This past November will mostly be remembered for its snowless scenes in mountainous locations across North America. Popular ski resorts in Colorado, Tahoe, and Utah had little snow, resulting in many jarring images and videos.
However, it wasn’t all bad for North America’s ski industry. Snow arrived in Canada and parts of the Northeast early, allowing for some memorable starts to the season. Here are six ski resorts in North America that have great starts to their seasons.
Banff Sunshine Village: If you’re looking to go on a ski vacation soon and have access to lots of terrain, Banff is the place to go. Banff Sunshine Village was the first to open for the season in Canada, thanks to lots of natural stuff. Currently, the ski resort already has 78 trails and 11 lifts open. So far this ski season, Sunshine Village has received 200 centimeters (6 feet 7 inches) of snow at its summit.
Lake Louise Ski Resort: Another thriving Banff ski resort is Lake Louise. Currently, the Banff ski resort has 104 trails, 2 terrain parks, and all of its lifts open. The upper mountain has recorded 210 cm of snow (86.68 inches, meaning we narrowly avoid another 6-7 reference), while the mid-mountain has recieved 173 cms (68 inches).
Marmot Basin: While Marmot Basin had a delayed start to its season, I’d say there was a decent amount of terrain available on opening weekend.
Thanks to 95 cm (37 inches) of fresh snow so far, Marmot Basin remains open with six lifts, and much of its terrain is already available to explore. Visiting this winter will be a great way to support the Jasper National Park community, which is still recovering from the 2024 wildfires.
Lee Canyon: Yes, there’s skiing around an hour’s drive of Las Vegas. While the month started slowly at Lee Canyon, a 30-inch snowstorm and snowmaking efforts allowed the ski resort to open all of its lifts and nearly all of their trails. Thanks to this storm and snowmaking efforts that followed, Lee Canyon is in great shape for December.
Jay Peak: If you’re on social media, you’ll know it’s no secret that Jay Peak saw a lot of snow in November. Their official November tally was 119 inches, an all-time record. This allowed Jay to open one weekend earlier than expected. Currently, Jay Peak already has 39 trails/glades and four lifts open.
More snow this week and cold temperatures will likely allow for terrain and lift expansion in the weeks ahead.
Stowe: To the south of Jay is Mt. Mansfield, a mecca for both backcountry and in-bounds Northeast skiers and riders. Its backcountry terrain on Mansfield provided some memorable shredding to start the month.
Then the ski resort opened on November 21st, one day earlier than expected. It started its season with over 50 trails. That trail count has since reduced to 38 trails due to a warm stretch, but cold and snowy weather in the days ahead should help Stowe out.
Image Credits: Banff Sunshine Village, Lake Louise Ski Resort, Marmot Basin, Lee Canyon, Jay Peak, Stowe Mountain Resort
