Itchin' for more skiing? The two ski areas still open in Canada are Sunshine Village in Alberta and Whistler in British Columbia. In the US, Mammoth and Squaw in Caliofornia are still operating, along with...

Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, Snowbird in Utah and Mt Bachelor and Timberline in Oregon.
 
In the southern hemisphere the Australian ski season began five weeks earlier than planned when Mt Buller decided to run its ski lifts and open to the public at the weekend with an unprecedented 35cm/14 inch snowfall.
 
"It's the best snow we've had this early since we opened in 1964, so it's pretty huge for us," Mt Buller spokeswoman Gillian Dobson told local media.
 
The snow arrived soon afterwards in New Zealand where enthusiasts dug out their gear and hiked up to the top of Canterbury’s Mt Hutt over the weekend to also enjoy ‘first tracks’ of the season.
 
Snowfall on Thursday and Friday last week and continued cold temperatures has resulted in a 45cm (18 inch) base at the high country ski resort.
 
James McKenzie, Assistant Ski Area Manager for Mt Hutt, said there were a number of keen skiers making the most of the early snow over the weekend.
 
“We’ve got some awesome powder at the moment so it’s great to see locals hitting the slopes and having some fun so early in the season,” he said.
 
The ski area is officially scheduled to open and start running its lifts in just over five weeks on 13 June.

Photo: Whistler Blackcomb

Credit: Eric Berger