Timberline December Skiing
Timberline snow in December
- Snow quantity at Timberline
- Snow quality at Timberline
- How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Timberline—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
- Timberline's snow frequency (standard deviation)
- Timberline's elevation
- Timberline's latitude
- Timberline's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
Timberline 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 Timberline 8% less snow than average, and 4% less snow in the strongest ones. Less snow: a clear, consistent drop in snow.
How El Niño affects Timberline → · El Niño and Pacific Northwest & Alaska ski resorts
Timberline in December, by the numbers
By ZRankings' snow data, Timberline's December snow scores 30 out of 100, its 4th-best month, 17th of the 220 North American resorts we track. Over 40 winters of weather data, it snows or rains on about 60% of December days, the sun reaches 57% of its clear-sky potential, and mid-mountain highs average 26°F with lows near 16°F.
| High | Low | |
|---|---|---|
| Summit | 20°F | 9°F |
| Mid-mountain | 26°F | 16°F |
| Base | 33°F | 23°F |
Passes for 2026-27: 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.