KILLINGTON, Vt. — For the last 25 years, the World Cup of skiing has spurned the Eastern United States, favoring instead the West and its more bountiful snow.
The mountain weather in North America in late fall — the only part of the season generally available on the European-centric World Cup tour — has always been fickle, with erratic snow totals. It has only become more unpredictable in recent years because of a warming climate.
This has been especially true in the East, where temperatures at this time of the year can vary from the 20s to the 60s, complicating resorts’ ability to manufacture snow, a necessity in a region that cannot always count on nature’s cooperation.