2014/2015 Ski Area Snowfall Log
for the Silver Valley
I moved to Wallace
in January 1993 because it was a
charming village halfway between TWO ski areas, a dozen
miles in either direction on Interstate 90 in northern
Idaho's
Silver Valley.
This page will
log the snowfall
statistics for both
Silver Mountain,
a gondola ride away from Kellogg,
and
Lookout Pass,
at the Montana border. Click on the
animated color bars
to move between the top and bottom of the data.Greg Marsh |
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| Ten Day Weather Forecasts for both Ski Areas | Follow @gregswallace | ||||
| A crude measure of each previous season is given by the maximum snow depth recorded at Lookout Pass's summit. The Season Recaps link leads to more summary information presented at the bottom of the page. | |||||
| 2001/2002
Snowfall Log 225" |
2002/2003
Snowfall Log 130" |
2003/2004
Snowfall Log 119" |
2004/2005
Snowfall Log 85" |
2005/2006
Snowfall Log 168" |
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| 2006/2007
Snowfall Log 163" |
2007/2008
Snowfall Log 197" |
2008/2009
Snowfall Log 144" |
2009/2010
Snowfall Log 90" |
2010/2011
Snowfall Log 192" |
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2011/2012
Snowfall Log 176" |
2012/2013
Snowfall Log 139" |
2013/2014
Snowfall Log 149" |
2014/2015 Season Recap | Season Recaps | |
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Silver Mountain The Lodge, elevation 5650 feet, is at "Mid Mountain," while Kellogg Peak, top of Chair 2, has an elevation of 6200 feet. See trailmap for orientation and today's Snow Report for operation confirmation. |
Lookout Pass The Lodge is at base of Runt Mountain. The chair runs from an elevation of 4800 feet to the top of Runt at 5650 feet. See trailmap for orientation and today's Snow Report for operation confirmation. |
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| 71 |
Days Open in 2014/2015 season as of October 15, 2017 |
81 | ||||||
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The early morning temperatures listed below were
recorded between 5 and 7 AM at the Silver Mountain Lodge and/or at the Lookout Pass Lodge . A (temperature) means it was recorded/reported after 7 AM. A (new snowfall) number records new snow when a resort is closed. Click on the animated color bars to move between the top and bottom of the data. |
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| Date | 24 hr New |
at Lodge |
at Summit |
temp °F |
Date | 24 hr New |
at Lodge |
at Summit |
|---|
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/ 13° |
Sunday Nov 30 |
4" | 10" | 28" | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
/ 21° |
Thursday Dec 4 |
1" | 10" | 28" | |||
| I rode up to the mountain with Jim, who met up with Mark for several Idaho Side runs, while I took my two pairs of skies to Dave at the Rental Shop for their annual inspection. I left my "new" Fisher XTR 175 skis to be tuned and torque tested. But after torque testing the bindings on my older, heavier K2's, I joined Jim and Mark for three runs under gentle snowfall on soft snow. The major runs were well groomed and free of most obstacles, but I did manage to take one fall. Not dramatic enough to lose a ski, but I did land on my left shoulder and left side of my head... and was immediately overjoyed to "feel" the true value of the helmet that I was "forced" to wear beginning on March 7, 2011. My shoulder felt the impact, my head did not. Thank you, Prime Timers, for buying me the helmet! Warm ears are immediately nice, but the real value of a helmet sometimes takes years to appreciate. | ||||||||
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/ 32° |
Friday Dec 5 |
3" | 12" | 31" | |||
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Saturday Dec 6 |
