Best Snow In California - Right Now and Historically | ZRankings

Ski Resorts with Best Snow in California · Kirkwood - Snow Score - 82.7 · Mammoth - Snow Score - 75.4 · Sugar Bowl - Snow Score - 70.3 · Sierra At Tahoe - Snow ... BestSnowInCalifornia-RightNowandHistorically BYChristopherSteiner TWEETIT Tweet LIKEIT LINKEDIN WetrackCalifornia'sforecastedsnowfallsacrossallofitsskiresortsforthenext10daysaswellaswhathasactuallyfallenatallofthoseskimountainsduringthelast10days.Withthat20-daystretchofdata:snowthatiscomingandsnowthathasalreadyfallen,skierscanquicklyunderstandwherethebestconditionsarenowandwherethey'regoingtobe.Forthisdata,seejustbelow. Note:Duringsummermonths,thesetopgraphswon'thavedataasthereisnoforecastedorrecentsnow. Belowthat,wecoverwhatskiresortsinCaliforinahavethebestsnowhistoricallyandwhy.Thisdataisimperativewhenplanningaskitrip,assumingthatsnowisaninputintodecisionmaking—anditshouldbe! ThisarticleanddatawereupdatedonNovember18,2021. LargestSnowTotalsInCaliforniaLast10Days(inches) CaliforniaSkiResorts'SnowfallPotentials,Next10Days(inches)ZRANKINGSMODEL Californiaisthemostinterestingofstates:deserts,14,000footvolcanoesholdingnorth-facingglaciers,themostgiantoftrees,perfectsurfspots,andagiantalpinelakesurroundedbyaphalanxofskiresortsbrimmingwithpost-cardviews.Understandinghowandwheresnowfallsinthisstatewiththemostdiverseofgeographiesisn'tashardasitsounds.Thedatatellthestory,andallthedataarebelow. Ingeneral,snowinCalifornia,especiallyforLakeTahoeandtheNorthernSierracanbewildlycapricous.It'squitenormalfornosnowtofallforweeks,followedbysinglestormsthatcanleavebehindsixfeet.TheRockiesalmostneverreceivesnowinsuchlargequantitiesatonce,buttheyalsodon'texperiencedroughtsnearlyasoften.It'ssomehowfittingthatCalifornia'smountainsaretheultimatedestinationmassivesnoweventsspacedoutwithperiodsofnothing.Butsomemountainsaremoredependableforsnowandconditions. We'verankedallofthemrighthere,usinghistoricalaverages,standarddeviations,latitudes,elevationsandslopeaspects.Inmostcases,thedataweusedforthisexercisegoesback50years.Considerthistobethebestlistofitskind. In-depthdescriptionsonsnowateachskiresortarebelowthetable SkiResortswithBestSnowinCalifornia &nbsp&nbsp&nbspResort TrueSnow* Base&TopElev. Daysw/morethan6inches Monthsw/morethan90inches Monthsw/lessthan30inches North-facingTerrain East-facingTerrain West-facingTerrain South-facingTerrain CaliforniaSnowScore Kirkwood CA 459" 7800'to9800' 20.1% 44.3% 18.1% 65% 25% 10% 0% 82.7 more Mammoth CA 354" 7953'to11053' 14.9% 31.5% 29.0% 65% 22% 10% 3% 75.4 more SugarBowlResort CA 453" 6883'to8383' 18.8% 39.5% 21.4% 55% 15% 28% 2% 70.3 more Sierra-at-Tahoe CA 389" 6640'to8852' 16.1% 34.9% 24.5% 50% 5% 30% 15% 61.4 more BorealMountainResort CA 385" 7200'to7700' 16.2% 35.5% 24.0% 85% 0% 0% 15% 61.1 more SodaSprings CA 385" 6700'to7352' 16.2% 35.5% 24.0% 75% 25% 0% 0% 60.1 more Heavenly CA 321" 6540'to10040' 14.3% 25.8% 31.8% 