North America Is Having a Historically Bad Snow Year So Far. Here’s What This Means.
Over the past few weeks, North America’s ski season has been making headlines for below-average conditions, with everything from abnormally warm weather, to prolonged dry spells, to freak rainstorms.
But just how bad of a situation are we facing—and is there anywhere in the country that’s actually offering a normal ski season right now? Well, Alaska’s actually doing pretty well—but what about anywhere that’s actually practical to go?
In this piece, we’ll go through each of the major US and Canada ski regions one by one, and we’ll explain the current situation on the ground in each of them.
Part 1: Somewhat Below Average Ski Regions
Utah
Situation on the Ground
Compared to typical seasons, Utah’s winter has been decidedly mild. While the state has actually been holding up pretty well compared to the other regions across the continent, the overall experience has remained palpably below average.
Utah’s overall snowpack isn’t doing horribly, but a bunch of warm weather spells over the past couple of weeks have hurt conditions, especially in lower-elevation areas. Park City and Deer Valley are probably struggling the most, with abnormally significant terrain closures that have left the on-mountain experiences more reminiscent of mid-December.
But while still somewhat disappointing, most of the state’s other major destination resorts aren’t too far from normal bounds. For the most part, the Cottonwoods are holding up with sufficient cover on the marked trails, with Alta faring the best, and Snowbird and Brighton lagging slightly behind in quality. The one notable outlier in groomed terrain is Solitude, which has focused its snowmaking on its terrain park rather than groomers, meaning visitors will find a lot of rocks on some of the easier trails. Snowbasin is looking pretty good as well thanks to some favorable hyper-local conditions. However, while some trees and ungroomed bowls have already opened at all these resorts, they’re almost universally home to extremely variable conditions.
What to Expect
If you plan to visit Utah in the near future, expect somewhat fewer terrain openings than normal.
In the Cottonwoods, the groomed trails will be holding up mostly as expected, although a handful of trails that are typically groomed by now won’t be, and other groomers may show rocks—especially at Solitude. The big difference will come in off-piste terrain zones. Several advanced and expert areas that typically open by now won’t be available, and in the trees and bowls that have opened, expect thin cover, shrubs, and rocks that would otherwise be covered in a normal year, although if you know what you’re doing, some of this terrain might still be doable.
If you plan to visit any of the major non-Cottonwoods Utah ski resorts, the open groomers should be in pretty decent shape, although they will be icier than usual. However, at these lower-elevation mountains, we highly recommend avoiding anything off the marked trails until the next big storm comes along—which may not be for several more days.
Colorado
Situation on the Ground
Next up, we move to Utah’s neighbor Colorado—which has also been facing an abnormally thin early season.
Colorado’s biggest problem has just been a slow start to its winter. Temperatures have been okay, but there just hasn’t been as much accumulation as usual.
For the most part, Colorado’s resorts have only opened fractions of their terrain so far. Vail, Winter Park, and Steamboat are the notable exceptions here, with some solid storms that have allowed for typical terrain openings—and in the case of Vail, have even allowed for its Blue Sky Basin zone to open earlier than usual. However, these resorts are still about 15-25% below their median snowpacks. Most of the other major resorts in the state have fared worse, and some I-70 Corridor mountains, most notably Loveland and Arapahoe Basin, are closer to 40% below their median snowpacks.
What to Expect
If you visit Colorado in the near future, expect typical cover on the groomers, although depending on the resort, the quantity of open terrain may be lower than usual. Colorado hasn’t gotten much snow in the past week, but thanks to heavy snowmaking, you can expect conditions to remain consistent on most of the greens and blues, as well as some single-blacks.
While Colorado’s off-piste terrain is usually sketchy and variably open at this time of year, this reality especially rings true this season. The lower snow totals mean less of a base than usual to cover rocks, shrubs, and other natural obstacles. Colorado’s high-alpine terrain areas, which often require substantial snowpack for sufficient cover, rarely open by this time of year—and this winter is no exception, with essentially every high-alpine trail that isn’t packed or groomed still remaining off limits.
Colorado’s next major storm is expected to land late this weekend, which will probably provide the best opportunity for resorts to get their terrain quality and openings closer to typical levels. But in the meantime, we expect the mountains to maintain snowmaking on already-open terrain to prevent conditions from deteriorating, rather than focusing on expanding their operations.
