Where the Hell is the Snow!?
December 2, 2025
Serious skiers get to thinking about skiing in November. And now that we have crossed over into December it is legit for all skiers to turn their attention to it. How the hell else are we to make it through the winter weather thrown at us by the gods every year? While many of us may not ski until later this month (including us btw), we can at least start the daydreaming. There is, however, a basic truism regarding our sport – snow is a necessary ingredient. And thus far there is another fact – almost all of North America is severely lacking in said essential ingredient.
First, there is one major exception. Jay Peak in northern Vermont has gotten absolutely clobbered. During the month of November they received a record 120 inches of snow, and it continues unabated… they’ve received 20 inches since Thanksgiving. If you want to drive yourself crazy there are numerous videos online showing folks skiing deep powder there while you were talking to Uncle Fester over your Thanksgiving meal. With the long range forecast calling for cold temps and continued snowfall, the first half of December looks promising for Jay. The bad news is the rest of New England has very little natural snow and only recently have the temps been cold enough to make snow. One skier who skied in central VT over Thanksgiving said bring your rock skis and if you don’t you will have a new pair of rock skis by noon.
Jay Peak is the outlier in the whole country. There was one sneaky storm that cycled into the southwest Rockies depositing 1-2 feet in select areas. Several areas opened as a result but even their reports are sad. Case in point, Taos is open but is reporting limited terrain on a base of 12 inches. Despite some promising early storms in the northwest and in British Columbia, no areas have opened with serious terrain and many have postponed their opening day. Mt. Bachelor in Oregon has received 20 inches and isn’t open yet. Revelstoke in British Columbia says they have received 100 inches of snow in the alpine, but they too have postponed their opening day until further notice.
Reports from the northern and central Rockies in the US are even more sobering. Big Sky is barely open with a 9 inch base and the only positive news in their report is that temps are finally low enough to make snow. Aspen Snowmass has three trails open. I spend winters in Little Cottonwood Canyon skiing Alta and Snowbird due to it typically having some of the most reliable conditions (500 plus inches a year anyone?). Shockingly, Alta is reporting a 22 inch season total and is hoping to open several trails soon on a man made base. The news out of CA is no better. Palisades Tahoe isn’t open yet and they are unable to make snow given high temps.
Yes, we have had slow starts to the season before, but what we are seeing now is way unusual. Many parts of North America are in a drought and have recorded record low snowfall for November. Perhaps what is most shocking is that essentially nobody has snow! And yes, it can change quickly but we have a long ways to go to catch up.
Be Well; Ski Well
Kevin Dennis is a life long ski bum with a 34 year legal career on the side. Now retired, he skis 80+ days a year. While he lives in Alta UT in the winters, he has traveled extensively through skiing and has skied almost every major resort in North America (and many you have never heard of). He continues to hit the road often throughout the western United States and Canada and trips over the last several years have included ventures in British Columbia, Montana and Colorado. Whether you want to know about the behemoths like Aspen or Squaw or are interested in the road less travelled (Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana or Whitewater in BC anyone?), Kevin has been there, has an opinion and you will most likely have to tell him to shut up after a half hour!
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