Today’s report is headlined by the incredible snowfall in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest for November 2011.

British Columbia Conditions

Whistler Blackcomb is open with about as much terrain as you could handle, boasting the most in the world at this stage. 9 feet or nearly 3 meters of snow fell there in the month of November, including some solid falls all the way to village level. Locals there are calling it a “November to remember”. One particular local described the start of another La Nina year by suggesting he “loved that bitch”.

Other parts of the area also didn’t miss out with storms continuing to roll east toward the Alberta border. The resorts in the Rockies scored best in these areas with Kicking Horse and Revelstoke both digging out the snow stick about as much as Whistler (and even more), though are still yet to start the lifts turning. Can you imagine how good the opening days will be at these resorts this weekend? Bring your snorkel.

The good people at CMH are also making sure we are well aware of how good things are looking for this season as well with a settled base of 200cm at treeline and 100cm at their pick up altitude (basically their base altitude) of 1000m. How good could it be… really?

Yeah, I’d say pretty good indeed! Make sure if you are lucky enough to sample some heliskiing this year, won’t you?

Where would you rather be? Big White opens tomorrow if you are looking for something to do. Photo: Big White on Twitter

Other resorts are scrambling to open lifts and terrain in the area with so much snow, they hardly know what to do with themselves. Keep an eye on your favorite local hill for more details. If you are wondering how resorts prepare for opening or debuting a particular part of the mountain, check this superb article from Lake Louise, showcasing what is required to get Boomerang open (as it did today).

The weather in these parts has finally broken though and sunshine is expected in many of these locations for at least a few days. For some, it is nice to get a break in the storms that have pounded the area for what seemed to be the entire month of November.

Further South In Colorado

It’s the reverse scenario around Colorado with the fine weather finally giving way to a little top up of snow which is well needed at many locations. Although snow making has ensured resorts are still in great condition, the lack of natural snowfall has meant that the dreaded ice is spreading across many of your favorite runs. Off piste at the moment is not as fun as it should be, as you have to go searching for the better snow quality and can get caught with limited cover and tricky hard packed conditions.

This same system should also deliver a little to Utah over the coming days, with most areas receiving a couple of inches delivered in a few waves of moisture.

With the micro-climates of some of the resorts though, predictions are that the right conditions could deliver half a foot of fresh tomorrow, before another top up into the weekend.

If you are headed out in these areas, get ready for a dip in the temperatures though as warmer weather makes way for some colder conditions through the weekend and into next week.