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Antelope Butte December Skiing

Antelope Butte snow in December

Data show December is the fifth best month Antelope Butte for overall snow quality when considering the following factors:

  • Snow quantity at Antelope Butte
  • Snow quality at Antelope Butte
  • How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Antelope Butte—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
  • Antelope Butte's snow frequency (standard deviation)
  • Antelope Butte's elevation
  • Antelope Butte's latitude
  • Antelope Butte's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
Antelope Butte snow score by month, December in focus
December
Dec1
Dec15
Jan1
Jan15
Feb1
Feb15
Mar1
Mar15
Apr1
Apr15

Antelope Butte this winter: El Niño

NOAA's latest reading shows strong El Niño conditions heading into 2026–27. Over 40 winters, El Niño winters have brought Antelope Butte 8% less snow than average, and 8% less snow in the strongest ones. Less snow: a clear, consistent drop in snow.

How El Niño affects Antelope Butte → · El Niño and Montana, Idaho & Wyoming ski resorts

Antelope Butte in December, by the numbers

By ZRankings' snow data, Antelope Butte's December snow scores 8 out of 100, its 5th-best month, 137th of the 220 North American resorts we track. Over 40 winters of weather data, it snows or rains on about 21% of December days, the sun reaches 82% of its clear-sky potential, and mid-mountain highs average 24°F with lows near 9°F.

December snow score 8/100 137th of 220 resorts · its 5th-best month
Sunshine 82% of clear-sky sun · sunnier than 83% of resorts
Storm days 21% of December days bring snow or rain
Rain at the base 0.1% of days; 0.0% at the summit
Average December temperatures
HighLow
Summit22°F7°F
Mid-mountain24°F9°F
Base26°F10°F

Passes for 2026-27: Indy Pass (2 days). Compare passes.

What matters when it comes to snow for December skiing:

Finding good snow early in the season is often a game of chance. But there are mountains and regions that historically perform better than others. We take these factors into account when grading out our scores for resorts and the given season. That said, it's almost always a better bet, in terms of snow and open terrain, to ski in January or Feburary compared with December.

But skiing during the December holidays is a great tradition and it's also one of the only times many families can get away for extended periods.

Those skiing December should look for ski resorts with high average annual snowfalls and low standard deviations. In addition, steep and rocky ski resorts need more snow to get terrain open compared with ski resorts with more modest terrain.

This is also the time of year when slope aspects—north, east, south, west—matter the least. The sun is at it lowest angles in North America in December and has less effect on the snowpack at this time of year than at any other. So ski resorts that possess lots of south-facing and east-facing terrain will generally ski better—assuming there is enough snow—during these darkest times of winter rather than the spring. More explanation on this topic can be found on our snow rankings page.

Antelope Butte skiing by month:
Antelope Butte
By Month