Industry News
Arizona Snowbowl is off to a start that locals are already calling one of the best they have ever seen. The momentum began on November 20, when the resort shocked its own followers by announcing a same-day opening after a powerful early-season storm unloaded nearly four feet of snow on the San Francisco Peaks. Lifts started turning at noon, giving skiers a rare mid-November powder day in Arizona. That storm alone dropped 47 inches, and the mountain has continued to stack up snow since then.
- Related: Arizona Snowbowl Opens Early After Receiving 3 Feet of Snowfall, Kicking Off 2025-26 Season Today
Snowbowl has now recorded 57 inches this season—almost five feet—and is reporting a settled base of 34 inches. More than 60 percent of lifts and over 70 percent of trails are already open, an impressive milestone this early in the season.
What makes Snowbowl’s strong start stand out even more is the contrast with the broader West. Much of the region remains well behind normal for early December. Many major ski areas in more traditional ski states like Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Montana still don’t have enough snow to operate, and some haven’t seen a single significant storm yet. Even mountains that typically rely on early-season snowfall are struggling to open meaningful terrain. Warm temperatures have only made the challenge harder, keeping snowmaking windows short and inconsistent across the region.
- Related: December 2025 State of the Western U.S. Snowpack: Well Below Average and Downright Abysmal in Places
The story is very different in the East, where cold air has been more consistent and several resorts have already opened for the season. Jay Peak in Vermont is leading the pack with more than 100 inches of snowfall so far, allowing it to roll out substantial terrain weeks ahead of schedule. Other East Coast mountains have also benefited from early snow and strong snowmaking conditions, giving that side of the country a surprisingly robust start.
For now, Snowbowl sits in rare company as one of the few Western resorts with mid-winter coverage before December has even settled in. If the storms keep coming, this could shape up to be one of the most memorable early seasons Northern Arizona has seen in years.
