Loveland is a place that most skiers who have been to Colorado have seen, but most of them plow right on by it and keep trekking west toward different destinations. Those other characteristics: a base elevation of 9,000 feet and a top elevation of 12,060 keep the rain away, and with 50% of its terrain facing north, Winter Park preserves the snow its gets very well. The ski resort nets an average of 347 inches of snow per winter season, which isn't tops in Colorado, but combined with Winter Park's other characteristics it makes for a compelling snow proposition. This separation is relatively advantageous for Winter Park, which can haul in more snow from some storms than ski resorts to the south in Summit County. Unlike so many of the ski areas drivable in two to three hours from Denver, Winter Park is relatively far away from I-70, up and over Berthoud Pass on US-40. Winter Park sits off by itself in Rockies west of Denver. Wolf Creek is arguable the hardest mountain to get to in Colorado, but powder seekers know that a flight to Durango and a 100-minute drive is a worthwhile journey. In addition to these considerable advantages, Wolf Creek receives more snow than any other ski hill in the state, with an average of 387 inches of winter precipitation. Further butressing Wolf Creek's snow profile is the geographic advantage of having 65% of its terrain facing north, which shelters its snow from the powerful rays of the southern Colorado sun. Wolf Creek sits farther south in Colorado than any other major ski resort, but the mountain makes up for that with a base elevation that is more than 10,000 feet-one of the highest in North America. Washington State: Best Snow in WashingtonĪ thorough explanation: The best ski resorts for snow in Colorado historically: Wolf Creek - Snow Score - 86.1 We've also done this for other parts of North America:Īll of California: Best snow in California Those planning Colorado ski trips with a focus on conditions and better powder odds should consider this the definitive guide-there is more explanation following the table below. We have included all resorts whose composite score, a combined product of these factors, registers a 70.0 or above, which places them among the elite snow locations on the North American continent. We weighed average snow quantity, precipitation standard deviation, and a ski resort's propensity for preserving snow (north-facing terrain and higher elevations are best) and combined those factors into this list.
We've compiled our data, based on decades of historical snowfall, latitude, elevation and slope aspects to produce the most authortative ranking of the ski resorts with the best snow in Colorado. These are the things that we study more closely, with more data, than anybody. Some Colorado ski resorts have better geographical positioning to catch consistent snow yields from storms, and some can be more prone to drought. Colorado's mountains cover a vast area, with thousands of square miles of terrain holding varied snow and skiing potential.
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