"Alyeska Resort in Girdwood has started its snow season in jaw-dropping fashion.
Officially, Alaska’s largest ski resort begins recording its annual snowfall on October 1, but this year historic falls hit earlier than usual with 13 inches “unofficially” settling on September 23:
September’s snowstorm was a mere taster of things to come.
Since that official start date of Oct 1, a whopping 136 inches (11.3 feet) of global warming goodness has accumulated at the top of the mountain (to Nov 1).
Breaking down the numbers –data courtesy of alyeskaresort.com— 22 inches of that fell within the last 24 hours, with the ‘snow depth’ at the summit currently standing at an astonishing 67 inches.
“We got pounded,” said one Girdwood local in an email to me.
“[This is] the most snow I have seen in my 37 years around here,” they added.
Temperatures across The Last Frontier have held cooler than the average in recent months.
This is thought to have been brought about by “much more sea ice in the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas northwest of Alaska,” according to Rick Thoman, climate specialist with ACCAP/IARC at UAF:
Moreover, and as was the case last season, a lingering anomalous chill contributed to Alyeska holding onto its snowpack into the summer
— as reported by climatologist Brian Brettschneider, snow depth on the mountain was still at 98 inches in late May:
Perhaps this season’s heavy snowfall will lead to an early opening of Alyeska’s slopes (currently set for December)
— a phenomenon we’re seeing in resorts across North America this season, including those in California and Colorado."
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Wednesday, November 3, 2021
11 Feet Of Snow Pounds Alaskan Ski Resort through November 1, 2021
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