It’s no secret that the West is the snowiest region in North America. Cold fronts come down from the Gulf of Alaska, hit our North-South oriented mountain ranges, and orographic lifting does the rest. There is 10 ski resort in the west that average over 500” of snow. Alyeska and Baker average over 600″ of snow per year.
Sometimes, we don’t realize how lucky we are.
The list below displays the largest annual snowfall averages in North America per ski resort.
LARGEST SNOWFALL AVERAGES IN NORTH AMERICA:
#1 – Alyeska Resort, AK = 669” (978” in 2012)
#2 – Mt. Baker, WA = 663” (1,140” in 1999)
#3 – Timberline Lodge, OR = 550”
#4 – Alta, UT = 545″
#5 – Sugar Bowl, CA = 500″
#5 – Snowbird, UT = 500” (record of 743” in 2011)
#5 – Solitude, UT = 500”
#5 – Brighton, UT = 500”
#5 – Grand Targhee, WY = 500”
#6 – Crystal Mountain, WA = 486″
#7 – Stevens Pass, WA = 460″
#8 – Jackson Hole, WY = 459″
#9 – Squaw Valley, CA = 450” (record of 811” in 2011)
#9 – Alpine Meadows, CA = 450”
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Seems like snowbrains cant convert meters into inches… many canadian resorts should be on that list.
All great ski areas, but these snowfall totals can be misleading…..for example, Utah snow is very dry with low moisture content, so a better metric would be inches of water. I would expect the pacific coast ski areas with their high moisture content snow to receive much more actual water than the Wasatch and my home Rocky Mountains.
Mammoth not included? Bogus to say the least
Thanks for the comment, Sean. Mammoth averages 400″ of snowfall annually, which is baller.
Thanks, Miles
Sugarbowl is not in Lake Tahoe,
Not even close.
2016 mammoth mountain snowfall
536 inches , compare that to tahoe snow fall in 2016 .
How does mammoth mountain ski resort not get on the list ?
It consistently has more snow than all the tahoe ski resorts, record snow two seasons ago. Over 100 feet ? Doesn’t qualify as snowiest ?
Revelstoke got over 12 meters (which is over 472 inches).
Notice the Stevens Pass Photo shows 3 people hiking for turns without a stitch of safety gear. In the picture, the people are following the route that leads to the infamous Tunnel Creek avalanche that took the lives of 3 revered locals. C’mon snowsports publication editors/writers, let’s be responsible.
Leaving Mammoth off?
SHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Please!!!!!!! Why are we still recycling made up and rounded off numbers???
See the true list of North America’s top snowfall averages here: https://staging.snowbrains.com/the-real-top-15-snowiest-resorts-in-north-america/
“There’s some funny math going on here. SIX places with EXACTLY 500 inches on average?
0 (0 votes)
Reply
wilson of powder says:
November 2, 2013 at 8:57 pm
500 is the magic marketing number Dave. ……”
“Jackson gets something like 162″ at the bottom of the hill. Usually its the upper half that is working. Seems like the Bird should get extra credit for their transparency and honesty with measuring. Another point, I think it’s somewhat common to claim the first few feet that fall in September that ALWAYS melts away before the real snowpack begins to accumulate this time of year.”
I have drawn all of the points above to the attention of SnowBrains’ editors.
If you want the real numbers, see my website bestsnow.net. Bestsnow.net is sourced from monthly snow records by snow safety personnel at the resorts. All snowfall totals are November 1 – April 30 and at mid-mountain locations where possible. In a few cases upper and lower measurements are averaged to get a mid-mountain total.
Awesome – thanks!
Baker might technically have the most snow but it is a tiny ski area meaning that fresh tracks (even in the backcountry) only last about an hour. On top of that, most of the snow that comes in there is pretty mangy and wet. Definitely one of the most overrated ski resorts, it’s not all about numbers.