Canadian Rockies / Northern Interior British Columbia
Situation on the Ground
Like the other regions we’ve covered so far, the Canadian Rockies and other Northern Interior British Columbia mountains have experienced considerably below average snowfall this season. While conditions aren’t truly horrible, and temperatures have mostly remained below freezing, this year has been especially dry, with far fewer snow events than usual. This has resulted in abnormally thin conditions for the area.
Several resorts in this region have especially been hurt by lower snowmaking capabilities than their counterparts further south. While temperatures have been low enough to blow snow, a fair share of popular mountains have little or no snowmaking infrastructure, making it difficult to counteract the lack of natural accumulation. While snowmaking has helped on some of the groomed trails in the morning in the areas it does exist, it’s generally been skied off by the afternoon, leaving icy and thin cover conditions.
Off the groomers, guests will find some open trees and mogul terrain—but it won’t necessarily be a good idea to try it. Although full obstacle coverage is rare at this time of year, this winter, guests will find it near impossible to get down the off-piste without hitting rocks, dirt, and several patches of ice.
What to Expect
If you plan to visit the Canadian Rockies or other Northern Canada mountains such as Revelstoke, Kicking Horse, and Sun Peaks in the near future, expect close-to-normal terrain openings but with a much thinner base than usual. Conditions on the groomers will probably be close to normal in the morning, but start to wear thin after lunch.
While several advanced and expert off-piste terrain areas will be open, don’t be fooled—if you aren’t okay with destroying your skis or board, steer clear. The region has been seeing some on-and-off snow events over the past few days, but in order to really fill the base to a point where the thin cover is no longer an issue, it will probably take another major storm event or two (which may or may not come within the next week or two).
Part 2: Exceptionally Below Average Ski Regions
Northern US Rockies
Situation on the Ground
The Northern Rockies have seen a well-below-average season start, with universally thin conditions compared to normal winters. More than half the terrain is closed at Jackson Hole and Big Sky, whereas in normal seasons, essentially all of the trails that aren’t expert-oriented in nature would have opened by now. Like with Colorado, there haven’t been any really crazy temperatures or abnormal rain events in these parts—it’s just been a really dry winter so far, with snowpacks around 30-50% lower than the median level.
But while disappointing, conditions in Wyoming and Southern Montana have largely still been acceptable. The destination mountains in these parts do have a solid base, allowing for decent conditions on most open marked trails—although a handful of steeper groomed trails at Jackson Hole have been displaying exposed rocks. In addition, these resorts have opened most or all of their lifts, even if the runs off of them aren’t fully ready for prime time yet.
However, we do also have to call out Idaho’s Sun Valley, a resort on the periphery of this region that has been experiencing even worse conditions than its competitors further east. Sun Valley never usually has a great early-season experience, and its drier climate means it never gets the same snow totals as Wyoming and Southern Montana—but a mere fifth of the resort is open, with even a decent chunk of groomed trails out of commission.
Across all three of these states, the biggest impacts have been to off-piste terrain openings. Terrain of this type, including trees and unmaintained bowls, has largely remained closed—and has fully remained closed at Sun Valley. A small fraction of this type of terrain has opened at Wyoming and Southern Montana’s destinations, but with extremely thin cover for this time of year—and there’s a high probability you’ll run into rocks, shrubs, or tree stumps on your way down. If you care about your skis or board, going off the marked trails is a bad idea until more snow rolls around.
What to Expect
If you visit Wyoming or Southern Montana in the near future, expect near-normal conditions on the green and blue groomers, although some of the steeper groomers and mogul runs will be notably thinner than usual. Sun Valley’s open groomers should also offer pretty typical conditions thanks to strong trail maintenance, but there will just be far fewer than normal. As previously mentioned, off-piste terrain openings and conditions will be far less extensive than in a normal season—although the expert, extreme, and lowest-elevation closures are typical for this time of year.
Of the resorts in this area, Grand Targhee will probably provide the closest-to-normal experience. Cover is definitely thinner than usual, but the resort has still managed to keep most of its trails in good shape, with everything open except its double-blacks and hike-to terrain.
Like with Colorado and Utah, the next storm isn’t expected for the next several days. It’s unlikely that these circumstances will change materially until that weather event happens.
Lake Tahoe / California
Situation on the Ground
The Lake Tahoe region and the rest of California are off to a decidedly slow season start, with snowpack levels anywhere between two to five times lower than the median value.