60% 10% 25% 5% 60.1 more BearValleyMountainResort CA 352" 6600'to8500' 15.7% 32.5% 26.5% 55% 20% 23% 2% 60.0 more SquawValley CA 369" 6200'to9050' 15.1% 30.0% 33.2% 50% 40% 2% 8% 58.6 more DodgeRidge CA 350" 6600'to8200' 16.0% 32.0% 30.0% 55% 40% 5% 0% 58.3 more JuneMountain CA 268" 7545'to10135' 11.2% 14.4% 38.5% 65% 5% 30% 0% 56.9 more DonnerSkiRanch CA 385" 7031'to7781' 16.2% 35.5% 24.0% 0% 60% 0% 40% 56.8 more HomewoodMountainResort CA 350" 6230'to7880' 16.0% 32.0% 30.0% 35% 50% 0% 15% 53.9 more NorthstaratTahoe CA 316" 6330'to8610' 12.8% 25.9% 35.8% 50% 30% 20% 0% 53.8 more ChinaPeak CA 300" 7030'to8709' 5.0% 25.0% 40.0% 55% 25% 20% 5% 49.8 more SnowSummit CA 83" 7000'to8200' 3.6% 0.0% 78.8% 70% 15% 15% 0% 44.1 more BearMountainResort-CA CA 83" 7140'to8805' 3.6% 0.0% 78.8% 70% 20% 10% 0% 41.5 more Mt.ShastaSkiPark CA 300" 5500'to6900' 13.0% 20.0% 30.0% 0% 30% 20% 50% 41.0 more MountainHighResort CA 120" 6600'to8200' 5.6% 4.0% 69.1% 60% 20% 20% 0% 32.1 more Kirkwood-SnowScore-82.7 KirkwoodistheonlyCaliforniaresortplacinginthetop10inNorthAmericaforsnowrankedbyZRankings.Kirkwood'sspotintheSierramakesitespeciallyfriendlytocatchingsnowfallandkeepingthestuffthathasfallen.Forthisreason,KirkwoodshouldberecognizedastheundisputedkingofsnowwithinthestateofCalifornia.KirkwoodispartoftheTahoeregion,butit'swellsouthofLakeTahoeitself,makingitabithardertogettocomparedwithskiresortsclosertotheLakeandI-80.WithintheTahoeregion,Kirkwoodhasaveryhighbasearea,at7,800feet,whichhelpsprotectitsslopesagainstsomeofthewarmboutsofweatherthatsweepthroughCalifornia.ComparethatwithSquawValley,whosebaseis1,600feetlower.Evenbetter,65%ofKirkwood'sslopesfacenorth,keepingitssnowcoldandchalky. InadditiontoitshighelevationfortheSierra,Kirkwoodreceivesanaverageof459"ofsnowperwinter—andthatsnowcomeswithalowerstandarddeviation(it'smoredependable)comparedwithmostotherCaliforniaresorts.ThisisCalifornia,andthethreatofdroughtpersists,as18.1%ofwintermonthsbringlessthan30"ofsnow.Buthere'sthekicker:44.3%ofmonthscomewithmorethan90"ofsnow.ButthisbeingtheSierra,wherefour-footstormshappenalmostannually,gettingto90"mayonlytaketwoorthreesnowevents.SkierswhotraveltoKirkwoodshouldknowthat20.1%ofwinterdaysbringsixinchesofsnowormore,whichisanexcellentpowderbattingaverage. Mammoth-SnowScore-75.4 SimilartoKirkwood,MammothisanoutlierforelevationforskiresortsinCalifornia.Itsbasesitsat7,953feet,nearly2,000feetabovemanyotherskiresortsinthestate.MammothisoutsideoftheTahoeregion,furthersouthnearthetownofMammothLakesandYosemiteNationalPark.Itspeakelevationofmorethan11,000feetgiveitexcellentsnowpreservationcharacteristics.Inaddition,anoverwhelming65%ofterrainatMammothfacesnorth,shieldingitfromthesunnydaysofCalifornia.Mammothaverages354"ofsnowperseason,with14.9%ofdaysbringingsixinchesofsnowormore,and31.5%ofmonthsbringing90".LiketherestofCalifornia,theweatherpatternsarevolatilehere—29%ofwintermonthsatMammothbringlessthan30"ofsnow. Mammoth'selevationanditsaspectsmakeitoneofthebestplacesinCaliforniaforsnow.Credit:RobsonHatsukamiMorgan