Every year we hope for a great winter, but not every season delivers. While Canada had a strong start and the Midwest and East Coast are seeing heavy snow, the West Coast continues to struggle. We’re now halfway through a two-plus week dry spell, and readers everywhere are feeling the pain. To put things in perspective, let’s look back at the slow start of the 2017-18 season which rivaled 2011-12 as the worst since 1980-81. Good news is that even this season finished strong.
A Word of Caution
Keep in mind that mid-season data isn’t perfect, but it gives a good sense of where the 2025–26 ski season stands. All snowfall totals below are measured from November 1st. Huge thanks to Tony Crocker for sharing his data.
Curious how other seasons started? Check out our Ski Weather Facts & Phenomenon page for historical season starts, record snowstorms, and plenty of other fun ski stats.
California
Both seasons show how early winter in California can be unpredictable, with late-season storms often making all the difference. The 2025–26 ski season got off to a slow start, with November storms leaving only Mt. Rose and Heavenly open for Tahoe ski resorts and Mammoth at 30% by mid-month. A dry December and rain at lower elevations made conditions challenging until a holiday “miracle” storm dumped 4–6 feet, with early January adding 2–4′ more, bringing most areas to 3–6 foot bases. By comparison, the 2017–18 season started even weaker, with little November snowfall and very thin base depths, until small storms in late December and early January brought modest improvements, especially at Mammoth, while much of Tahoe remained limited and vulnerable.
Pacific Northwest
This winter started slowly, with high rain/snow lines keeping almost all of Oregon and Washington closed until Dec. 20, though Mt. Baker reached 92% open after 4–6 feet of snow. Whistler finally opened its top lifts just before Christmas with a 6+ foot alpine base, while Oregon remained marginal with the worst early season since 1976–77. Early January snow added 3 feet across the region, improving conditions, though areas south of I-90 and Mt. Bachelor’s Summit remained limited. By comparison, the 2017–18 season also started slowly, with high rain snow lines and Thanksgiving rain that cut bases, but rebounded quickly as late November and December storms delivered heavy snowfall and unusually extensive early terrain openings, especially at Whistler and in Washington.
Canadian Rockies / Interior BC
To say the season got off to a strong start in the Canadian Rockies is an understatement. High, cold resorts like Lake Louise, Panorama, and Kicking Horse avoided rain and receiving all snow. Mid- to late-December storms brought 2–3 feet to most areas, including 80%+ terrain open at Silver Star and Sun Peaks, while holiday week snow pushed the Banff resorts, Kicking Horse, and Revelstoke to record December totals. Early January added 1.5–3+ feet, keeping conditions excellent despite forecast rain to 6,000+ feet. By comparison, 2017–18 started quickly with strong snowfall from late October through mid November. Consistent storms in late November and December built 3 to 5 foot bases. This made the Powder Highway the strongest ski region entering the new year, with widespread early terrain openings.
US Northern Rockies
Early December snow was limited due to high rain/snow lines, leaving Grand Targhee and Whitefish as the only resorts with significant terrain open, while Lookout Pass lost much of its snow to rain. Colder storms later in December added 2–4 feet, and early January brought 3–4 feet in the Tetons, improving conditions but lower elevations remained thin.
More like 2023-24
Instead of resembling 2017-18, which started strong, this season is more like 2023-24. November snowfall was less than half of normal, and most resorts had base depths under 3 feet, with Schweitzer and Big Sky recording historically low terrain availability at New Year’s. Mid January storms brought some improvement, but ski areas in Montana and northern Idaho ski resorts to face a historic early season shortage, worsened by Arctic temperatures.
Utah
Another region that has had a slow start, with Brian Head the only area to open in November and Wasatch resorts waiting for 2+ feet in early December. A dry mid-December limited terrain mostly to manmade runs, making it Utah’s second-worst Christmas since 1976–77, though early January snow of 5 feet finally opened most terrain in the Cottonwood Canyons. In contrast, the 2017-18 Utah season got off to a slower start, with minimal October snow and delayed openings in November. Early December storms added up to 18 inches in the Cottonwoods, but even after 2+ feet just before Christmas, holiday terrain and season snowfall were the lowest since 1980–81, with first-half January snowfall adding only 1–2 feet.
Northern Colorado
The North American season opened early on Oct 31st with snowmaking at A-Basin, Keystone, and Winter Park and 2+ feet in early December, but warm mid-December left most terrain manmade and base depths under 30 inches, the least open at New Year’s since 1980–81. Early January added 3 feet at Steamboat, with other areas seeing 1.5 feet. In 2017-18 season started slowly, with early skiing mostly on manmade snow and November snowfall about half of average, leaving many areas barely open by New Year’s. A Christmas miracle brought heavy snow into early January which improved conditions, but most resorts remained below normal terrain availability.
Southern and Western Colorado
This past December, Wolf Creek opened strong on a 31–38 inch base, along with over half of Monarch, but most areas saw only a few inches, leaving terrain mostly manmade and base depths under 30 inches, with steep runs unlikely to open for a month. Early January added about a foot at most resorts, while Aspen gained 2+ feet. By comparison, the 2017–18 season got off to an extremely dry start. Gothic snow lab recorded just 55 inches through January 8, the lowest in 44 years, and Wolf Creek received only 30 inches. Most Rocky Mountain resorts, including Aspen/Snowmass, had limited skiing on manmade snow, while southern areas like Taos and much of Crested Butte faced serious risks of not opening at all. Advanced terrain remained largely closed, and New Mexico had seen less than a foot of natural snowfall by mid-January.
Northeast
No one opened in October, but November brought record snowfall, with Jay Peak receiving 119 inches. In 2025–26, St. Sauveur opened Nov. 9 and Killington and Sunday River Nov. 12, and 2–4+ feet of December snow gave the most mid-December trails since 2018 (Okemo 60%, Hunter 84%). Late December rain and freezing events temporarily degraded surfaces, but snowfall helped trails rebound, keeping counts high through Christmas. By contrast, 2017–18 season in the Northeast started slowly with Killington opening November 8 and gradual terrain expansion on snowmaking, but mid-December storms brought 2–3 feet of snow, setting up a strong holiday season. Early January remained cold with additional snow, though warm rain and a hard freeze around January 12–13 reduced trail counts at many resorts.
Some Hope
Wondering how the 2017–18 season wrapped up? While it ended unevenly across the West, conditions gradually improved, with drier regions opening terrain slowly and northern areas benefiting from stronger storms in late January and February. The Sierra saw several major March storms, and although much of the Rockies and Southwest remained limited, a rare April atmospheric river brought heavy snow to Colorado, giving a late-season boost and a taste of solid spring skiing.
