2024-25 Ski Season Analysis as of May 16, 2025

2024-25 was overall slightly below average, mainly due to a widespread dry January. Highest snowfall vs. average extended from Oregon and far northern California into the U.S northern Rockies. The Southwest suffered severe drought while the Northeast season was its snowiest since 2016-17.

Prior Progress Reports
October 31, 2024
November 10, 2024
November 20, 2024
November 30, 2024
December 8, 2024
December 15, 2024
December 24, 2024
December 31, 2024
January 10, 2025
January 19, 2025
January 31, 2025
February 15, 2025
March 1, 2025
March 15, 2025
March 31, 2025
April 12, 2025

Late October 2024 and early November saw moderate snowfall mostly in northern regions but then trending southeast into Colorado and New Mexico. Wolf Creek and Pajarito had widespread natural snow runs open by Nov. 10. Mid-November storms concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, but later in the month spread inland, especially to central Colorado. Areas in or close to full operation at the end of November included Mt. Baker, Mammoth, Lookout Pass, Grand Targhee and Wolf Creek, with Whistler and Mt. Bachelor having deep enough snowpacks to be set for the holidays. December snowfall up to Christmas was concentrated in the Pacific Northwest with moderate snowfalls in adjacent regions while the Southwest was bone dry. Northwest storms were more intense during the holiday week and spread into more regions.

Early January snowfall was strongest in the US Northern Rockies. Mid-January was mostly dry except in the north central U.S. Rockies, while the rest of the month the entire West averaged less than 6 inches of snow with only a handful of areas getting as much as a foot. Variable conditions developed aside from the most favorable altitudes/exposures. Early February's atmospheric river had a high rain snow line in California and Utah, with drought persisting to the south and cooler weather and moderate snowfalls to the north. During the second week a cooler storm dumped up to 5 feet in California and Utah and was also widespread into adjacent regions. A warm AR hit the Northwest during the third week of February while snowfall continued in Utah and Colorado. The last week of February was warm and dry over most of the West, bringing widespread spring conditions. The first half of March had heavy snow in the coastal regions and Utah/Arizona and average snowfall farther inland. Snowfall during the third week of March was strongest in northern regions. A warmup during the last week of March brought widespread spring conditions, but a new storm cycle arrived at the end of the month. By the second week of April warm weather and spring conditions were dominant again. Later spring snowfall has been well below average.

California: Several small snowfalls through mid-November assisted snowmaking openings. Stronger storms over the last week of November totaled 4 feet at Mammoth and 1-3 feet at Tahoe based upon elevation, leaving Mammoth with by far the best conditions in the region. After two dry weeks it snowed 3+ feet northwest of Tahoe and about 2 feet elsewhere, followed by 1-2 feet Christmas Week. New Year's base depths averaged 2-4 feet at Tahoe and 4-5 feet at Mammoth. Early January snowfall was up to a foot, but there was less than 4 inches snow the rest of January aside from an isolated one foot storm east of Tahoe Jan. 25. The early February AR snowed 4 feet above 8,000 feet NW of Tahoe and 2 feet south of Tahoe but was nearly all rain below 7,000 feet. The second February storm dumped 4.5 feet at Mammoth and 3 feet at Tahoe. The rest of February was warm and dry. First half of March Sierra storms were 3-5 feet with no low elevation rain, and it snowed up to 4 feet in Southern California and 8 feet in Arizona. Second half of March snow was over 2.5 feet NW of Tahoe at higher elevation and averaged 1.5 foot elsewhere. From March 30 - April 2 it snowed 2-4 feet, and late in the month it snowed 1+ foot NW of Tahoe. Overall the upper elevations north of Tahoe had close to average snowfall while south Tahoe was far below average. Palisades' base had only 37% as much snow as higher up vs. long term average of 61%. See Current California Ski Conditions for more details on Southern California and Mammoth.