SugarBowl-SnowScore-70.3 SugarBowlisn'talignedwithoneofthemajorpasses—IkonorEpic—soit'softenoverlookedbypeopleskiingthenorthernTahoeregion,butit'sagreatplayforpowderhuntersinterestedinavoidingcrowds.SugarBowlisalsoveryclosetoI-80,whichcanhelpskiersstayoutofsomeofthetrafficsnarlsonSaturdaymorningsandSundayevenings.Ontopofallofthat,it'sthethirdbestplaceforsnowinCalifornia,andthebestspotinNorthLakeTahoe,thecorebasinofskiareasthatBayAreaoutdoorspeopleflockto.WhenstormspassoverNorthernCalifornia,SugarBowldrinksinthesnow,averaging453"peryear.Skierscanexpect18.8%ofdaystobringsixinchesofsnowormore,and39.5%ofwintermonthsbringmorethan90"ofsnow.Onthedroughtside,21.4%ofwintermonthsatSugarBowlbringlessthan30"ofsnow.Theskiareahasa7,000-footbase,whichisn'tbadforNorthLakeTahoe,and55%ofitsterrainfacesnorth,helpingsnowstayoutoffreeze-thawcycles. ThenorthsideofLakeTahoeisnojokewhenitcomestosnowaccumulation.Credit:EdgarChaparro SierraAtTahoe-SnowScore-61.4 SierraatTahoedoesaboutaveragefortheTahoearea,with389inchesofstandardsnowfallwithahighstandarddeviation,whichmeansitcanbepronetolongerperiodswithoutsnow—butalsobumperweeksandmonthsduringwhichfrozenprecipitationismeasuredinfeet.Theelevationshere,6,640atthebaseat8,852atthetop,aren'tremarkablefortheSierra.Theareaishelpedbythefactthat50$ofitsterrainfacesnorth,whichkeepsitoutofthesunandcoolintoFebruary.Inspring,skitheafternoonshereandletothersdealwiththemorningfreeze,assumingitwentbelowfreezingovernight,notalwaysaguaranteeinsouthLakeTahoe. Boreal-SnowScore-61.1 BorealisasmallskihillthatfacesthesouthsideofI-80westofthenorthsideofLakeTahoe.Itreceives389inchesofsnowduringanaveragewinter,butthere'slittleofanythingthatisaverageinCalifornia'sSierra,wherewinterscanbebonedryforweeksatatimefollowedbystormsthatproducesnowfallthatsimplydon'thappenanywhereelseintheUnitedStates.Borealhasaverylowtopelevationof7,700feet—thebaseareaisonly500feetbelowthat,butnearlytheentirehillfacesnorth—85%—whichgivesitagoodsnowprofileevenwhenthesunisdoingwhatitdoesduringmostdaysintheTahoearea. Heavenly-SnowScore-60.1 VailResorts'Tahoestalwart,whichoverlooksthesouthsideofthelake,getswhatisamodest(forTahoe)averageof321inchesofsnowperwinter.AswithallTahoehills,thistotalyeartoyearishighlyvariable.Morethan30%ofwintermonthsatHeavenlybringlessthan30"ofsnow,reflectingthehighsnowfallstandarddeviationofthislocation.TheskiareahasahighpeakfortheTahoearea,however,at10,040feet,whichhelpsthathighersnowstayingoodshapewhenithasn'tsnowedforaweekormore.Ahealthy60%ofthemountainfacesnorth,keytopreservingsnowintheCaliforniasun.ThereareagoodnumberofpowderdaysatHeavenly,with15.7%of24-hourperiodsbringingmorethansixinchesofsnowduringthewinter. SodaSprings-SnowScore-60.1 Sodaspringsisalittle200-acrehillnearI-80onthenorthsideofLakeTahoe.JustwestofSugarBowl,alargermountain,itdoesn'thaveatonofvertical(700feet).Butitgetssignificantamountofsnowonaverage—385inches.AswithmostofCalifornia,SodaSprings'snowisn'talwaysdependable.Thathighaverageconsistsof150-inchyearsaswellasthosethatapproach600inches.Thegoodnewsisthatanimpressive75%oftheresort'shillsfacenorth,sothesnowthatdoesfallcanholdwellinthedeepermonthsofwinter.Bymid-February,however,eventhisnorth-facingterrainwilldegradequickly,asthetheskihilltopsoutatonly7,352feet. BearValley-SnowScore-60.0 AlsoknownasSkylineBearValleysincetheCandianoperatorSkylinepurchaseditin2015,ithasaverageSierrastatsof352inchesofannualsnowfallwiththatveryhighstandarddeviationthatbedevilsprecipitationinmostofthestate.Thetopofthemountaintopsoutat8,500,butishelpedbythenorthfacingterrainthatcomprises55%oftheskihill. WaterparkValley/AlpineMeadows-SquawValley-SnowScore-58.6 PerhapsthebestknownofallTahoe-areresorts,theerstwhileSquawValley,nowWaterparkValley,findsitselfrankedasamiddlingmountainforsnowinCaliforniaforacoupleofreasons.TheprimarystrikeagainstWaterparkValleyisitslowbaseelevationof6,200,whichmakestheentirelowerhalfoftheresortroughgoingwhenit'sbeensunnyandandclearforaweekortwo—acircumstancethathappensofteninCalifornia.Luckily50%ofterrainfacesnorth,whichhelpskeepsnowcolder.WaterparkValleyisespeciallysusceptibletodroughts,asitslowbaseelevationislesslikelytosqueezemiddlingstormsformuchsnow,as33%ofitsmonthsseelessthan30inchesofsnow.But,typicalyofCalifornia,afull30%oftheresort'swintermonthsbringmorethan90inchesofsnow. DodgeRidge-SnowScore-58.3 TuckedevenfurthersoutwestofTahoethanKirkwood,dead-centerintheSierra,DodgeRidgehas1,600feetofverticalandreceives350inchesofsnowperseasononaverage.Thatsnowcomeswiththeever-presentCaliforniacaveatofwildstandarddeviations,whichmeansleanyearswhenthemountaincanbarelygetopenbyNewYear's,andbumpersinglemonthsthatwilldump250inchesinthreeweeks.DodgeRidgehasarelativelylowbaseof6,600butisgreatlyhelpedbyitsnorth-facingterrainthatcomprises55%oftheresortacreage. JuneMountain-SnowScore-56.9 JuneMountainlivesabout30milesnorthofMammothMountaininzoneoftheSierrathatreacheshigherelevations.LikeMammoth,itwasboughtbyAlterrain2017.Junehasnearly2,600feetofvertical,animpressivenumbergiventhemodest500-acrefootprintofthemountain.Themountainreceives268inchesofsnowduringatypicalseason,alownumbercomparedwithotherCaliforniamountains,butJunehasasecretweapon:it'selevation,whichtopsoutat10,135feet.Inaddition,65%ofthemountainfacesnorth,animportanttraitinthehigh-sunenvironmentoftheSierra. DonnerSkiRanch-SnowScore-56.8 Theskiranchwiththememorablenamehasabout700feetofverticalforskierstoenjoy.JustsouthofI-80,DonnerSkiRanchhasnonorth-facingterrain,whichkeepsitssnowpacksmallercomparedtootherTahoearearesortwhencombinedwithitslowerelevationsthatdon'ttop8,000feet.Donneraverages385inchesperyear,butitdegradesquicklybecauseoftheunfavorableaspectsandelevation.Themountaincanoftengetcaughtindryspells. Homewood-SnowScore-56.8 