Discovery December Skiing
Discovery snow in December
- Snow quantity at Discovery
- Snow quality at Discovery
- How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Discovery—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
- Discovery's snow frequency (standard deviation)
- Discovery's elevation
- Discovery's latitude
- Discovery's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
Discovery 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 Discovery 10% less snow than average, and 13% less snow in the strongest ones. Less snow: a clear, consistent drop in snow.
How El Niño affects Discovery → · El Niño and Montana, Idaho & Wyoming ski resorts
Discovery in December, by the numbers
By ZRankings' snow data, Discovery's December snow scores 8 out of 100, its 5th-best month, 140th of the 220 North American resorts we track. Over 40 winters of weather data, it snows or rains on about 34% of December days, the sun reaches 76% of its clear-sky potential, and mid-mountain highs average 23°F with lows near 7°F.
| High | Low | |
|---|---|---|
| Summit | 19°F | 3°F |
| Mid-mountain | 23°F | 7°F |
| Base | 28°F | 12°F |
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.