Pacific Northwest: This was the strongest November opening in the region in over a decade with multiple storms. Mt. Baker was fully open for Thanksgiving, while Whistler and Mt. Bachelor attained 4+ foot bases. 2-3 feet of snow fell in the first half of December, and another 2 feet the week before Christmas. Mt. Bachelor's Dec. 10 Summit opening was the earliest in over a decade. This region had the most snow (5+ foot bases) by Christmas. During the holiday week it dumped 5 feet in Oregon and 2-3 feet farther north. Early January snowfall averaged 1.5 feet but conditions were variable after less than a foot the rest of the month. First half of February snowfall ranged from 2 feet at Whistler to 4 feet in Oregon. A warm storm rained to the top of most ski areas during the third week of February, then snowed 2-4 feet varying by elevation. During the first half of March snowfall ranged from 3 feet in Oregon to 6 feet at Whistler. During the second half of March snowfall ranged from 3.5 feet at Whistler to 6 feet in Oregon. Early April snowfall averaged 1.5 feet with little thereafter.

Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: November snowfall was high from the Northwest storms along the U.S. border and west of the Selkirks but closer to average farther east. Fernie, Whitewater and the upper half of Revelstoke attained 4+ foot bases. West of Rogers Pass an average 1.5 feet of snow fell during the first half of December, 2 feet more before Christmas, and 1.5-2 feet during the holidays, leaving average bases of 5 feet. Sun Peaks and Silver Star were 90+% open on 4 foot bases at Christmas, while areas east of Rogers Pass averaged 3 foot bases. Only upper parts of Revelstoke had more than 1.5 feet of snow during the entire month of January, resulting in widespread hardpack conditions. First half of February snowfall ranged from less than a foot at the Banff areas to 2-3 feet near the U.S. border. Second half of February snowfall was 2+ feet west of Rogers Pass and one foot on the leeward side. First half of March snowfall averaged 2 feet and second half of March snowfall averaged 3 feet. April snowfall averaged 1.5 feet.

U. S. Northern Rockies: The Interior Northwest was loaded with snow from the November storms and an excellent holiday destination with another 3 feet in December before Christmas and 4 foot bases. Lookout Pass opened weekends starting Nov. 9. Farther south November snowfall was no better than average. Targhee reached full operation in early December but Jackson was very limited until after a 3 foot storm during the third week of December. 2-3 feet fell during the holiday week to bring excellent skiing to the entire region by New Year's. Early January snowfall ranged from a foot near the Canadian border to 3+ feet at Big Sky and in the Tetons. Those same areas had up to 2 feet in mid-January, with less than a foot farther north. Late January snowfall ranged from almost nothing in the north to up to 9 inches in the Yellowstone and Teton regions. Both early February AR storms were favorable to this region and most areas got 4 to 5 feet of snow. Second half of February snowfall averaged 5 feet in the Tetons and 2 feet elsewhere. First half of March snowfall averaged 2 feet. Second half of March snowfall was 3-4 feet. In early April SW Montana got over 2 feet of snow while the rest of the region averaged a foot. Montana had more snow later in April after most areas had closed.

Utah: Utah's November was slightly below average in both snowfall and end of month open terrain. Alta opened more than half of runs in early December but other areas were very limited with base depths less than 3 feet. December snowfall before Christmas was less than 2 feet. 3 feet fell during the holiday week, but not much more terrain opened until after New Year's. Average 2 feet of snow fell in early January. Mid-January snowfall was 2-3 feet in the Cottonwoods and one foot elsewhere. No more than 6 inches fell in late January. The two AR's in the first half of February dumped 5+ feet in the Cottonwoods and 3-4 feet elsewhere. After 2-3 feet of snow during the third week of February, the last week was warm with spring conditions. During the first half of March it snowed 5-6 feet in the Cottonwoods and 3-4 feet elsewhere. During the second half of March it snowed 3.5 feet in the Cottonwoods and 2 feet elsewhere. Early April snowfall averaged 2.5 feet on the Cottonwoods and 1.5 feet elsewhere before a big warmup during the second week. Up to a foot fell during the third week of April.

