B.C.'s Cypress Mountain closes to public in advance of Olympics

Cypress Mountain in Vancouver, B.C., has closed down more than two weeks early to preserve the snow on the snowboarding and freestyle-skiing courses for the Winter Olympics.

That's the most dramatic impact of the recent warm weather that is bringing rain and melting snow on the local ski mountains.

In a release issued today, Cypress said it was closing the mountain to the public "to preserve and protect the integrity of the snowboarding and freestyle-skiing courses."

It said the area was closing early "following days of unseasonably warm and wet weather in the Vancouver area. The course-building crews are now actively working to preserve snow on ski trails, which could be needed to supplement the snow on the courses."

Locally, the National Weather Service said it is raining at most of the local ski resorts this morning. At Paradise on Mount Rainier, at 5,500-feet, it was 34 degrees this morning. Snoqualmie Pass was 33 degrees and Stevens Pass 34, and it was raining at both.

Holly Lippert, with The Summit at Snoqualmie, said the ski area was in full operation today after closing Monday because of ice. "The snow pack has dwindled," she said, "but we're not worried a bit."

Andy Haner, with the National Weather Service, said he doesn't expect the snow level to fall below 3,500 feet for the next week. "December was cold and dry, but January's been on the sloppy side," he said.

There was concern that this would be a warm El Niño winter, but the temperature extremes don't seem to confirm that, said Haner. Extreme areas of cold are usually avoided in an El Niño year, but December had two weeks of extremely cold temperatures and there was heavy snow in November.

He pointed out the rest of the country is also experiencing unusual cold temperatures.

Haner said of Olympic venues, "since November it's not been a pretty story. But the Olympics are still a month off, and a lot can happen between now and then."

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com