There hasn’t really been one singular event that has caused these conditions, but a few spouts of abnormally warm weather and rain have not helped the already-middling snow totals. Warm spells have melted away a lot of the base and man-made snow, and following a few days of decidedly spring-like conditions, overnight freeze-thaw cycles have made for really icy conditions. And most resorts still only have a fraction of their terrain open, with only the higher-elevation Kirkwood and Mount Rose being the notable exceptions.
This all being said, while conditions are low tide, they haven’t been as horrendous as those in certain other parts of the country. The resorts in this region have been able to maintain full coverage on some of the groomed trails that have opened (although they have still struggled on others). While the off-piste is unskiable for the most part, at higher elevation, there are a few places directly off the marked trails that have opened.
What to Expect
If you visit Tahoe or Mammoth in the very near future, expect well-below-average terrain openings. In a normal season, all groomed trails would be open by now, whereas this year, that’s plainly not the case. Conditions are much more reminiscent of what things would look like if you visited in early December.
If you stick to the green and blue groomers that are open, you’ll find conditions that vary between unseasonably thin cover and not much different from typical seasons. For the most part, snowmaking has helped resorts maintain sufficient coverage in upper-mountain areas, but at lower elevations, there’s just not enough of a base to properly maintain everything, and guests may run into dirt and shrubs even on some of the easiest runs.
If you’re advanced or expert, you’ll find terrain offerings to be extremely limited—and if you do decide to venture into the few skiable terrain zones that are ungroomed or not directly maintained, you’ll want to proceed with the utmost of caution, as obstacles such as rocks, bushes, dirt patches, and tree stumps will be much more exposed than usual and almost impossible to fully avoid.
Another issue with Tahoe’s current situation is the crowds. The low snow totals have definitely warded people away, but given how limited terrain openings have been, the trails and lifts have seen significant overcrowding. So in addition to potential natural obstacles on the slopes, if you go on a weekend, the people around you may be just as much of a problem.
Tahoe and the rest of the Sierras have been getting a little bit of snow over the past few days, but the region probably needs another multi-foot snow event in order to materially change things on the ground. However, there are forecasts calling for that as soon as this weekend, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed!
Part 3: Historically Below Average Ski Regions
Pacific and Inland Northwest
Situation on the Ground
The Pacific Northwest and Inland Northwest, on both sides of the US/Canada border, have been off to a plainly awful season start.
Things are looking especially bad in Oregon, where the state is facing its worst base for this time of year in over three decades. Conditions actually looked pretty promising in the earliest months of the season, but in early December, an intense atmospheric river washed the snow base away.
Washington State, Whistler Blackcomb, and the rest of the Inland Northwest are doing a little bit better than Oregon, but it’s still one of the worst years in recent memory. These resorts have been getting a lot of rain—and while rain events are typical for this time of year, they’ve been happening at a higher rate and higher elevation than normal.
These mountains are facing very thin bases, with hard snow and limited operations—and especially in lower-mountain areas, trails have been patchy with several sections of bare ground. Most resorts have only opened a fraction of their terrain, and in the case of Red Mountain in southern British Columbia, the mountain didn’t even open until December 28—an unprecedentedly late opening date. In the most extreme cases, some smaller resorts in Idaho and northern Montana haven’t even opened yet.
And compounding the issue even more, it’s just been too warm for resorts to run their snow guns. There have only been a few nights of truly below-freezing temperatures across the region, so recovering from these rain events has been really tough. And with the warmest temperatures manifesting in lower-mountain areas, some resorts have struggled to even maintain ski-outs from mid-mountain to the bases.
This circumstance has really put a strain on the few trails out from the lowest parts of the resorts (although fortunately, the subpar conditions have swayed a lot of would-be visitors from coming, reducing the congestion). While a bit of new accumulation since Christmas has helped some of these mountains address truly horrible conditions from a week or so ago—and certainly helped address the lack of a wintry aesthetic—they still need a lot more storms to get to their typical experiences.
What to Expect
If you visit any resorts in the Pacific or Inland Northwest in the near future, expect substantially fewer terrain openings than usual. The groomers will be fun, but you’ll still need to watch out for thin cover, ice, and rocks, even on the easiest runs. Several beginner and intermediate trails that are typically available by now won’t be open, especially in Oregon and the Inland Northwest. In the case of Whistler Blackcomb, you won’t want to ski or ride down to the base—be sure to download one of the gondolas instead.
