Many of us have found ourselves questioning our hobby choices and how much we truly love the outdoors on those windy subzero days, getting blown around on a lift or trying to find our way down the mountain in whiteout conditions.
Because skiing and riding is a weather-dependent sport, lots of resorts find themselves in locations that are 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 peak of the resort has seen temps as cold as -23°F in recent years. The mountain is positioned along a northeast-southwest line, meaning it is perpendicular to the cold northwest winds the region usually sees during the winter time, making it vulnerable to high winds.
4. Loveland Ski Area, CO
Loveland Ski Area in Colorado is positioned on the continental divide making extreme weather and subzero temps common. In recent times, 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 the world of 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 in combination with high winds common to the area, makes their peak minimum temperature of -37°F in recent times unsurprising.
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’.