Above Average Snowpack in the Rockies

Anytime is the perfect time to plan a ski trip to the Rockies. Whether you and the kids have time off from school, you and your buddies have a break from college, or whether you just aren’t ready to say goodbye to an amazing season, from March through April is a great time to get in a few more turns.

Depending on where you live, however, you might have noticed that February was a weird month for weather. Especially out here in Rockies, where we had unseasonably warm weather. Yet despite the anomalies in temperature, there was a lot of moisture in every storm that swept through.

And the good news continues! What was rain in the valleys, was snow on the slopes, and although it resembled ‘cascade cement’ instead of Rocky Mountain Powder because of the high moisture content, those accumulations have significantly strengthened the base of snow on each mountain.

In fact, when it comes to the snow/water equivalent, the Lake Powell Water Database is reporting that all river basins above the lake (which include Wyoming, Utah and Colorado) are 135% above average.

This means that most mountains have bases somewhere between 60 and 120 inches. Because of this, any new snow that falls, even in a light accumulation storm, makes the conditions instantly fantastic. Even without new snow, groomers are consistently smooth and soft, glades have solid coverage, and most steeps do, too.

As a caution, however, this amount of dense, heavy, snow has increased the avalanche danger considerably. For those who like to earn their turns in the backcountry, this should be another reason to carefully research conditions of your exact location before stepping through a gate, or hiking a new ridgeline, and course, always carry and know how to use your beacon, shovel and probe.

But the skiing in-bounds will continue to be so amazing, that most folks won’t have to go far to have incredible days on the slopes. In fact, if March provides the storm cycles currently being predicted, there is even a good chance some mountains might extend their season by a week or two.

So make your plans to ski in the late spring with confidence that it will be some of the greatest turns you’ve had all season. Browse our site to learn more about ski conditions in your favorite areas up and down the Rocky Mountain Range, along with all the great lodging, apres, and equipment rental options (and discounts) that are available!