Preview image of Breckenridge Peak 8 on Jan. 1 2026.
Snow totals are in for December, and most I-70 ski areas beat or nearly beat their totals from the previous season, while a combination of record-high temperatures and minuscule November snow continues to eat away at powder days.
Vail, Copper and Beaver Creek reported more December snow than last season. Vail got a foot more with 43 inches. Just a few miles west Beaver Creek reported a measly 27 inches, the slimmest in our area, but still 2 inches more than December 2024.
Claiming the most in Summit County was Copper Mountain with 41 inches, beating last season by just 1 inch. Breck (34 inches), Loveland (31 inches) and Keystone (30 inches) all came within a few inches of matching the previous winter.
Arapahoe Basin has not yet confirmed its snowfall for December.
December snowfall (2025 vs 2024)
- Vail… 43 inches vs 31 inches
- Winter Park… 42” vs 43”
- Copper Mountain… 41” vs 38”
- Breckenridge… 34” vs 40”
- Loveland… 31” vs 39”
- Keystone… 30” vs 35”
- Beaver Creek… 27” vs 25”
Despite this near-average December, ski terrain remains severely limited – the Back Bowls at Vail are showing dirt and grass, while Arapahoe Basin is barely 6% open – and snowpack has been hovering at all-time lows for weeks.
Why? Colorado’s mountains are wracked by a record warm and dry spell now stretching on for months.
Summit set high-temperature records for three consecutive days around Christmas. November 2025 was one of the driest in recent history, especially compared to November 2024. That’s when Copper Mountain was buried by 107 inches in 30 days. Snowfall this season was just a fraction of that (14 inches).
Snowfall to date (2025 vs 2024)
- Vail… 52 inches vs 115 inches
- Winter Park… 68” vs 124”
- Copper Mountain… 55” vs 145”
- Breckenridge… 46” vs 124”
- Loveland… 62” vs 105”
- Keystone… 62” vs 113”
- Beaver Creek… 36” vs 102”
Summit County powder days could still be weeks away. The latest long-range forecast from the National Weather Service shows above-average temperatures likely through Jan. 14 at least, although the odds are also favoring above-average precipitation.
The question: Will it fall as snow or rain?
Most seasons that wouldn’t be a question at 9,600 feet in Breck, until it did just that on Christmas Day.
