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Mount Washington March Skiing

Mount Washington snow in March

Data show March is the third best month Mount Washington for overall snow quality when considering the following factors:

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

Mount Washington 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 Mount Washington 5% more snow than average, and 5% more snow in the strongest ones. Little effect: no clear difference from a typical winter.

How El Niño affects Mount Washington → · El Niño and Canada ski resorts

Mount Washington in March, by the numbers

By ZRankings' snow data, Mount Washington's March snow scores 53 out of 100, its 3rd-best month, 86th of the 220 North American resorts we track. Over 40 winters of weather data, it snows or rains on about 54% of March days, the sun reaches 59% of its clear-sky potential, and mid-mountain highs average 34°F with lows near 24°F.

March snow score 53/100 86th of 220 resorts · its 3rd-best month
Sunshine 59% of clear-sky sun · sunnier than 1% of resorts
Storm days 54% of March days bring snow or rain
Rain at the base 11% of days; 0.8% at the summit
Average March temperatures
HighLow
Summit31°F21°F
Mid-mountain34°F24°F
Base37°F27°F

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

What matters when it comes to snow for March skiing:

Ski areas with higher elevations and more northerly latitudes can keep snow colder when thawing temperatures in March or during warming events degrade other resorts' snowpacks. Aspects have the same affect, so the snow at a ski resort with more east or south-facing slopes will suffer more quickly as the sun grows stronger into March and the later spring.

For that reason, ski resorts with more north-facing terrain will be able to shelter snow more thoroughly into and through March. The most important factors for good snow preservation in spring tend to be elevation and north aspects, so the ski resorts with the highest elevations and the highest percentage of north-facing slopes tend to be those that preserve their snow best. More explanation on this topic can be found on our snow rankings page.

Lots of east and south exposures coupled with cold temperatures at night can put ski slopes into a nasty freeze-thaw process, wherein the ski resort becomes an ice rink overnight and doesn't revert to being skiable until the sun thaws things out. If the sun doesn't come out, however, skiers can be stuck with terrible conditions for days on end.

So, quite simply, in March, look for resorts with high elevations and high percentages of north-facing terrain (~50%+).

Mount Washington skiing by month:
Mount Washington
By Month