Six ski resorts are already open: Powderhounds, what are you waiting for?
Record snow and cold temperatures in B.C. and Colorado mean the ski season begins early for several resorts. Check out these recent photos
Big White ski patrollers leave tracks in the fresh powder. Alpine runs will open to the public Nov. 16 – it’s the earliest opening 50 years at this Kelowna, B.C. resort. To celebrate, lift tickets, rentals and lessons are half-off on opening day.Big White Ski Resort
Whistler Mountain in B.C. opens 13 days earlier than planned this season. As of Nov. 16, five lifts will be open thanks to a combination of natural snowfall, snow-making machines and cold temperatures. Adjoining Blackcomb Mountain opens Nov. 28.Mitchell Winton
Is cross country more your thing? Ten kilometres of trails are already open at B.C.’s Sun Peaks. The trails opened two weeks ahead of schedule, the earliest Nordic opening on record for this B.C.-interior resort. (Alpine runs open Nov. 23.) Early season trail tickets are half price.Sun Peaks Resort
A big dump of snow pushed up the opening cross-country skiing at Silver Star resort in B.C. Nordic skiers can glide over 70 kilometres of freshly covered trails in the Shuswap Highland of the Monashee Mountains.Silver Star Resort
Powderhounds in Colorado have been making tracks at Breckenridge resort since Nov. 8. Next month, the resort plans to open 218 hectares of high-alpine, intermediate bowl-skiing on its new Peak 6.Vail Resorts
Arapahoe Basin in Colorado – which opened Oct. 13 – has one of the longest ski seasons in North America. The season ends here in June (or about as long as the NHL post-season).Courtesy of Colorado Ski Country USA