US Resorts Re-Open For Holiday Weekend (29-May-11)

Half a dozen US resorts that had closed for winter 2010-11.......

Half a dozen US resorts that had closed for winter 2010-11 are re-joining half-a-dozen where the season continues to celebrate the US Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Although most resort had closed, the snow is still lying many metres deep on the ski slopes and in many cases it is still snowing. Tahoe resorts have had a few fresh centimetres in the past 24 hours while Mt Bachelor in Oregon has reported 20cm in the past 24 hours according to www.skiinfo.co.uk.

Among the ski areas re-opening are Aspen, Colorado; Silver Mountain in Idaho and Kirkwood in California.

They join still open Donner Summit, Squaw Valley and Mammoth Mountain in California; Crystal Mountain in Washington State; Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, Snowbird in Utah and Mt Bachelor and Timberline in Oregon.

Timberline, Mammoth, Crystal Mountain and Snowbird all expect to be open until at least
Independence Day, July 4th.

At Squaw Valley it will be the last weekend of their long season with the famous annual pond skimming contest, the Lake Cushing Crossing, on Sunday, May 29. This winter, Squaw Valley shattered all previous season snowfall records, ending with a snowfall total of 771 inches -- significantly over the resort's average total of 450 inches.

Squaw Valley currently has a 175 inch base at el. 8200', with over 16 feet of snow remaining in some spots on the upper mountain.

"We'll definitely have some snow that will stay through the summer into next winter," said Curtis Crooks, head of Squaw Valley's Ski Patrol.

The 21st Annual Lake Cushing Crossing challenges locals and visitors alike to cross the vast and chilly waters of Lake Cushing on skis, a snowboard or any ski or snowboard-based vessel. The event, known for its colossal crashes, hilarious costumes, and ultra-creative pond skimming contraption, kicks off at 2 p.m. at the Cushing Pond, weather permitting.