Mountain High December Skiing
Mountain High snow in December
- Snow quantity at Mountain High
- Snow quality at Mountain High
- How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Mountain High—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
- Mountain High's snow frequency (standard deviation)
- Mountain High's elevation
- Mountain High's latitude
- Mountain High's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
Mountain High 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 Mountain High 16% more snow than average, and 41% more snow in the strongest ones. Boom or bust: more on average, but El Niño winters swing between huge and below normal.
How El Niño affects Mountain High → · El Niño and California & Tahoe ski resorts
Mountain High in December, by the numbers
By ZRankings' snow data, Mountain High's December snow scores 6 out of 100, its 4th-best month, 196th of the 220 North American resorts we track. Over 40 winters of weather data, it snows or rains on about 14% of December days, the sun reaches 84% of its clear-sky potential, and mid-mountain highs average 45°F with lows near 29°F.
| High | Low | |
|---|---|---|
| Summit | 42°F | 26°F |
| Mid-mountain | 45°F | 29°F |
| Base | 48°F | 32°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.