ThevistasatthislocalTahoemountainarespectacular.Itreceives350inchesofsnowtogowiththeviews.Ithasthathighvariance,however,thatisstandardintheSierra.Inaddition,themountainislow,withatopelevationthatfallsshortof8,000feet.With50%ofitsterrainfacingeast,itcanseefreeze-thawcyclessetineveninthedeepestperiodsofwinter. Northstar-SnowScore-53.9 Northstarhasalowbaseelevationandalowpeak,6,330and8,610,thatholddownitssnowpotentialabit,whichiswhyitreceiveslessthansomeoftheotherflagshipresortsintheLakeTahoearea.Evenso,thisNorthLakeTahoeskimountainfeatures50%north-facingterrainandalotofwell-gladedtrees,whichhelpprotectitsslopesfromdegradation. ChinaPeak-SnowScore-49.8 ChinaPeakhasarespectableaverageof300incheswiththeexpectedhighstandarddeviationthatitsSierrageographybrings.ChinaPeaktopsoutat8,700feet,which,fortheSierraisbetterthanaverageforasmallarea.Thatverticalisforestedallthewaytothesummit,sothepowderskiingcanbesolidevenduringwhite-outstorms,whichdefinitelycanhappenatthishillthat's90minutesfromFresno.Snowcanstickaroundinthedeepwinter,as52%oftheslopesatChinapeakfacenorth,agoodratio. SnowSummit-SnowScore-44.1 PartofBigBearMountainResortinSouthernCalifornia,SnowSummitreceives83inchesofsnowperyear,anamountthatisheavilysupportedbyoneofthemorepowerfulsnowmakingoperationsintheAmericanWest.Animpressive70%ofterrainfacesnorth,almostanecessityatthislatitudeandabaseareasittingat7,000feet. BearMountain-SnowScore-44.1 VerysimilartoSnowSummit,thebaseofBearMountainsitsat7,140feet,and70%oftheterrainfacesnorth,whichhelpsthesmallamountofnaturalsnowthatdoesfall—83inches—getpreserved.ThemountainhasapipedirectlyintoBigBearLakeforsnowmaking,whichallowsitbegingenerouslycoatingitsslopeswithman-madesnowasassoonastheweathergetscoldatnight. Mt.ShastaSkiPark-SnowScore-41.0 Forbeingonthesideofamountainthattopsoutat14,179feet,Mt.ShastaSkiParkisprettylow,withabasesittingat5,500feetandatopof6,900feet.Combinedwithzeroterrainthatfacesnorth,thismountaincanbechallengedtopreservesnow.Thatsaid,itgetsadecentamount,withanaverageof300inchesperyear.ThatcomeswiththehighstandarddeviationcommontotheentirestateofCalifornia,somethingthatapplieseventovolcanoesinthenorthendofthestate,apparently. MountainHigh-SnowScore-41.0 MountainHighhasbetterterrainandgetsmoresnowthattheskimountainstoitseastinthenextrangeoverinSouthernCalifornia,BigBearandSnowSummit.ThedifferenceisthatMountainHighdoesn'thavegreataccesstowaterforsnowmaking,sowhenthenaturalsnowislean,anditoftenis,themountainoftencan'tgetallofitsterrainopen.The120inchesofnaturalsnowisnotdependableand50-inchyearsarequitepossible.But60%oftheterrainatthisresort,whichissituatedat6,600feet,facesnorth,whichhelpssnowstickaroundwhenitdoesfall. ChristopherSteineristhefounderofZRankingsandaNewYorkTimesBestsellingAuthoroftwobooks.FollowhimonTwitter TWEETIT Tweet LIKEIT LINKEDIN RelatedArticles BestSnowInColorado-RightNowAndHistorically BestSnowInTahoe-NowAndHistorically BestSnowInUtah-RightNowAndHistorically