Early Season Snow Blasts Canadian Ski Resorts

For skiers, it’s the August that keeps on giving. From California to Wyoming, ski resorts have reported early-early season snowfall, kicking off the pre-winter stoke. Now, multiple Canadian resorts are adding their snow sightings to the pile.

Yesterday, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, British Columbia, announced that it had received a touch of snowfall. The pre-season dusting is sticking around. The top of Revy’s Stoke Chair is still clad in white (above).

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, British Columbia, almost begrudgingly joined in on the fun. “Yes, it snowed here too. But it can go away now until October or November,” it wrote on Instagram this morning. “We still have lots of biking, hiking, Via Ferrata-ing, Boo visiting, sightseeing, and Eagle’s Eye Restaurant dining to do!”

Hearing that sentiment from a ski resort is funny, but they have a point. Snow this early won’t do anything to expedite resort opening days. All it does is get in the way of summer activities, which, at many resorts, are still ongoing. I’m sure the mountain bikers reading this get it.

But if you’ve stumbled across a POWDER article, you probably want to hear more about Kicking Horse’s snow. Ask, and you shall receive. Here’s a look at the resort’s Stairway webcam.

Some snow is also clinging to the top of Kicking Horse’s Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, located at the upper mid-mountain (photo above).

These humble dustings are enough to have most skiers reaching for the waxing iron, but Lake Louise Ski Resort, Alberta, will do you one better. They have more than a coating of snow. Heck, from where I’m sitting, it looks skiable.

What of Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, you ask? They shared photos of a slight dusting yesterday, but their webcams now look mostly bare. For the time being, it seems Mother Nature is holding off at the popular resort.

All these wintry teases have us—and maybe you—really starting to think about winter. Who’s going to be the first to open? Where will the snow fall this year? Should we be financially irresponsible and buy more ski gear?

For the most part, those questions don’t have answers (okay, I’ll admit it—when it comes to buying new gear, I’m usually leaning on the “yes” side of the spectrum).

As for the first North American ski resort to open, though, I know where my money is. It’s not in Canada. Instead, I’m thinking about a surprising underdog: Ski Ward, Massachusetts. Last fall, thanks to a Latitude 90 snowmaking system, the humble ski area offered the first turns of the North American season on October 22nd, 2023. A repeat performance isn’t confirmed.

In the meantime, we’ve compiled a list of the already-announced ski resort opening dates for the 2024-2025 winter season. Get stoked.

Related: Old Farmer's Almanac Reveals Canada's Winter 2024-2025 Forecast

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