Conditions Report
Eagle Crest ski area, currently the deepest snowpack in the United States. photo: skijuneau.com
Check out the list of top 10 snowpacks in the United States. Following an epic winter on the East Coast and snowfall above average in parts of the Rockies there are some surprises. No ski areas from the Lake Tahoe area made the top 10 list.
Top 10 Deepest Snowpacks in the United States
1. Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau, Alaska – 180”
2. Mount Baker, Washington – 179”
3. Alpental, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington – 175”
Silverton Mountain backside terrain. Trees, cliff bands, an spines. Basically, a playground! photo: Silverton Mountain
4. Silverton, Colorado – 160”
5. Stevens Pass, Washington – 155”
6. Grant Targhee Resort, Alta, Wyoming – 141”
Mt. Bachelor near Bend, Oregon. The land of volcanoes and Sasquatch. photo: TransWorld Snowboarding
7. Mount Bachelor Ski Resort, Bend, Oregon – 134”
8. Timberline, Oregon – 132”
9. Hunter Mountain, Hunter, New York – 128”
10. Big Sky Resort, Bozeman, Montana – 125”
With the last significant snowfall in the Lake Tahoe region, ski areas in the area have been struggling to make the top 10 snowpack list all season. The large amount of snowfall in the North East combined with winter storm Vulcan helped Hunter Mountain stay on the list. Meanwhile, Jackson and Rockies are getting hit again. Vail and the Front Range received over half a foot. If we SnowBrainers were going anywhere in the next few days, Jackson is looking very good. With over a foot of new snow in the past 48 hours and temperatures hovering around 20 on the upper mountain into the weekend, conditions will remain good for a while!
One unusual part of weather this season is the high level of variability. Until mid-February Bachelor was barely open. Bend locals were skiing their rock skis into the middle of the season. The February snowfall hammered Bachelor while completely passing by neighboring areas. In mid-March Cat Ski Mount Bailey, about 100 miles from Bend, is experiencing the lowest snowpack in the past 30 years. With only 14 days operating so far this year, compared to upwards of 60 in normal years, this year has been odd.
Fernie, BC, Canada: 145″ Base depth
Also, looking at Hunter Mtn’s snow report… they have had only 99″ of snowfall total this season. They are still reporting a depth range of 64-128″… due to man-made snow. Cheeky indeed.