When does a ski season begin?

Was this week the beginning of a new season?   One comment I heard is that the first day of powder skiing constitutes the start, tho some then retorted that they've had seasons never occur based on that definition.   Another said October 1, but I was skiing old dusty snow on the 14th this year.   Curious topic for discussion when there's no skiing to be had, but now there's no time for internet, skiing has begun for sure, and this new snow is warming up to form a good base, hopefully no ground hoar this year.

For a TAY'er does it really ever end and if so how can it begin?

"To keep the winter months together, Mt. Rainier totals the snowfall beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of the next year"

first mountain open every year?

Your season, call it ewhen you want... FL's look like crap from monday on.

I don't know that this fully translates to ski season -- but the "SNOTEL" system that measures the snowpack so that farmers know how much irrigation water they will have over the summer defines it this way:

Water Year: October 1 to September 30

Silas, that's like asking what counts as "turns" in a given month. You make your own rules, then live by them (or cheat, should it please you). Ain't life grand?

Me, I assume that when I'm skiing new snow in the fall that's a new season. You'd think this would get confusing--what happens if I ski fresh in September but then revert to old icy suncups in October?--but in fact it never does. There's always a day which practically screams "NEW SKI SEASON!!!" Why argue?

Yesterday was the day for me, and it's not going to matter if next weekend's rain washes away every last soggy flake. Hope yours was a good one.

Mark

For me, it's the equinox.