0" | 13" | 24" | 30° / 31° |
Saturday Dec 6 |
0" | 10" | 29" |
|
Sunday Dec 7 |
2" | 13" | 24" | 30° / 32° |
Sunday Dec 7 |
1" | 10" | 29" |
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/ 30° |
Monday Dec 8 |
1" | 10" | 29" | |||
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Saturday Dec 13 |
4" | 13" | 26" | 27° / 31° |
CLOSED by rain |
2" | 8" | 26" |
|
Sunday Dec 14 |
0" | 13" | 26" | 25° / 28° |
Sunday Dec 14 |
0" | 8" | 26" |
|
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/ 31° |
Thursday Dec 18 |
1" | 9" | 26" | |||
|
|
/ 32° |
Friday Dec 19 |
2" | 10" | 27" | |||
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Saturday Dec 20 |
8" | 19" | 33" | 27° / 29° |
Saturday Dec 20 |
7" | 13" | 31" |
|
Sunday Dec 21 |
3" | 21" | 35" | 32° / 33° |
CLOSED Avista power outage |
13" | 20" | 41" |
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Monday Dec 22 |
0" | 21" | 35" | 25° / 29° |
Monday Dec 22 |
1" | 18" | 37" |
| 3 lifts operating, 17 trails open, 4 groomed |
 Jim and I left Wallace around 9 AM and returned before noon after a fun time skiing on a deserted foggy mountain. The photo taken at 9:38 shows a single unknown skier enjoying the well groomed Idaho Side of Runt Mountain. Chair #2 was open and Rainbow Ridge was in good shape... until I got to the run-out to the lift, where obstacle avoidance provided a good thigh muscle workout. The rest of the morning I spent on groomed Front Side trails, being lazy and content with just four runs and the promise of better days ahead. |
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Tuesday Dec 23 |
0" | 12" | 28" | 22° / 25° |
Tuesday Dec 23 |
0" | 18" | 37" |
|
Wednesday Dec 24 |
3" | 15" | 31" | 29° / 31° |
Wednesday Dec 24 |
7" | 22" | 43" |
|
Christmas Dec 25 |
4" | 20" | 37" | 23° / 26° |
Christmas Dec 25 |
7" | 23" | 44" |
| 6 lifts operating, 39 trails open, 10 groomed |
 Del and I celebrated Christmas at Lookout Pass in different ways. While I made six runs in less than two hours on all aspects of Runt Mountain, he went cross-country skiing east of the resort as physical therapy for a torn leg muscle. On my first run, I found Cloud Nine to be in great condition. As shown, even the bottom steeps of Keystone had good coverage. The boot-deep powder in the Rainbow Woods was wonderful twice, but staying too long in the forest the first time lead me into a land of bushes and fallen trees where open powder glades will appear later. Stepping around "situations" was required, but not difficult. Marmot was fun as long as care was taken to avoid emerging rocks, especially on the run-out to Chair #3. Front side runs Black Bear, Silver and Bonanza were flawless light powder delights as expected. |
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Friday Dec 26 |
0" | 20" | 37" | 19° / 24° |
Friday Dec 26 |
2" | 23" | 44" |
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Saturday Dec 27 |
0" | 20" | 37" | 18° / 24° |
Saturday Dec 27 |
0" | 23" | 44" |
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Sunday Dec 28 |
12" | 30" | 47" | 17° / 25° |
Sunday Dec 28 |
17" | 30" | 55" |
| 6 lifts operating, 52 trails open, 14 groomed | While Del spent time teaching a friend to snowboard, I made three runs in the midst of lots of happy people during a snowstorm. There was much enthusiasm in the noon day crowd as this year has started slowly when compared to normal seasons. Check out Christmas Eve in 2012 and most dramatically December 2, 2006. However my enthusiasm was muted by the ten minute lift lines and the other people on my runs... It was thus a love/hate situation for me. I love the fact that the resort was crowded because I am looking forward to the addition of two lifts accessing Eagle Peak. This will require continued resort prosperity, but personally, I hate to stand in line and dodge other thrill seekers on the slopes. So in spite of the calf-deep powder in the trees (still a bit tricky) and the easy machine-groomed people packed powder on the runs, I was content to call it a day when Del was done with his lesson. | |||||||
