Canadian Ski Resort Claims First Snowfall of the Season

If there's any ski resort in North America to bet on receiving their first snowfall of the season in August, it's Banff Sunshine Village located in Alberta, Canada.

Sunshine Village reported on the late-afternoon of August 21st, 2024 that the first dusting of snow was observed on their Great Divide webcam . See below!

We're sad to report that the dusting of snow has since melted, as seen in Sunshine's Great Divide webcam on the morning of August 22, 2024, but snow is snow, as they say! If you're looking for reasons to celebrate, this year's first snowfall comes almost a month before last season's. POWDER reported on Banff Sunshine Village's first snowfall for the Winter '23/'24 season on September 20, 2023 .

Banff Sunshine Village is usually one of the first ski resorts to open in North America due to it's northerly and continental disposition. With a base elevation of 7,200 feet, the fruit of early-season storms tend to stick around, and cold temps allow for ample snowmaking in mid to late October. The resort has set November 8th, 2024 as their projected opening date for the Winter '24/'25 season (just around the corner!).

Sunshine Village is part of Banff, Canada's 'Ski Big 3' alliance along with Lake Louise Ski Resort and Mt. Norquay. Neither Lake Louise nor Norquay are reporting snowfall as of the morning of August 22, 2024, but it's safe to assume that they were bombarded with the same cold summer temperatures and more-than-not-frozen precipitation.

The news of Canada's first snowfall comes on the heels of yesterday's breaking story that California might experience its first August snowfall in more than 20 years. The storm is expected to hit overnight and into Friday, August 23, 2024.

Is Winter '24/'25 getting off to an early start or is Mother Nature just teasing us? The answer remains to be seen, but you won't see anybody here at POWDER complaining. Winter is coming, and we're more than ready!

Related: August Snowstorm Forecasted for California

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