Northern and Central Colorado: The first snowmaking openings were A-Basin and Keystone Nov. 2. Snowfall was consistent and above average from late October through mid-November and topped off by 2-3 feet the last week of November, the snowiest November since 2010. However, December snowfall up to Christmas averaged only one foot, so base depths settled down to less than 3 feet. Up to 2 feet fell during the holidays, continuing gradual terrain openings. Most areas were close to full operation after 2 feet of early January snow. Mid-January snow averaged 1.5 feet and late January 6-9 inches. During the first half of February Steamboat, Vail and Winter Park got 3+ feet of snow while other places averaged 2 feet. Most areas got another 3+ feet during the third week of February. First half of March snowfall ranged from 1.5 to 3 feet. Second half of March snowfall averaged 2 feet. 1-1.5 feet of snow fell in April before a warm weather spell. Then another 1.5 feet fell during the third week of April and up to a foot in early May.

Southern and Western Colorado: Wolf Creek opened October 22 on 26 inches of snow and was close to full operation by Nov. 10. Pajarito, New Mexico opened one top to bottom lift and about 3/4 of terrain Nov. 9 on 44 inches snowfall. But New Mexico had almost no snow for the next 6 weeks. Aspen and Crested Butte had similar high November snow as the I-70 areas while southern Colorado had less but was still above average. December snowfall before Christmas was a foot at Aspen but no more than 3 inches farther south. Aside from Wolf Creek, the Southwest at Christmas had base depths around two feet. Holiday week snowfall averaged 1.5 feet in Colorado but less than a foot in New Mexico. Early January snowfall ranged from over a foot at areas exposed to northwest flow to just a few inches in the far Southwest. Crested Butte's North Face opened Jan. 7. Only Aspen and Monarch had as much as a foot of snow in mid-January. New Mexico finally got 1+ foot in late January but the Colorado areas averaged only 6 inches. First half of February snowfall ranged from one foot in New Mexico to 2+ feet at Aspen. Second half of February snowfall averaged 1.5 feet in western Colorado but less than 6 inches in the Southwest. First half of March snowfall was 4+ feet at Wolf Creek and 2 averaged 2 feet elsewhere. Second half of March snowfall averaged 1.5 feet in western Colorado but less than a foot in the Southwest. Kachina Peak at Taos opened March 17, but on a low tide maximum base depth of 41 inches. Early April snowfall averaged 1.5 feet but many areas closed April 6 due to remote location. There was an average one foot of snow later in April. The far Southwest got 2+ feet of snow in early May (not counted here), long after the ski areas closed. Those areas, along with southern Utah and Arizona, suffered a prolonged dry spell of about 1/4 normal snowfall from mid-November through the end of February.

Northeast: No one opened during a warm October in New England or eastern Canada. November snowmaking was intermittent, so Nov. 15 Killington opened 3%, Sunday River 2% and Whiteface opened 7% weekends. Some areas missed Thanksgiving openings with ongoing warm weather in November. The first week of December was colder with 1-3 feet of natural snow. Some trail counts declined during the second week with mixed precipitation. Northern Vermont had a good Christmas with clear weather after 1.5 - 2 feet of new snow, but conditions and open terrain degraded with rain Dec. 29-31. January was consistently cold and often windy, with 6-8 feet of snow in Northern Vermont and 3 feet elsewhere. The bounty contiunued through the first half of February with 5 feet in Northern Vermont and 2-3 feet elsewhere. Second half of February snowfall was 3+ feet in Northern Vermont but with varied snow levels and increasing rain farther south. The first week of March had heavy rain and slashed trail counts. By mid-March most trails were open but with spring conditions in warm weather. Trail counts declined later in March with rain and mixed precipitation. April conditions were variable, but 1.5 feet of April snow reopened most trails in northern Vermont for the second weekend. Conditions deteriorated with excessive rain after Easter, with Jay and Killington closing May 11 despite the overall high snowfall season.

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