January snowfall: Vail beats Copper by 2 inches, but Copper still claims most in CO 

We are halfway through the ski season in Summit County and every local slope claims more total snowfall than last year, despite long stretches of dry, brutal cold. 

Vail Mountain saw the most snow in January, 53 inches, just two inches more than Copper Mountain with 51 inches. 

Arapahoe Basin finally broke 100 inches in January with 39.5 inches for 131.5 inches total. Neighboring Keystone was struggling with 28 inches for its leanest month since last April. 

Copper remains far ahead of every other Colorado ski area this season with 196 inches total. Breck is runner up with 172 inches – two feet less than Copper but still two feet more than this time last year. 

January 2025 snowfall 

  1. Vail… 53in (168in total) 
  1. Copper… 51in (196in total) 
  1. Breckenridge… 48in (172in total) 
  1. Winter Park… 43in (167in total) 
  1. Beaver Creek… 40in (142in total) 
  1. Arapahoe Basin… 39.5in (131.5 total) 
  1. Loveland… 36in (141in total) 
  1. Keystone… 28in (141in total) 

Cold, cruel winter 

This January was one of the coldest in recent years for Summit and the Vail area. Average temperature was 12.5 degrees Fahrenheit at the Krystalized Weather Station in Dillon – five degrees colder than January 2024 – with a season low of -23.1F on Jan. 21. 

We recorded no snow during the thick of the cold stretch, late Jan. 17 to Jan. 24, when temperatures did not get above freezing for seven days.