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Monday Dec 29 |
7" | 35" | 50" | 9° / 12° |
Monday Dec 29 |
8" | 33" | 58" |
|
Tuesday Dec 30 |
0" | 35" | 50" | 2° / 1° |
Tuesday Dec 30 |
0" | 33" | 58" |
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Wednesday Dec 31 |
0" | 35" | 50" | 8° / 7° |
Wednesday Dec 31 |
0" | 33" | 58" |
|
New Year 2015 |
0" | 35" | 50" | 7° / 7° |
New Year 2015 |
0" | 33" | 58" |
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Friday Jan 2 |
0" | 35" | 50" | 18° / 19° |
Friday Jan 2 |
1" | 33" | 58" |
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Saturday Jan 3 |
4" | 35" | 50" | 18° / 21° |
Saturday Jan 3 |
7" | 35 | 61" |
| 6 lifts operating, 51 trails open, 16 groomed |
 As expected, the resort was very popular again today. A warm temperature and 3 inches of fresh powder overnight brought a good crowd to the mountain. A crowd that Jim, Ron and I missed because we got started early. I got on Chair #1 at 8:47 and returned to my locker at 11:07, after making seven runs, six of which were on the Montana Side. The deep powder in the trees to the right of Rainbow Ridge, as shown in the photo, occupied most of our time. This cross-country area is outside the resort and requires local insight to navigate without mishap. |
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Sunday Jan 4 |
3" | 35" | 50" | 19° / 25° |
Sunday Jan 4 |
3" | 36" | 62" |
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Monday Jan 5 |
17" | 38" | 65" | 30° / 31° |
Monday Jan 5 |
21" | 42" | 71" |
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/ |
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(2") | |||||
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/ 29° |
Wednesday Jan 7 |
0" | 42" | 71" | |||
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Thursday Jan 8 |
0" | 38" | 65" | 32° / 30° |
Thursday Jan 8 |
0" | 42" | 71" |
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Friday Jan 9 |
0" | 38" | 65" | 25° / 19° | Friday Jan 9 |
0" | 42" | 71" |
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Saturday Jan 10 |
0" | 38" | 65" | 28° / 24° | Saturday Jan 10 |
1" | 42" | 71" |
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Sunday Jan 11 |
4" | 40" | 67" | 28° / 30° |
Sunday Jan 11 |
5" | 43" | 72" |
 While Del gave snowboard lessons to his friend, I made five runs between 1:30 and 3:00 on a pleasantly crowded overcast day. The machine groomed packed powder on the main trails was easy fun, but as the photo shows, travel through forests still requires care and concentration. While progress is possible on a four foot base, another couple of feet will make woodland passages carefree. Cloud Nine and Keystone were in good shape as expected; my one Front Side run, Black Bear to Gold, was sweet. |
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Monday Jan 12 |
2" | 40" | 67" | 28° / 29° |
Monday Jan 12 |
0" | 43" | 72" |
 Jim and I arrived late on a glorious sunny day, but as normal on Mondays, we never felt crowded as we made six runs with Ron between 10:30 and noon. As shown, the combination of clouds and bright sunshine made for spectacular photography. The lure of backcountry skiing in the Saint Regis Basin is highlighted above, while the entrance to one of three Free Style Parks at the resort is emphasized below. This natural park, now called Rolling Thunder, was named Buzzards Valley when it was created in the late 1990's. 
