Beartooth Basin Summer Ski Area Closes Unexpectedly: “Mother Nature Has Not Cooperated As of Yet”

Summer-only ski area Beartooth Basin announced today on Facebook that it is indefinitely shutting down its operations due to a lack of sufficient snow to continue operating. The ski area, located on the Wyoming/Montana border at 10,900 feet, typically opens around Memorial Day and runs through the month of June for its summer ski season. This year the resort opened on May 27th but has now announced its sudden closure only halfway through the month of June.

“Beartooth Basin is Closed. We had an awesome run, but Mother Nature has not cooperated as of yet. We are up there doing work, and if by chance we get new snow, we may open for a bonus weekend this upcoming weekend. Fingers crossed! Thank you all for the love and support.” – Beartooth Basin Facebook

If there isn’t enough snow to safely ski, Beartooth Basin can’t operate. That seems to be the case for the summer-only ski area right now, likely a result of recent warm temperatures and rapid snowmelt. The resort shared on its website that if the weather cooperates and “a few feet of snow” can fall this month, there’s a chance it can reopen for a bonus weekend of skiing and snowboarding. Snowstorms at almost 11,000 feet in the Beartooth Range of Wyoming/Montana in June are not out of the ordinary, however, a few feet of snow is a big storm no matter how you look like it—especially for mid-summer. This week the Beartooth Range is expecting incoming precipitation but it remains unclear how much will fall as rain or snow. Although the local community remains hopeful that their snowy summer playground can experience a revival with the coming storm, it may just be that Beartooth Basin is done for the season.