Winter has returned to Blackcomb, with 15cm of fresh overnight and more on the way. It may be Cinco de Mayo but the ski season rages on at Whistle.

The video above was shot during an extreme cold snap earlier this season, but today, for Alpine skiers and riders it's mid-winter conditions on the hill. Whistler mountain is closed, but Blackcomb remains open and the there's powder to be had on the 5th of May.

Little Cottonwood Canyon gets hammered with late season storm. Memorial day closing targeted for Snowbird leading Utah with 612 inches to date

Snowbird Passes 600 Inches Thanks to Late April Storm
longest season in Utah stretched to memorial day

Snowbird, Utah – Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort surpassed the season-to-date snowfall total of 600 inches for the second straight year thanks to a 15 inch storm over the weekend. The Little Cottonwood Canyon resort is the only one in Utah still open for spring skiing and snowboarding. With a total snowfall of 612 inches and a mid-mountain base of 137 inches, there should be ample snow to ride on through Memorial Day.

“The mountain is remarkably still in mid-winter form,” said Snowbird President Bob Bonar. “This season we experienced the resort’s second-earliest opening ever, and we are excited to push the season through May and possibly beyond thanks to all this March and April snowfall.”

Snowbird has received more than 100 inches in five out of the last sixth months, a feat that has only occurred four times in the last 60 years. April alone has deposited 132 inches, more than double the monthly average of 65 inches.

Snowbird is currently offering reduced price tickets of $62 that include the Aerial Tram, Little Cloud, Mineral Basin Express and Chickadee for the extended spring riding. Lifts will operate daily, April 27 through May 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. From May 11 through May 25, the Tram, Little Cloud and Mineral Basin Express lifts will operate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, conditions permitting. Snowbird’s last day of winter operation is slated for Memorial Day.

Snowbird summer activities will begin June 13, including the new Wasatch Mining Company Gemstone Mine, Aerial Tram, Peruvian Chairlift and Tunnel, Alpine Slide, four-station climbing wall, ZipRider, Bungy Trampoline, Mechanical Bull and Inflatables. Visit www.snowbird.com for more information and the full Festival summer lineup.

Squaw Valley USA wants skiers and rider to take advantage of coverage and conditions through the spriing and beyond

Valid 7-Days-a-week from March 29 through the end of the season

[Squaw Valley USA] March 10, 2009 - Squaw Valley USA is enjoying a phenomenal late winter season - and it's far from over. The current season snowfall total is 398 inches - with 80 inches falling in the first week of March alone. Spring at Squaw renders bluebird powder days, meticulous grooming, the Monster Park at Riviera, lively events (like the Cushing Classic) and mountaintop pool parties at the Lagoon & Spa at High Camp, el 8200’. With Squaw's Spring Pass, skiers and riders can take on North America’s Spring Skiing Capital for only $179. The Spring Pass is valid 7 days a week starting March 29, and is on sale now at Squaw Valley’s Special Tickets office.

Journalists from the West region of North America concluded our week in Utah with bluebird conditions at Deer Valley, but no fresh powder!!!

Our hosts at Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, Deer Valley, Lakeside Resort and the Zermatt Spa and Resort were as bummed as we were that NASJA-West did not experience "The Greatest Snow on Earth". Utah powder is legendary. We skied in glorious sunshine our final day at Deer Valley, but the rest of the week's conditions left much to be desired. Just bad timing.. with rain, fog, flat light, wind, anything but soft snow was our daily challenge. Still, a great time was had by all, and those experiences will be written, broadcast, photographed, and be available online for Snowsports enthusiasts to get a taste of one of the most appetizing ski areas in the World. The mountains of Park City and Snowbasin areas were displayed to the masses at the highly successful 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games. Both the men's and women's downhills at Snowbasin displayed the competition on the hill via network television, but not the mountain and it's elegant yet casual lodges, the tremendous terrain and overall splendor of the area. Some of our daily experiences on the slopes are video bloged on this website. Our lodging resorts Lakeside Village near Snowbasin, and Zermatt Spa and Resort in Midway, Utah...just a short drive and Gondola ride to Deer Valley were our homes away from home for the week. Writers, photographers broadcasters, and internet editors will be producing stories from our Western Winter Summit in a media near you.

Our NASJA-West week skiing Snowbasin and staying at nearby Lakeside Resort ended today, but not the Western Winter Summit. We're now at Zermatt Spa.