Yes, that’s right, don’t ever go to Baker. It’s terrible. Trust me. Mangy and wet. Never blower. Always crowded. Riiiiight.
Powder Mountain in Ogden Valley, Utah gets over 500 inches per year.
OOPS !! I think you may have forgot about that country between yours called Canada and a little place called BC ! Otherwise I believe Mt washington, Whistler, Revelstoke, Whitewater, Shames and Powder King would be on there. Might want to rename the list to the snowiest in the USA.
Don’t know how Crystal Mt fudged their way in here? They only average about 350″/yr being in the shadow of Mt Rainier. Storms from the south or north nail them though.
Mount Washington on Vancouver Island gets as much snow ad Baker…
Wrong
Also above 450″ : Sierra-at-Tahoe, Whitewater, Powder King, Shames
There’s some funny math going on here. SIX places with EXACTLY 500 inches on average?
500 is the magic marketing number Dave. However out east, 200 is the magic number haha….our bad luck/geography.
America.
Been to 11 of them, worked at two of them, I sit presently within 5 miles of four of them but I have to toss out that at Snowbird where I work our snowfall is measured at the bottom of the tram, I know that some of the others are measured further up their resorts. They’re all great though and I miss Kirkwood.
To keep it real… that’s a very noteworthy fact (measured at the BOTTOM of the hill at the Bird.) You are right, most hills measure way up high. Jackson gets something like 162″ at the bottom of the hill. Usually its the upper half that is working. Seems like the Bird should get extra credit for their transparency and honesty with measuring. Another point, I think it’s somewhat common to claim the first few feet that fall in September that ALWAYS melts away before the real snowpack begins to accumulate this time of year. I think Jackson already is claiming a couple feet that I watched come and go from a few early season cycles this year. For Hydrologyists, this matters, for skiers, it is kinda padding the numbers and borderline false claim. Anyway, props to the Bird, I’d bet (like any mountain) that the upper mtn pulls in a fair share more than the bottom, and they could boast higher numbers if they wanted pretty easily. Props for keepn it real.
powder king bc 492″ whitewater bc 480″ whistler 462″
powder king bc 492″ whitewater bc 480″ whistler 462″
Good call on the inland BC ski areas. Those are powder stashes. Had two of the best skiing weekends ever at Whitewater, BC. Great to see Crystal Mountain and Mt. Baker get some love in Washington State. Those are two pretty reliable places to ski a good long season. Long days in the Spring too!
Squaw Valley isn’t in tahoe, Neither is Kirkwood. Both our outside of the Basin.
are* not our….America.
Close enough
Squaw Valley is in the Tahoe Basin.
What the fuk
Actually, it is not.
Yeah…. sometimes we forget Canada. You understand.
Most snow in USA you mean?
Hey guys,
I’m a bit conflicted here. I’m stoked that you liked my photo (#5 Brighton), but upset you didn’t ask permission to use it.
How about we call it even if you spell my last name correctly (it’s Woodard, not Woodward), and instead of linking to my family website, you link this snowboard video I did last year –
Thanks,
– Jake
well that’s awkward…
Hey Jake, sorry about the slip on our part. The post has been edited accordingly.
whomp whomp womp
Revelstoke??? On second thought, I’m glad you did not list that killer ski resort.
You missed a big one. Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains receive 469 inches / 39.1 ft / 11.9 m per year on summit (10 year average).
Merica……
Summit? Should take from mid mountain.. Most other resorts do minus jackson hole.
Yeah but Whistler’s in south Canada not the north part of America, doh
NORTH America. Read the whole title of the article, then find an atlas.
North America includes Canada. Just like South America includes Brazil and Chile.
Hey Pd, Thanks much for the comment. We understand. I just did another deep dive and discovered that you’re right, Whitewater BC reports 472″ of snowfall per year and should be on this list. We’ll get them in there now. thx again! Everyone else we dug into was below the 450″ threshold. Thanks, Miles