![]() ![]() “There are many locations around the mountain where the snow has reached the chairlift height so there is a seemingly endless effort to dig out across the mountain in order to safely operate lifts.” “These historic snowstorms have been challenging - we’ve seen lifts completely buried, increased avalanche activity and highway closures to name a few,” said Lauren Burke, a communications director at Mammoth Mountain, in an email. ![]() Some ski areas have been overwhelmed by the snowy onslaught. Heavy snows can also mean increased avalanche danger, especially in the backcountry. But the snowfall has also created dangerous conditions, especially in California, where snowbound residents have died while trapped in their homes and buildings have collapsed. In the West, the bumper crop of snow may help ease issues of water shortages and wildfires, at least temporarily. “The annual total doesn’t tell the whole story.” “We are getting it all in March,” he said. But they got very little of it in December and January, when snowfall was 30 percent below average. Mike Solimano, the president and general manager of Killington and Pico ski areas, told me that the mountains’ accumulation is about even with the five-year average. In the Northeast, the late-season snow comes after a difficult year for many areas, which faced a snow drought in the early part of the season. “The snow coverage at resorts is amazing right now, probably top five all-time,” said Michael Reitzell, president of Ski California, in an email. This week, Brighton, also in Utah, is closing in on its record snowfall of 751 inches, “the equivalent of 10 Subarus or nine moose stacked on top of one another,” wrote Alison Palmintere, communications director of Ski Utah, in an email. Ski areas nearing record snowfalls include Palisades Tahoe (662 inches, or 55 feet) and Mammoth Mountain (618 inches) in California, and numerous resorts in Utah: Alta (681 inches, the most snow recorded by this date), Park City (479 inches, a record), Deer Valley (485 inches, a record), Solitude (623 inches, near record) and Snowbird (625 inches, near record). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |