Anytime you plan a ski trip you never know what the snow conditions will be like. This is especially true if you are planning an early-season trip around Christmas or New Year’s. To help you plan, below is a list of some of your best bets for snow conditions and available terrain open for the early season. The list comes from ZRankings who took a thoughtful approach to create this resource.

To make this list, some important factors were considered. They were:

• Percentage of terrain open by December 25th
• Percentage of winters where the resort has less than half of their terrain open (smaller is better)
• The resort’s average seasonal snowfall
• Standard deviation of snowfall (how predictable the snowpack will be)

#1 Alta, UT – Early Season Snow Score: 99.0

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 96%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 5%
• True annual snowfall: 517 inches

#2 Steamboat, CO – Early Season Snow Score: 95.9

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 93%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 5%
• True annual snowfall: 368 inches

#3 Brighton, UT – Early Season Snow Score: 87.9

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 90%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 10%
• True annual snowfall: 504 inches

#4 Mt Bachelor, OR – Early Season Snow Score: 87.9

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 90%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 10%
• True annual snowfall: 383 inches

#5 Grand Targhee, WY – Early Season Snow Score: 87.0

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 100%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 0%
• True annual snowfall: 466 inches

#6 Whistler Blackcomb, BC – Early Season Snow Score: 84.0

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 86%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 10%
• True annual snowfall: 419 inches

#7 Solitude, UT – Early Season Snow Score: 83.0

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 85%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 10%
• True annual snowfall: 437 inches

#8 Snowbird, UT – Early Season Snow Score: 82.1

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 84%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 10%
• True annual snowfall: 497 inches

#9 Fernie, BC – Early Season Snow Score: 81.2

• Average percentage of terrain open by December 25th: 88%
• Chance resort has less than 50% of terrain open by December 25th: 15%
• True annual snowfall: 376 inches

Honorable Mentions

Vail, CO – Early Season Snow Score: 76.6

Jackson Hole, WY – Early Season Snow Score: 75.7

Big Sky, MT – Early Season Snow Score: 75.6

Winter Park, CO – Early Season Snow Score: 75.2

Beaver Creek, CO – Early Season Snow Score: 73.8

Aspen, CO – Early Season Snow Score: 72.1

Park City, UT – Early Season Snow Score: 70.2