When To Go

We've skied out west during just about every ski able month. In Keystone, we ran across a local who told us that one year, there was skiing all the way up until the last weekend in June!!

Basically, ski season lasts from November to May in Colorado.

Up in Canada, the season is surprisingly shorter for two reasons: 1) The base elevations are much lower, hence higher temperatures and 2) The moderating effects of the Pacific Ocean make the weather much warmer than you would anticipate.

Generally, if you pick the months of January, February or early March, you will find excellent ski conditions no matter where you go.

Our experiences:

First week February 1991: Steamboat Springs, Colo. Snow conditions were very good to excellent. Temperatures were not extreme. Sunshine noted about half the time.

Second week February 1992: Big Sky, Montana. Excellent ski conditions. Temperatures were perfect.

Second week January 1993: Keystone, Colorado Excellent snow conditions. Temperatures were cooler than first two trips, ranging from 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Third week January 1994: Purgatory, Colorado. Blizzard conditions. Most snow we've ever seen on the ground at one time. Temps were consistently in the mid 20s

Third week November 1994: Breckenridge, Colorado. Snow conditions were below average. Many runs were not open. Lots of man made snow. Temps consistently in the mid 20s to low 30s. No sunshine noted on any day.

First week February 1995: Keystone, Colorado. Average snow conditions. Temps in the 15-25 degree range.

Third week February 1996: Breckenridge, Colorado. Average snow conditions. Temps 20-25.

First week February 1997: Taos, New Mexico. Better than average snowfall, however poor conditions on hill. Temps in the mountains ranged from 15-20 degrees, however much warmer in town.

Fourth week March 1997: Fairmont Hot Springs, BC. No snow noted on trip. Poor conditions in lower elevations. Warm temperatures 35-45 degrees noted.

Second week February 1999: Fairmont Hot Springs, BC. Slight snow noted during trip. Snow depths varied by location, however conditions were excellent. Temps 20-25 noted, with sunshine noted each day.

First week April 1999: Salt Lake City Utah. Slight snow fall in SLC proper. In the mountains, a different story: 12 inches new snow on first day, followed by 18 inches more on second. Temps 30-40 degrees, sunshine noted on 3 of 4 days. High winds 2 out of 4.

First Week In March 2000: Salt Lake City, Utah. 4 out of 5 days were cloudy, white out conditions existed not only from snow but from fog/clouds. One day was perfect weather. Temps 25-30 at base, 10 degrees cooler at summit.

Third Week in January 2002: Jackson Hole, Wyoming. POWDER DUDE! Snow and poor visibility. Flights were delayed one day and more! Weather was not too cold with the exception of the early morning where temps were routinely 10-15 degrees. 

Third Week in March 2002: Park City, Utah. Great conditions with snow on second day allowing for even better conditions the next day and the day after. Never had a day of complete sun or complete clouds. Sometimes conditions changed while we were skiing down the slope!

Third week in December 2002: Salt Lake City, Utah. Most ski areas have about one-quarter of their runs open. Alta is the exception with 40 out of 54 runs available. Rough conditions in spots. Ice, exposed rock, tree stumps and tops along with exposed patches of ground. Temperatures ranged from 25-30 degrees. High winds! Poor visibility at times. Only short periods of sunshine.

Second week in March 2003: Big Sky, Montana. All runs were open initially, however conditions on some runs resembled late spring near closing i.e. slushy, patches of dirt. However, majority of mountain was in great shape. Typical spring ski weather. Two days of full sun shine. Most days required medium weight clothing.

First week in April 2004: Winter Park, Colorado. Vasquez Ridge section of mountain is closed. Late spring skiing conditions. Morning runs were groomed and icy which softened in late morning by the sun. Runs on Mary Jane portion of mountain became slushy and unsuitable. The rest of the mountain followed suit so that by 1pm only Parsenn Bowl was usable. These were the conditions for the first 4 days. The last two days had winter storm that made conditions much better.

Third week in December 2005: Salt Lake City, Utah. Day 1. Sun shine, 5 degrees at the top of Mt. Baldy at Alta. There hasn't been snow in over a week. The weather man says it'll be more of the same. How wrong can a guy be and still keep his job. Day 2, snow. Day 3, snow, lots of snow. Day 4 20 inches at Alta. Whatta maroon this weather dude is. Awesome ski conditions!

Second week in March 2006: Winter Park, Colorado. COLD! Man for spring skiing it sure was cold. Friday March 10th barely got above 15. Sunday we were in white out conditions. Monday more snow, a total of 8 inches overnight. Tuesday was the first day of "spring skiing". Bright sun shine, not a cloud in the sky and mid-20s. The temperature never got above freezing so the snow never turned to slush. Lot of spring breakers "falling off" getting on and off chair lifts.

First week in February 2007: Steamboat, Colorado. Snow conditions were below average, although 90% of the runs were open. Hazards were noted everywhere. Temperature at Storm Peak on February 6 was 45 degrees with bright sunshine. Day 2 was 10 degrees cooler with sunshine. No need for heavy outerwear. Day 3 was slightly cooler and overcast. With the lack of wind (aside from areas off Storm Peak), it was still quite warm.

First week in February 2008: Salt Lake City Utah. Great Snow conditions. Tons of snow this year everywhere out west. Cloudy on day 1 at Deer Valley with some wind and blowing snow. Sunny on day 2 at Deer Valley. Variable clouds at Snowbasin. Sunshine at Deer Valley on day 4. Cold temps, rarely going above 20 degrees

First week in March 2008: Lake Tahoe Area. Lots of snow, although not any recently. Sunny ever day. 5 day trip and temperatures steadily increased from high 20's on day 1 to a high near 50 on day 5. Average snow conditions.