Many of us have found ourselves questioning our hobby choices and how much we truly love the outdoors on windy subzero days when we get blown around on a lift or try to find our way down the mountain in whiteout conditions.
Because skiing and riding are weather-dependent sports, many resorts are located in locations prone to extreme weather and cold. Many of these resorts’ lowest temperatures rival some of the coldest locations on the planet, so if numb fingers are your cup of tea, look no further than this list.
5. Jay Peak Ski Resort, VT
Jay Peak Ski Resort in Vermont is known for its cold temperatures and great terrain. The resort’s peak has seen temps as cold as -23°F in recent years. The mountain is positioned along a northeast-southwest line, which is perpendicular to the cold northwest winds the region usually sees during winter, making it vulnerable to high winds.
4. Loveland Ski Area, CO
Loveland Ski Area in Colorado is positioned on the continental divide, which makes extreme weather and subzero temps common. Recently, Loveland Ski Area has seen temperatures as low as -25°F.
3. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming is famous for many things in snow sports, but the resort also has a history of numbingly cold minimum temps. During the 2022-2023 ski season, the resort registered a temperature of -33°F on the last day of January.
2. Cannon Mountain, NH
Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire is northeast-facing, meaning the resort doesn’t see much sun. Minimal sun, combined with high winds common to the area, has made their peak minimum temperature of -37°F unsurprising recently.
1. Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort, NY
Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort in New York is consistently one of the coldest locations in the lower 48 states, making its appearance on this list unsurprising. During the 2022-2023 season at their summit, Whiteface dropped to –40.2°F with a wind chill of -91°F! Even crazier, that isn’t the coldest wind chill the resort has ever seen. In 2016, the summit experienced a wind chill of -114°F!
Braving the cold for some turns is an experience not unique to any one ski resort, however if you plan on facing the frigid temps of any of the resorts on this list, remember to pack extra layers.
Mount Bohemia. Marquette Mountain. Ski Brule.
The all-time windchill temp was set at Mount Washington in Feb 2023. -109⁰F. Wildcat is right across the valley so you may want to include them on the list.
Ummm…..-109F is less than -114F. Just sayin’.