Skiing can be enjoyed by all ages during the cold winter months. People look forward to their yearly ski trip in hopes of a pre ski snow dump. Skiers and snowboards expect fresh powder and groomed slopes for the ultimate skiing experience. Instead, they have been greeted this year by brown mountains and dirt patches.
According to SkitheWorld.com, snowfall at Vail’s western ski resorts were 50% below the historical 30-year average in November and December. In the Rocky mountains, snowfall was down 60% compared to the historical average, which led to only 11% of the terrain being opened in December. Skiers and snowboarders expected mountains to be open, but instead were limited to a fraction of the terrain.
The northeast got more snow than out west this past season. Jay Peak Vermont claims the title for snowiest resort. In total, they received 32.5 feet of snow over the winter season. On the other side of the country, Mt. Baker in Washington State received a total of 23 feet of snowfall throughout the season.
This is lower than the average for that area. While that’s still a good amount of snow, and more than most other Pacific Northwest mountains have, Mt. Baker has still had a relatively dry year by comparison.
Sophomore Cormac Hull went skiing on the East Coast. “We had phenomenal snow this year on the East Coast. It was the best in years. On the other hand, most of my friends who went out west had terrible conditions. The west had some of the worst snow conditions in years and had to end up making a majority of their snow,” Hull said.
Sophomore Hannah Yuan also agreed with Hull about East Coast skiing, but didn’t get the chance to go out west. “When I went to Seven Springs this year, the snow was great because we went right after it snowed, so all the runs were open and I got to try a lot of new trails. It was definitely better than previous years in terms of the snow quality and the amount of runs open so I was satisfied,” Yuan said.
The East Coast experienced a heavy snow storm in the middle to late January. It produced fresh powder that was great for a week or so until the weather eventually warmed up again. After those weeks, resorts were back to making fake snow but ultimately had more snow storms in comparison to the West Coast.
Due to the drought season on the West Coast this year, fake snow was the main way of producing snow. Fake snow is not as good for skiing as real snow, but it does allow for more trails to be open in warmer months.
This year the West Coast had experienced a dry season resulting in worse ski conditions, whereas the East Coast snow dumps have made for a better ski season overall. Skiers this year have expressed their positive experiences and satisfaction with the East Coast, while ultimately disappointed with the outcomes of this year’s West Coast skiing.
