Friday Freshies: Weekend Winter Storm Watch Edition

In the second to last full week of October, we’ve seen ski resorts open and others ramp up their snowmaking efforts in anticipation of opening dates creeping around the corner. Depending on where you live, you may have gotten in your first turns of the season already or are getting those skis and boards waxed just in case there’s enough snow to get after it this weekend.

Last Week

North America opened its first ski resorts last week thanks to the weather pattern that came through. Trollhaugen in Wisconsin along with Wild Mountain and Andes Tower Hills resorts in Minnesota. In fact, in the spirit of the race of being first to open, Wild Mountain took the title from Andes Tower Hills by beating them to the punch only six hours ahead of their opening for the year, letting skiers and riders alike onto the slopes at noon on October 18.

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Coming this Weekend...

Last week’s weather pattern didn’t do much out west, but everyone’s snow dances are finally paying off with the first big snow of the season to hit high elevations basically covering all major resorts out west this weekend. To break down the numbers for you, we’ve included a few major resorts in the western states who are going to have the largest projected snow totals over the weekend.

Utah Resorts:

Alta: 12+ in.

Park City: 14+ in.

Solitude: 13+ in.

Montana Resorts:

Big Sky: 11 in.

Showdown Ski Area: 14+ in.

Colorado Resorts:

Unfortunately, there are conflicting numbers on snow totals between Open Snow and Snow-Forecast and NOAA for this weekend. We’re providing you with both sets of numbers to not over-hype the snow and give you a balanced perspective on what you can expect to see.

Silverton: 11+ in.

Telluride: 7+ in.

Crested Butte: 4+ in.

Colorado residents can also look forward to Arapahoe Basin's planned opening Sunday, October 23, and a potential early opening this weekend or early next week from Keystone Resort.

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Oregon Resorts:

Mt. Bachelor: 5+ in.

Willamette Pass: 10 + in.

Timberline: 5+ in.

Wyoming Resorts:

Jackson Hole: 5+ in.

Grand Targhee: 7+ in.

Idaho Resorts:

Bald Mountain: 5+ in.

Pomerelle Mountain Resort: 9+ in.

Silver Mountain: 7+ in.

Washington Resorts:

Crystal Mountain: 7+ in.

Bluewood: 6+ in.

White Pass Village: 5+ in.

If you’re invested in getting back out on the mountain as soon as possible, keep an eye out for opening dates that are subject to change dependent on the weather (keep thinking SNOW). If you’re able to hit the slopes this week, tag us via Instagram or Facebook with #ToTheMountains to be featured on our social media.