Week Ahead: The Great Meltdown -- 50+ Resorts Closed Early and the Dominoes Keep Falling

Last week we told you California was melting. This week, we can officially extend that to... everywhere.

Over the weekend, at least 20 more ski areas across the Western U.S. turned off their lifts for the final time, joining a growing list that now tops 50 resorts closed earlier than planned. Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming -- every single Western ski state has been hit. Some of these resorts never opened at all.

This isn't a normal spring wind-down. This is a season collapsing in on itself.

The Closing Weekend Carnage

March 22 was the single deadliest day for ski resort operations this season. The closures came in waves:

Colorado: Ski Cooper, Howelsen Hill, Powderhorn, and Sunlight Mountain all closed Saturday. Cuchara announced Friday it was done. Kendall Mountain hasn't turned a lift since February. Lake City never operated at all this winter.

Ski Cooper's farewell statement hit hard: "We hope to welcome you back next year to better snow and brighter days." That's a ski resort writing its own eulogy.

Utah: Snowbasin shut down Sunday -- a full month early. GM Davy Ratchford called it "one of the most challenging seasons in history" in a video message on X. Nordic Valley, Cherry Peak, and Eagle Point were already gone. Beaver Mountain and Sundance announced they'll close this coming week.

The state's saving grace? Alta still leads with 260 inches to date. But even that's only about half its annual average. Half. At Alta.

California: Sierra-at-Tahoe closed Saturday after Homewood bailed mid-week. Badger Pass, Dodge Ridge, Mountain High, Mt. Shasta Ski Park, and Mt. Baldy were already done. Donner Ski Ranch said it'll reopen "if new snow arrives" -- which, looking at the forecast, reads more like wishful thinking than a plan.

Idaho: This might be the hardest-hit state by percentage. Bogus Basin closed Saturday, joining Pebble Creek, Soldier Mountain, Little Ski Hill, and Rotarun. Four Idaho ski areas -- Bald Mountain, Cottonwood Butte, Magic Mountain, and Blizzard Mountain -- never opened this winter. Let that sink in. Entire ski resorts that didn't turn a single lift all season.

The rest: Bridger Bowl (Montana) and Snow King (Wyoming) closed Saturday. Snow King also cancelled its annual snowmobile hill climb. Ski Santa Fe wrapped up in New Mexico. Mt. Spokane in Washington shut down last week. In Oregon, Hoodoo, Willamette Pass, and Mt. Hood Skibowl are all sitting idle, waiting for snow that may never come.

Who's Still Standing?

Not all is lost. Here's where you can still ski this week -- and potentially into April:

• Mammoth Mountain, CA -- The high-elevation fortress is hanging on, though the base areas are suffering. If you're desperate for California turns, this is your only real bet.
• Palisades Tahoe, CA -- Still open, banking on altitude. Mt. Rose says it'll push into April.
• Alta / Snowbird / Brighton / Solitude, UT -- The Cottonwood Canyon resorts are the last line of defense in Utah. Reduced terrain, but operational.
• Park City / Deer Valley, UT -- Still spinning, likely into early April.
• Vail / Breckenridge / Keystone / A-Basin, CO -- The big Colorado resorts have enough snowmaking infrastructure to grind through. A-Basin traditionally runs into June, but this year is anyone's guess.
• Jackson Hole / Grand Targhee, WY -- Targhee and Jackson are the bright spots of the entire West. Higher latitude, better snowpack. Racer Tom Hart, the Guinness world record holder for most vertical feet skied in a year, fled Utah for Sun Valley and says Jackson and Targhee are "surprisingly good."
• Crystal Mountain / Stevens Pass, WA -- The PNW continues to outperform the rest of the West.

The Forecast: More of the Same

Here's the part where I'd normally give you a silver lining. I can't.

Open-Meteo's 5-day forecast for Vail, Park City, and Jackson Hole shows zero snowfall through the end of the week. The Rockies are stuck in a warm, dry pattern with temperatures well above average for late March.

OpenSnow forecaster Evan Thayer put it bluntly: "A monstrous heatwave is bringing record-shattering temperatures to the West. This early heatwave will accelerate an early melt-off of the snowpack and could spell an early demise to some of the mid-elevation skiing. At this time, no obvious signs of snow in the forecast."

There's a faint signal of a pattern change at the very end of March -- Powder Magazine's forecast team noted "the nearest chance of precipitation" could arrive then -- but even that would be too little, too late for most resorts that are already gone.

The Bigger Picture: El Nino Is Coming

As if this season wasn't bad enough, early signals suggest an El Nino is developing for 2026-27. For the Pacific Northwest, that typically means another warm, dry winter. For California and the Southwest, it could mean more precipitation -- but the warming trend overwhelms everything.

The La Nina that was supposed to deliver a classic Western powder year this season fizzled out by January. Now we're staring down the barrel of back-to-back tough winters for the ski industry. That's not a forecast, it's an existential concern.

Engelberg Gondola Tragedy

Internationally, the ski world is reeling from a horrific accident at Engelberg in the Swiss Alps. On Wednesday, a Titlis Xpress gondola cabin detached and crashed down the mountainside during high winds, killing one woman. Several others were injured.

Swiss authorities are investigating the cause. Strong winds are a known risk for aerial tramways, and the incident has raised urgent questions about safety protocols during marginal weather. It's the kind of story that reminds you the mountains don't care about our schedules.

Vail's Gen Z Gamble

Meanwhile, Vail Resorts is trying to secure its future. After telling investors that visitor numbers are down 12% this season (what Rob Katz called a "worst-case weather scenario"), the company announced a 20% price cut on Epic Pass for ages 13-30.

"The future of the sport depends on the next generation of skiers and riders," Katz said. He's not wrong -- NSAA data shows the median age of skiers hit 37 last season, and in Utah it's 48. The sport is literally aging out.

Grace Donner, a 26-year-old ski influencer based in Aspen, is attempting to ski all 42 Epic Pass resorts in the Northern Hemisphere before the season ends. She's at 37 and counting -- though with resorts closing faster than she can visit them, it's becoming a race against the meltdown.

It's a smart move by Vail. But discounted passes don't mean much if there's nothing to ski on.

The Week Ahead

Here's what to watch for March 23-29:

• More closures incoming. Beaver Mountain (UT), Powder Mountain (UT), Sundance (UT), and Diamond Peak (NV) are all announced to close by March 29. Expect more dominos as the heat persists.
• Pray for late March snow. There's a whisper of a pattern change around March 28-30. If anything materializes, we'll update in real time on our forecast page.
• Pond skim season. The resorts that are still open are pivoting hard to spring events. If you can't beat the heat, celebrate it. Expect pond skims, live music, and "closing day" parties at a resort near you.
• Check our prediction markets. Any open markets will get interesting as the season winds down. Final resolution depends on official resort snow totals.

The Bottom Line

The 2025-26 ski season will be remembered as the year the West ran dry. Over 50 resorts closed early. Several never opened at all. Idaho alone had four mountains that didn't turn a single lift.

But here's the thing about skiing -- the people who love it are unreasonably optimistic by nature. You have to be. You plan vacations months in advance based on weather forecasts, you drive through blizzards to get first chair, you spend actual money betting on snowfall totals (hi, SnowRadar Predictions).

The mountains aren't going anywhere. The snow will come back. It always does.

Just... maybe not this week.

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Check our multi-model forecast for real-time snow projections, and Ski This Week for the best remaining options. Track the season's final storms on our accumulation map.