Our North American Snowsports Journalist Association Western Winter Summit found no fresh snow the entire week. We skied in rain, fog, flat light on rock hard snow but still had a great time and accomplished quite a bit in our meetings. Today we bid farewell to Lakeside Village Resort and our hosts Darby and Shelly. The couple extended tremendous hospitality to our group, as did new GM at Snowbasin Kent Lyons and his talented staff of Steve, Mickell, Stew and many more. It was a bummer that snow conditions were far from typical late winter in Utah. The staff at Snowbasin desperately wanted to display their mountain with at least one day of fresh powder, but it was not to be. We still thoroughly enjoyed the week despite missing the legendary "Greatest Snow on Earth". Our NASJA-West road trip is now based in Midway, Utah at the Zermatt Spa and Resort. The 5 year old Swiss style lodging facility features 400 tastefully appointed rooms, but it's claim to fame is the Wellness Center and Spa. Every imaginable creature comfort is available at Zermatt. Tucked away in the Heber Valley, the resort offers more than any similar Spa and lodging option in Park City for about half the price. On the hour shuttle from Lakeside, our hostess Michelle Palmer..who is 8 months pregnant with her first child gave us a briefing and set the stage for a fantastic ending to NASJA-West's annual meeting.

Snowbasin finally getting fresh. Utah resort say's goodbye to NASJA-West, and hello to overdue perfect powder now falling

Unbelievable! As I write this last day blog following a week that featured rain, fog, death cookies, boilerplate, flat light, and other undesirable elements for skiers and riders, Snowbasin is now being blanketed with "The Greatest Snow on Earth"..Ski Utah's undisputed #1 winter attraction. The weather turned 3 hours ago. Already two inches of snow has accumulated on the back deck of our Lakeside Resort condo, about 2000 feet below Snowbasin's 6400' base. The goofy warm temperatures this week, have yielded to perfect ski weather. Just in time for our NASJA-West Winter Summit to conclude. About 25 journalists came to Snowbasin for our annual meeting, and to experience Utah powder. Instead, it was a week of spring skiing without the sunshine, but plenty of hard pack from early week rains..almost to the top at 9300 feet. All NASJA members enjoyed every minute (until Dan Giesin's injury-see previous blog) skiing on challenging surfaces, in flat light with poor visibility. Our guides Stew Marsh and Tate Henderson were awesome, and we all had a grand time, but everyone wanted the journalists to be writing and broadcasting about it's powder. Groomed runs were the only way to go all week. But that was then... now the endless runs of perfect powder will be enjoyed by others in the morning. Snowbasin is an epic mountain in fresh snow..and at this rate of falling flakes, morning powder hounds may be in shin deep! It's great to know Snowbasin will be back in it's glory after a week of conditions that can only be described as a total anomaly. When visibility allowed us to witness the splendors of the resort founded in 1940 with a pair of rope tows, we saw terrific terrain serviced by two high speed gondola's a couple of high speed quads, the Olympic Tram which access' the area above John Paul Lodge with jaw dropping views, and other people movers. With nearly 3000 skiable acres, 113 runs and a vertical drop of 2950 feet, Snowbasin also gets about 400 inches of snow per season. Home to the Men's and Women's 2002 Olympic Games downhill courses, the resort is a quick 33 mile drive from Downtown Salt Lake City. And did I mention the 3 elegant lodges are both spectacular and casual? Even the bathrooms are amazing. Fly Southwest from the Bay Area. Flights are cheap, and you can easily get a half day in on the slopes when flying out in the morning.

Dan Giesin of the San Francisco Chronicle is assisted by Ski Patrol after taking a face plant in flat light at Snowbasin.

Even the best of skiers can encounter issues on mellow terrain in flat light. Dan Giesin is one of NASJA-West's best skiers, but today, leading the way down off Strawberry Express, Giesin took a full on header. Following the markers in poor visibility, Dan was deposited face first on a cat track he did not see, despite following the bright orange direction guides. Skiing slow and under control, Giesen took the blow directly on his face. His goggles sliced a gash beneath his right eye that bled profusely. In less than 2 minutes after Dan's fall, Ski Patrolman Steve was on the scene administering aid. The S.F. Chronicle sports writer from Marin was able to ski down, despite being knocked out from the impact for a good 20 seconds. Upon reaching the bottom, Giesin's best buddy Curtis Fong took him to a nearby Ogden, Utah hospital where he was examined and released after the 4 stitch repair. Dennis Hall a writer from Crested Butte, Curtis, Mt. Hood photographer Brian Robb, and I were with Dan at the time of the accident. The tough as nails reporter will sport one hell of a shiner for a while. I've skied with Dan for almost 30 years, and have never seen him in an accident on the slopes. Just bad luck in flat light on rock hard snow during our final day at Snowbasin, where we never got to enjoy Utah's famous "Greatest Snow on Earth" during our entire weeklong visit. Still, our 25 active journalists will be writing, broadcasting and posting internet stories about the remarkable resort outside Ogden that features exquisite lodges, terrific runs, great terrain, and normally tremendous light dry Utah powder. Remarkably, as I write this account, virtually all ski resorts in the West are getting hammered with fresh snow. Our NASJA Western Winter Summit was at the perfect mountain...just not at the right time.