Late-August Snow Turns Rocky Mountain Ski Resorts White

Winter made an early appearance in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday, coating high-elevation terrain in fresh snow with September still two days away.

Banff Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort both shared photos of snow-covered terrain on Aug. 30.

“We’ve got a snow day on our hands! Hello winter!” Sunshine Village wrote on social media. “Who’s ready for the ski and snowboard season to begin?”

At Lake Louise, the resort called it the “first snowfall of the season,” describing the weather as an early-season teaser of what is to come.

The change was particularly noticeable in the alpine. Parks Canada updated conditions for the Sunshine Meadows and Rock Isle Lake trail Sunday to note “fresh snow,” while lower-elevation trails around Banff were largely described as wet or muddy.

Across the border at Kicking Horse, near Golden B.C., webcams around 7:50 a.m. showed substantially more than a light dusting.

The resort is, in fact, still firmly in summer mode. Its downhill mountain-bike season is scheduled to continue through Sept. 27, and much of Sunday's alpine snow had already melted later in the day.

Watch this video as one mountain biker tackles the freshly snow-covered trails.

Skiers Will Have to Wait

Current opening dates remain tentative and dependent on weather and snow conditions. The dates provided for the coming season put Lake Louise, Mount Norquay and Sunshine Village around November 7 (estimated), while Kicking Horse is expected to begin its winter season December 11 (estimated).