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/ 25° |
Wednesday Jan 14 |
0" | 43" | 72" | |||
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Thursday Jan 15 |
0" | 40" | 67" | 28° / 28° |
Thursday Jan 15 |
0" | 43" | 72" |
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Friday Jan 16 |
3" | 40" | 67" | 28° / 30° | Friday Jan 16 |
5" | 44" | 73" |
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Saturday Jan 17 |
1" | 40" | 67" | 26° / 24° |
Saturday Jan 17 |
1" | 44" | 73" |
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This Saturday set a new single day attendance record with 2,243 skier visits. Last Saturday, January 10, was a new single day Free Ski School record with 403 kids in attendance for Free lessons. |
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Sunday Jan 18 |
6" | 45" | 73" | 32° / 34° |
Sunday Jan 18 |
8" | 47" | 78" |
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MLK Day Jan 19 |
0" | 45" | 73" | 27° / 29° |
MLK Day Jan 19 |
2" | 47" | 78" |
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/ 17° | Wednesday Jan 21 |
0" | 47" | 78" | |||
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Thursday Jan 22 |
0" | 40" | 45" | 27° / 22° |
Thursday Jan 22 |
0" | 47" | 78" |
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Friday Jan 23 |
1" | 40" | 45" | 28° / 28° |
Friday Jan 23 |
1" | 47" | 78" |
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Saturday Jan 24 |
0" | 40" | 45" | 35° / 36° | Saturday Jan 24 |
0" | 46" | 77" |
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Sunday Jan 25 |
0" | 40" | 45" | 37° / 39° |
Sunday Jan 25 |
0" | 44" | 75" |
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Monday Jan 26 |
0" | 40" | 45" | 43° / 37° | Monday Jan 26 |
0" | 42" | 75" |
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/ 31° |
Wednesday Jan 28 |
0 | 36" | 65" | |||
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Thursday Jan 29 |
0" | 40" | 45" | 31° / 24° |
Thursday Jan 29 |
0" | 32" | 57" |
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Friday Jan 30 |
0" | 40" | 45" | 29° / 21° |
Friday Jan 30 |
0" | 32" | 57" |
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Saturday Jan 31 |
0" | 40" | 45" | 20° / 24° |
Saturday Jan 31 |
0" | 32" | 57" |
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Sunday Feb 1 |
0" | 40" | 45" | 25°) / 27° |
Sunday Feb 1 |
1" | 32" | 57" |
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Monday Feb 2 |
3" | 43" | 48" | 28° / 28° |
Monday Feb 2 |
4" | 34" | 59" |
 Jim and I took advantage of the new snow on an empty mountain to make six runs before noon. Four inches of overnight snow made the groomed runs on the Front Side perfect for graceful skiing; no thin or icy spots were encountered. Cloud 9 on the Montana Side, on the other hand, went from carefree to careful at the bottom constriction. Rainbow Ridge was flawless as expected, but the trees beside it will benefit from another half foot or more of dry powder. I love forest exploration... but only when conditions are perfect. Hopefully this storm will linger for a few days. The photo shows Jim at the top of Bonanza with Beacon Mountain in the background. Beacon Mountain is popular with both snowmobilers and telemarkers. |
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(4") | / |
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(5") |
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/ 30° | Wednesday Feb 4 |
1" | 37" | 62" |
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Thursday Feb 5 |
0" | 46" | 51" | 34° / 32° |
Thursday Feb 5 |
1" | 37" | 62" |
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Friday Feb 6 |
0" | 46" | 51" | 41° / 42° | Friday Feb 6 |
0" | 36" | 61" |
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Saturday Feb 7 |
0" | 46" | 51" | 35° / 36° |
Saturday Feb 7 |
0" | 34" | 59" |
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Sunday Feb 8 |
3" | 46" | 51" | 34° / 35° |
Sunday Feb 8 |
0" | 32" | 57" |
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Monday Feb 9 |
1" | 46" | 51" | 32° / 35° | CLOSED by rain |
2" | 32" | 57" |
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/ 33° |
Wednesday Feb 11 |
2" | 33" | 58" | |||
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Thursday Feb 12 |
0" | 46" | 51" | 40° / 35° | Thursday Feb 12 |
0" | 32" | 57" |
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Friday Feb 13 |
0" | (46") | (51") | 45° / 33° | Friday Feb 13 |
0" | 31" | 54" |
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Saturday Feb 14 |
0" | 32" | 41" | 33° / 35° |
Saturday Feb 14 |
0" | 29" | 52" |
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Sunday Feb 15 |
0" | 32" | 41" | 29° / 30° |
