Well, the Midwest's second major snowmaking push is offically here, and there will be a lot to digest over the next few days!
That said, I wanted to create a place to give you regular updates on what I am seeing as we work through this cold front. So start by watching the video above, where I break down this cold front and grade this system in four regions. Then follow this blog post which will include live updates throughout the week! You can always check out our guide, which we also color code based (yellow) on who's making snow.
I'll update this page every couple of hours, so check back for the most up-to-date information!
Update: Friday 11/11/22 @ 5:00 AM
Temperatures have been treading favorably over the past few hours in Northern MN/WI, and a handful of ski areas (Hyland Hills, Afton Alps, Detriot Mtn, Bottineau, & possibly more) have begun making snow. We will have a slight warm-up this afternoon, which could force them to shut down snowmaking, but it is also possible they may work through this warm-up (just a matter of a couple of degrees/humidity points.) We will definitely see more ski areas joining the snowmaking club tonight as temperatures begin to dip from that midday warm-up.
Right off the bat, we are seeing a pretty big difference in temps across even just 20-30 miles, and as you all know, a few degrees (or percent in humidity) makes a world of difference. Planning on checking back in a couple of hours!
Update: Friday 11/11/22 @ 10:00 AM
Well, we are about 5 hours into snowmaking, and at this moment, it doesn't seem like Hyland Hills is letting up! Afton officially stopped their snowmaking, but Hyland still seems to have the temps. According to Weather Underground, they will rise very close to a wet bulb of 28 degrees (maximum wet-bulb temp for making snow) in the next couple of hours, so it will be interesting to see how far they can push this surprise (and early) snowmaking campaign.
Update: Friday 11/11/22 @ 2:00 PM
This was a bit of a surprise, but Hyland Hills has continued to make snow since they fired up early this morning, and from what I am hearing, they are planning on pushing through the day and going overnight, giving them a potential of 30+ straight hours of continuous snowmaking. Detroit Mountain has also been going since the early AM but has been dealing with some wind. Bottineau has also been pumping out the snow over the past several hours.
Update: Friday 11/11/22 @4:00 PM
Game on! We added a few more ski areas to "yellow," including; Granite Peak, Lutsen, and Giants Ridge. Hyland is still going strong, along with Detriot Mountain. Temps are beginning to decline, meaning conditions will only improve over the next 12+ hours. Things are about to get really fun out there! Grab a beer and watch those webcams, as there will be a lot to see!
Update: Saturday 11/12/22 @ 12:00AM
Holy cow! Lots of ski areas were added to the snowmaking board over the past few hours, and I still suspect there are even more that haven't been posting on social media just yet! Snowmaking has been going fairly well across the Midwest. However, Wild Mountain and Trollhaugen got temperatures much later than hoping for. This likely means that a Sunday opening could be out of the picture, but only time will tell. I plan to head out this morning to Buck Hill, Hyland Hills, and Powder Ridge to check in on the snowmaking process and give the crew some well-deserved donuts, but first, a quick nap.
Update: Saturday 11/12/22 @ 1:00PM
Pretty crazy the last 12 hours! I visited Buck Hill, Hyland Hills, & Powder Ridge. All were making snow, but unfortunately, high humidity and increased wind kept production lower than everyone had hoped. This afternoon it looks like many will be forced to "reset" as the wet-bulb temp will likely rise above 28 in the next couple of hours. The good news is we'll have plenty of opportunity to make snow the rest of this week, meaning we should have the opportunity to be on the snow next weekend (11/19-11/20) somewhere in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Trollhaugen also announced yesterday that they would be open starting Monday, November 14th at 3:00 PM, so spend your Saturday waxing the twigs - because the skiing is just around the corner!
Update: Saturday 11/12/22 @ 9:00PM
Here we go! A lot more ski areas joined the party over the past few hours, and according to our records, we currently have 30 ski areas (or about 25% of all the ski areas in the Midwest) making snow. Such a fun night! Although conditions look better than last night, they are still near that marginal range. I wouldn't expect massive production overnight, but it will be a solid start to a week-long snowmaking campaign in the majority of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Da UP. We'll check back in the morning - but enjoy the sights and sounds!
Update: Sunday 11/13/22 @ 10:00 AM
If you're sad that Wild and Trollhaugen could not open today, don't be because the Midwest ski season re-kicks off at Trollhaugen tomorrow at 3:00 PM. Although Wild Mountain has yet to announce it officially, I suspect that they will also be joining the club, which means we will have daily skiing and riding in the Midwest starting tomorrow until... well, March.
The Midwest snowmaking push continued throughout the night, and we had over 35 different Midwest ski areas making snow during this period. Snowmaking will continue throughout the day, but most ski areas will have to take a break Monday through Wednesday afternoon. The good news is Wednesday night into next weekend is looking prime for another great snowmaking push - so there is a good chance we will see a few more hills open up for next weekend.
Update: Monday 11/14/22 @ 8:30 AM
Snowmaking continued through the night for most of the Midwest, and Michigan's LP got into the game with ski areas like Boyne, The Highlands, Caberfae, Pine Knob & a few more firing up and continuing to roll into the morning. Looking forward - most ski areas will have to take a three-night break from snowmaking, as there is a slight warmup. However, starting Wednesday night, it will be game on.
Conditions are looking absolutely ideal for snowmaking starting Wednesday night through the following Tuesday (11/22/22.) If these conditions hold, snowmaking in most of the Midwest will be able to run continuously for over 120 hours. This could mean we'll see more ski areas open this weekend (11/19/22 - 11/20/22) and one of the best Thanksgiving weekend openers the Midwest has seen in years. This is based on the extended forecast, so keep doing those snow/cold weather dances!
If you want to ski today, you're in luck! Trollhaugen will be opening at 3:00 PM, and I expect Wild Mountain to announce shortly that they will also be opening today. Winter is here, so grab the sticks and head out the door!
Update: Tuesday 11/15/22 @ 8:30AM
Snowmaking might have taken a brief pause, but mother nature is taking over as natural snowfall has continued into Tuesday morning. Conditions will be too warm for snowmaking over the next 36 hours. However, Wednesday evening is still looking prime to fire back up the guns for another major push. Wild and Troll are still open with daily operations into next week.
We have also seen several ski areas announce opening days, so this is a good reminder that we have a place to track all of that information over at our Midwest Ski Guide. If you see orange, you'll know that a ski area has announced an upcoming opening date.
Update: Wednesday 11/16/22 @ 9:00 AM
Mother nature has continued to deliver the goods, dropping even more snow across the Midwest. Over in Michigan's LP, I'm getting reports of snowfall of 6"+ in some areas. This coupled with fantastic snowmaking conditions moving into the area starting Friday evening - could mean Michigan's LP has a solid chance of skiing this weekend!
On the lake's western side, we have seen opening days pop up faster than Hyland's rope tow. As a quick reminder, you can track all of those opening dates over on our guide at www.midwestskiers.com/resortguide displayed as orange.
Conditions will start to become ideal for snowmaking starting tonight and will last over 120 hours, meaning we will see some massive snowmaking pushes over the next few days. I expect almost all ski areas to fire up west of the lake, and whales of snow will begin to appear throughout Thursday afternoon. Happy whale hunting!
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