The deepest recorded snow base at a ski area on the planet at present has reached five metres for the first time this season.
Alyeska ski area in Alaska hit the 5m mark yesterday on its upper runs in the latest spate of snow storms which have continued for much of the winter along North America's Pacific coast. The resort has also had more snow than any other so far this season – and more snow than most other areas have ever received in any one season – clocking up 17.5 metres (over 57 feet) so far this winter.
That's some way short of the world record set by Mt Baker in Washington state in winter 1998-99 with a total of 29m (95 feet) , although there are a few months to go and it is snowing hard!
Mt Baker is also having a good season after four successive bad ones, particularly last winter when it was forced to close for lack of snow around about this point in the season. This winter it has a 4.4m base and has had 12 metres of snowfall this season to date.
It has been a winter of extremes across North America with generally below average and often poor conditions on the East Coast where it has been too warm and even parts of the West Coast where many resorts have seen huge snowfalls but others have been plagued by rain.
In southern California for example Mammoth Mountain is having a generally goods season (4.2m base) and expects up to two metres or so more snow in the next week, but Mountain High a little further south has had to close due to lack of snow.
Chamonix is currently claiming the deepest snow base in Europe at 485cm.