Bear Valley December Skiing
Bear Valley snow in December
- Snow quantity at Bear Valley
- Snow quality at Bear Valley
- How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Bear Valley—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
- Bear Valley's snow frequency (standard deviation)
- Bear Valley's elevation
- Bear Valley's latitude
- Bear Valley's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
Bear Valley 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 Bear Valley 1% more snow than average, and 6% more snow in the strongest ones. Little effect: no clear difference from a typical winter.
How El Niño affects Bear Valley → · El Niño and California & Tahoe ski resorts
Bear Valley in December, by the numbers
By ZRankings' snow data, Bear Valley's December snow scores 27 out of 100, its 4th-best month, 27th of the 220 North American resorts we track. Over 40 winters of weather data, it snows or rains on about 29% of December days, the sun reaches 76% of its clear-sky potential, and mid-mountain highs average 37°F with lows near 20°F.
| High | Low | |
|---|---|---|
| Summit | 34°F | 16°F |
| Mid-mountain | 37°F | 20°F |
| Base | 41°F | 23°F |
Passes for 2026-27: Indy Pass (2 days), Powder Alliance (3 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.