Opening Day is postponed. Eaglecrest is on hold until colder and dryer conditions prevail.
The mountain and staff are ready to open, but Mother Nature is throwing us a curveball. Torrential rain, warm temperatures, and strong winds have accelerated snowmelt across the entire mountain, and this forecast will continue for the foreseeable future. The slopes are saturated and not suitable for skiing, snowboarding, or machine grooming.
Notes from this historically bad stretch of weather:
- We received nearly 7” of rain in 48 hours.
- Another 3-4” of rain is forecasted through Sunday.
- The base snowpack shrank from 30” to 19” – despite 8.5” of snowfall Tuesday night.
- The summit snowpack shrank from 59” to 52” – despite 15.7” of snowfall Tuesday night.
- A significant portion of West Bowl avalanched, some areas have 5-foot crowns, the largest we’ve seen in years.
- Previously buried water drainages, rocks, stumps, brush, and other hazards are now exposed.
- Mud and debris are covering the snow surface in areas.
All things considered, it could be a lot worse. The mountain still looks nice and white, and this early December snowpack is still the deepest we’ve had in years. We are cautiously optimistic that we can ride out this next batch of rain and patch up the slopes as soon as it’s cold enough to get the groomers back on the snow.
We would have loved to see everyone on the mountain this weekend. Instead, please stay safe and dry at home. The saturated snowpack is still sensitive and would prefer to be left alone.
The Ticket Office is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Please come up and test or print your season pass before the season starts. If you need to rent boots, skis, or snowboards, remember to get pre-fitted. Learn more about operational changes at skieaglecrest.com/covid19.
Keeping scrolling for photos of the rain damage and a video of avalanche activity in West Bowl.
