in the Australian Capital Territory refers to snow skiing in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The highest mountain in the ACT is Bimberi Peak. Recreational skiing commenced with the formation of the Canberra Alpine Club in 1934. Since the 1930s, the ACT has had intermittent and limited alpine skiing facilities. Downhill ski facilities returned to the ACT at Corin Forest in 2016, after a two decade hiatus.

This glossary of skiing and snowboarding terms is a list of definitions of terms and jargon used in skiing, snowboarding, and related winter sports.

References

↑ "Shoulder-Season Savings in 5 Ski Resort Towns". Travel Channel. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
↑ Martin, Hugo (2017-05-19). "Endless winter? California ski resorts plan to keep slopes open this summer". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035 . Retrieved 2018-01-15.

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[1] "Shoulder-Season Savings in 5 Ski Resort Towns". Travel Channel. Retrieved 2018-01-15.

[2] Martin, Hugo (2017-05-19). "Endless winter? California ski resorts plan to keep slopes open this summer". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035 . Retrieved 2018-01-15.

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