Good Skiing Continues in Canada but USA Needs Snow
30th November 2025
Last modified on December 2nd, 2025
It has been a poor start to winter in many parts of the US with some resorts forced to delay their start. Not so in Canada. PlanetSKI has visited Lake Louise. UPDATED
PlanetSKI’s reporting team of Alex Cove and Marie Taylor headed to Lake Louise in Alberta last weekend.
Not a bad way to start a weekend.
The road to Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
“Snow was good today, coverage is coming along nicely but they are still making as much snow as possible,” said Alex Cove from the resort.
“Nearly every gun was running.
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
“The resort wasn’t too busy which was nice, we think the -22 temperatures this morning might have kept quite a few people away,” added Alex.
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
“It was a generally clear, but cold day with some cloud around.”
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
“There was some good soft snow, but not enough for some serious powder skiing,” added Alex.
View this post on Instagram
Lake Louise is seeing some improvements this winter with 200 acres of terrain set to be added.
Richardson’s Ridge is a new 200-acre terrain pod that will be serviced by a new detachable high-speed quad chairlift.
The first phase of the expansion will add five new beginner and intermediate trails, along with some gentle and cruisy glade skiing.
Future phases will include advanced and expert glade skiing, along with a lift that will connect skiers from Temple Lodge.
New terrain for Lake Louise. Image c/o Lake Louise.
“Richardson’s Ridge embodies the spirit of Lake Louise: More Mountain, More Possibility, More Adventure,” said Lake Louise.
At the weekend the lift was running but for tests only, and it remains unclear when it will open.
New terrain in Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
New terrain in Lake Louise, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Elsewhere in Canada Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia kicked off its ski season on Friday, November 21st.
It hasn’t been a bumper start since with rain falling at lower levels in the resort.
Kicking Horse in British Columbia has had to delay its start.
“Our planned December 5 opening is delayed,” said the resort.
“Conditions up high are looking great, but we still don’t have enough snow at lower elevations for a safe mountain opening, and the current forecast won’t get us there in time.”
The best conditions in Canada are to be found in the resorts around Banff in Alberta – Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Mt Norquay.
Sunshine Village, Banff, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Sunshine Village, Banff, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
We reported on the opening of Sunshine Village on PlanetSKI at the beginning of November:
Snow is now falling in the gateway city of Calgary as the temperatures in Alberta fall.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Nakiska and Marmott Basin in Alberta are also now open.
In the USA though it has been a generally poor start to the ski season.
Most major US resorts try to open in late November for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
However, a lack of natural snow and warm temperatures have left some slopes bare, with many resorts cancelling their opening plans.
Jackson Hole in Wyoming has postponed its opening.
A message about our winter start: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will delay the opening of the 2025-26 winter season, due to unseasonably warm temperatures and lack of snowfall. We have received 26 inches of snow mid-mountain through November, and warm conditions have affected… pic.twitter.com/tofuxj4HoG
— Jackson Hole (@jhski) November 25, 2025
It’s near neighbour in Wyoming, Grande Targhee, had planned to open on November 21st, but has had to cancel.
No new date for opening has been set.
Further south in Utah it has been a similar story.
Solitude, Deer Valley, Park City, Alta and Snowbird have all been forced to postpone.
One resort in Utah has managed to open.
Brian Head opened last Friday, November 21st.
The resort was originally scheduled to open on 7th November.
It postponed the opening day twice, first to 15th November and then to last Friday.
The delayed opening followed weeks of unusually warm weather across the southern Rockies.
Opening Day at Brian Head. Image c/o Brian Head.
In Colorado thing got off to a decent enough start and several resorts in Colorado opened including Keystone, Breckenridge, Loveland and Arapahoe Basin.
But there has been precious little wintery weather since and limited terrain is open.
Aspen delayed its start but partially opened on Thursday 27th November.
“We’re excited to welcome guests and our community back to the mountains for another winter season,” said Geoff Buchheister, CEO of Aspen Skiing Company.
“Opening Day always carries a special energy here at Aspen Snowmass, from locals celebrating their first turns of the season to visitors enjoying our mountains for Thanksgiving.
“I’d like to personally extend my gratitude to our operations teams for their hard work in helping us open on time despite the challenges Mother Nature has thrown our way in this early season.
“We look forward to more snow and another incredible season.”
Aspen Mountain opens select terrain on the upper mountain, including Dipsy Doodle and Silver Bell, served by the Silver Queen Gondola and Ajax Express.
All skiers and riders must return to the base area via the Silver Queen Gondola, as top to bottom skiing is not yet be available.
Other resorts in Colorado including Vail and Copper Mountain have delayed the start of their season.
Mammoth Mountain in California opened on Thursday 20th November, after two delays to its opening date.
Palisades Tahoe has some limited skiing.
Kirkwood and Northstar remain closed after cancelling their opening days.
Other areas in the west are seeing a similar situation.
These include Brundage Mountain and Sun Valley in Idaho, plus Mt Bachelor and Crystal Mountain in Oregon.
It is better on the east coast with Killington being the first resort in the eastern USA to offer some skiing and snowboarding.
Mike Solimano, President and General Manager of Killington Resort and Pico Mountain, joined FOX Weather as the ski season kicks off in Vermont.
Colorado’s Wolf Creek is thought to have the most terrain open in the US so far with about 80% of its slopes open.
If you are heading from Europe to the US this winter there is no need to be concerned at this stage.
It is very early days.
None of this makes much difference to the season ahead and some of the best winters for snowfall start slowly.
Do check back for our updates…
PlanetSKI: Number 1 for digital ski news
Your digital platform for ski news, resort information, travel, equipment rental, sport, money saving deals and everything connected with snowsports – web site, social media & more.
