SAM Magazine - Girdwood, Ak., December 3, 2008 - After a dry November across North America delayed some openings and forced snowmaking crews to work overtime, winter seems to finally have arrived. Alaskan resort Alyeska received more than 117 inches over the last week, pushing the ski area's total to more than 200 inches on the year.

"This is the best opening weekend I can remember," states Di Hiibner, GM. "We were able to open the entire mountain, with the exception of our outer areas, and the lower bowl with waist deep powder made this a memorable week."

In Colorado, a storm that was predicted to drop less than ten inches over three days punched above its weight, bringing high winds and heavy snowfall that snarled Thanksgiving traffic on Interstate 70, but left skier's who didn't have to drive smiling.

The storm left more than three feet at Loveland ski resort, which straddles the Continental Divide, while other resorts are rapidly opening additional terrain in the wake of the snowfall. Vail expects to expand available terrain by more than 1,000 acres this week.

Eastern resorts are also benefiting from good conditions as the calendar moves toward the important Christmas ski vacation dates, with Vermont's Jay Peak expecting snow flurries through the weekend. The resort has seen 13 inches of accumulation over the past seven days for a total of 56 inches on the season.

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