The USA is the most active ski nation for resort openings at present. Whilst resorts in the Alps (with a few notable exceptions) mostly stick to planned opening dates, US areas tend to open as soon as they have adequate snow cover to do so.
This season has been much heralded as a 'Godzilla El Nino' winter with the most excited reports forecasting the strongest and snowiest weather cycle off the Pacific in (up to) 60 years. This is, on the face of it, good news, for ski areas which on the West Coast in particular have suffered four seasons of drought and big drops in skier numbers as a result. However too much snow might ironically affect operations and access.
First to open a fortnight ago were Killington in Vermont and Sunday River in Maine on the East Coast followed by Arapahoe Basin and Loveland in the Colorado Rockies a week ago.
They have since been joined by Wolf Creek in Colorado and Mt Rose on Lake Tahoe in California is set to open today (Wednesday November 4th) in as clear sign that Tahoe is finally expecting a good winter. Mammoth will open on Friday.
It has kept snowing across much of Western North America over the past week with a few areas reporting very big falls already keeping the El Nino dream on track, but warmed up a bit in the East.
Revelstoke in BC has reported the biggest snowfalls – a metre in total over the last week and things are looking good at Big Sky Resort in Montana (pictured above yesterday),
"Big Sky Resort received 6" (15cm) of snow mid-mountain last night and it's been snowing all day. This storm brings the base to over a foot mid-mountain and much more snow on top of Lone Peak at an elevation of 11,166 feet. Big Sky Resort opens in 22 days on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th and we're off to a healthy start to a great ski season!" said the resort's Sheila D'Amico.
North of the border Lake Louise is expected to be the first ski area to open in Canada, this Friday November 6th.
The extent of the 'El Nino Effect' is also debated with some saying it is limited to the immediate West coast area and some even to the US side of the border, whilst others extend its reach further across North America and again the most excited believe it has implications for European weather too.
Good snowfalls in South America And New Zealand during 2015 (after a slow start to the southern hemisphere winter) are being credited on El Nino.