Sunday Feb 15 |
0" | 27" | 49" |
 Del, Crystal and I left Wallace at noon on a beautiful day to find the resort in good condition... considering the depressing mild weather for mid-February. I got on Chair #1 at 12:30, made seven fun runs in a couple hours, and then watched Del teach Crystal snowboarding on the bunny hill (Chair #4). Thanks to Del's expertise and her natural ability, Crystal is ready for Huckleberry Ridge on her next day. The snow on Front Side groomers was for the most part firm, but not icy, fast, but not frightening. Skier-formed corn snow mitigated speed on otherwise smooth hard surfaces. Only Rainbow Ridge on the Montana Side is currently recommended as the steeps on the other runs have giant bare spots. However, the soft, yet not wet, snow on most of Rainbow made me go back for seconds... in spite of the fact that the run out to Chair #2 included bare spots to avoid. Chair #3 is temporarily closed as we wait for this warm dry spell to end. |
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Pres. Day Feb 16 |
0" | 32" | 41" | 29°
/ 26° |
Pres. Day Feb 16 |
0" | 26" | 47" |
 Del, Crystal and I again left Wallace about noon to enjoy perfect spring snow on a warm and sunny day; a far cry from last year's President's Day when 12 inches of new powder greeted us in the morning. While Del helped Crystal continue improving her snowboarding skills, I joined up with Mary Jane Bair for seven runs, four of which were on Rainbow Ridge. Although the run out to the chairlift required a brief transit thru brown snow, the trail to that point was PERFECT SPRING SNOW. The firmly-packed, but carveable smooth surface at the top of the trail gradually softened to yield soft corn snow by the bottom. I made a total of eight runs , catching up with Crystal and Del on Huckleberry Ridge. As you can see, even the heavy traffic areas continue to have good coverage. |
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71 73" Jan 18 |
Days open in 2014/2015 Season Maximum snow depth at summit |
81 78" Jan 18 |
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 This Snow Water Equivalent Graph was downloaded on March 29, 2015, and shows that when compared with thirty year averages, this abnormal season produced way less snowfall and less total precipitation as well. In fact, we ended up far worse than our previously worst ski season. Both ski areas ended their dismal 2004/05 seasons on April 10 with 30"/70" at Silver Mountain and 26"/68" on Lookout slopes. To say after this crazy winter that climate change is not happening seems delusional. While the rest of the country was devastated by snowfall (over 100 inches fell in Boston, for example) and brutal cold reaching from the upper Midwest into the Deep South, we were cursed with mild weather. Similar to 2004/05, however, we did fair better than all the ski areas to the west of us! My attitude at 67 that skiing should always be fun AND NOT DANGEROUS dropped my on-snow days to 14 for a 17.2% attendance record, and my vertical-miles-skied to 14.8 or 1.06 vertical miles/day. To be honest, however, without a car, I depend on the enthusiasm of friends to get me to the resort... they switched to bike riding a month ago. Compare this with previous seasons:
Open the CURRENT graph in a separate window, or visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Idaho. |
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| Silver Mountain | Lookout Pass | |
|---|---|---|
|
96 104" |
Days open in 2013/2014 Season Maximum snow depth at summit |
108 149" |
|
94 91" |
Days open in 2012/2013 Season Maximum snow depth at summit |
106 139" |
|
101 135" |
Days open in 2011/2012 Season Maximum snow depth at summit |
113 176" |
|
103 145" |
Days open in 2010/2011 Season Maximum snow depth at summit |
112 192" |
|
97 70" |
Days Open in 2009/2010 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
111 90" |
|
92 118" |
Days Open in 2008/2009 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
93 144" |
|
128 178" |
Days Open in 2007/2008 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
98 197" |
|
132 117" |
Days Open in 2006/2007 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
106 163" |
|
118 139" |
Days Open in 2005/2006 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
111 168" |
|
97 80" |
Days Open in 2004/2005 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
83 85" |
|
136 85" |
Days Open in 2003/2004 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
104 119" |
|
101 111" |
Days Open in 2002/2003 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
69 130" |
|
90 209" |
Days Open in 2001/2002 season Maximum snow depth at summit |
80 225" |
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