With perhaps the exception of a small fraction of Whistler’s high alpine, nearly everything off the open marked trails will be, to put it bluntly, unskiable. While some of the trees and bowls are usually open by now, there’s just too little natural snow for essentially any of that to offer enjoyable conditions.
Since they primarily attract day trippers, you can expect fewer lift lines than usual at Washington and Oregon’s ski resorts. The Inland Northwest resorts rarely see major crowds, and that’s expected to remain true over the next few days as well. But waits will probably still be pretty awful at Whistler—especially in the mornings at the bases.
On the bright side, a series of major snow events are expected to roll in this weekend and help improve conditions. While most of these areas are in need of multiple feet of snow to get back into normal shape, this weather outlook is an important step in the right direction.
East Coast
Situation on the Ground
If you last checked in on the East Coast’s snow conditions a few weeks ago, things actually looked pretty good. But after a strong start, the East Coast’s snow base has been profoundly wiped away by a freak December rain storm.
Some mountains suffered substantial flooding damage, with Maine and northern New Hampshire—which typically offer better reliability than the warmer regions further south—seeing the biggest impact. No region was left untouched by the rain, including Quebec, a popular Canadian province often known for the best temperature reliability in the Northeast.
Up until a few days ago, conditions were a lot more mogully than usual thanks to unseasonably warm temperatures. Soft snow made for quick bump-ups, and the low snow base made it hard to groom. However, temperatures have dropped quite a bit over the past few days—and as a result, essentially all the mountains in the Northeast have essentially turned into ice rinks.
On the bright side, this cold weather period is expected to last for a decently long period of time, at least in Northern New England and Eastern Canada—and since all the major resorts in this region have invested heavily in snowmaking infrastructure, there’s now a solid period to build an artificial base. In addition, there was a light dusting of snow at a lot of these mountains right before New Years, and although it didn’t help much, it wasn’t nothing. Finally, the rain events didn’t impact higher elevations to the same extent as lower ones, so in upper mountain areas with terrain above 3,500 feet, the natural snow cover has held up a lot better than at the bases.
What to Expect
If you visit this region in the near future, expect much thinner cover than usual—especially in New Hampshire and Maine. Be prepared to tackle considerable ice, bare ground, and dirt, especially in mid- and lower-elevation areas. And while no East Coast resort is usually 100% open by this time of year, expect even more limited terrain offerings than usual. If a place doesn’t have much snowmaking—like Mad River Glen, Magic Mountain, or Jay Peak—it’s probably 90% closed.
While the recent inch or two of snowfall has helped some of the resorts look a lot more wintry, no resorts in New England are seriously prioritizing new trails at this point in time. Instead, the primary emphasis is on maintaining existing trails and restoring conditions to pre-December rain event levels.
However, the region now has a substantial snow event in the forecast within the next few days. We have our fingers crossed it materializes as predicted!
Final Thoughts
Okay—so there are a handful of major ski regions that are seeing reasonably good conditions, and some parts have seen worse in previous years. But from coast to coast, it’s hard to find an area of the continent that isn’t experiencing a well-below-average season start. There’s no doubt that across North America’s winter sports regions, the collective vibe is an all around bummer.
But there are a few important things to note if you’re planning to ski or ride soon. The best ski resorts still do a great job of grooming their most important slopes, and if you’re not expecting to do extreme or off-piste terrain, your trip will probably still be a ton of fun, no matter where you go. Additionally, just because the ski season sucks now doesn’t mean it will stay that way—all these areas will eventually see new snowfall, and while there may not be much in the forecast in some of these regions now, there are still three solid months left in the winter, and it could still be a good—or even great—season in all of these regions.
Local Community Impacts
However, we do want to close this video out on a rather serious note. Some of the extreme weather that’s brought these extraordinarily bad conditions has also impacted the quality of life of several mountain town residents, especially in northern New Hampshire and Maine. Other areas in the Northeast are still feeling the effects from torrential rain pour earlier this summer.
Many homes and local businesses are still recovering from substantial flooding damage, and if you want to help them out, we’ve included the links to several local non-profits below:
Bethel Rotary (local Rotary Club for Sunday River, Maine)
Upper Valley Strong (local resources for New Hampshire’s Upper Valley)
Vermont Response and Recovery Fund (flood relief for Vermont - still taking donations for relief from the July 2023 superstorm)
