Breckenridge in mid Dec
 

Hello all,

Just wanted to ask the locals who ski/board in vail/ breck/keystone area, what do you expect the condition to be by the middle of next month? I just booked a trip to go west, but now worried about what if there's no snow? I know no one can control the weather, just a general idea.

thanks

Although I'm not a local, we have made trips to that area in mid December. These resorts have lots of snowmaking capability, so don't rely exclusively on natural snow. Sometimes the most challenging runs aren't open, but we're not double black skiers, so that isn't an issue for us.


At Vail, it is common for Blue Sky Basin not to be open, but that still leaves plenty of terrain.

Well her in Denver it is 70 something today and high tomorrow 75-78o, BUT they have had snow already in the mountains even though we haven't. The weather in a week shows 28o in Breckenridge.

You just can't tell, but most likely in December you will have snow in the mtns.

I meant "here" in Denver.

Because the elevation is so high and temps so cold, Summit County areas like Breck and Keystone can (and do) make snow. So, they'll have some runs open when you're there--you don't have to worry about NO snow. Off piste coverage might not (probably won't) be great, and the Vail back bowls probably won't be open, but you won't be shut out completely. Steamboat would have been your best bet for early season snow coverage in CO. According to stats Loveland and Winter Park also typically have better early season coverage than Vail, Breck or Keystone, and they're within driving distance of those areas.

In the future if you're planning early or late season skiing, head over to a forum like epicski.com before booking that ticket. Or if you haven't booked lodging yet and are still flexible about where you're staying, head over for more advice. There are people that compile ski area stats and can be really helpful as to where your best bets area in any given time of year.

I wouldn't worry about there being no snow. What you'll have at Breck, Vail & Keystone is plenty of blue & green runs with enough snow to make your skiing enjoyable, with maybe a black run or two open to give the expert skiers someplace to go. The majority of the snow you'll be skiing on will probably be man-made, but early December snowstorms are not uncommon and will probably add to the snow mix. The higher elevation runs (like the Imperial Express runs, Horseshoe Bowl, and Whales Tail at Breck), and the back bowls (like Blue Sky Basin at Vail) will PROBABLY not be open unless we get some freaky heavy snowfalls. Even with that they tend to hold off the opening of those areas until Christmas week, as a draw to the holiday vacationing crowds.

I wouldn't necessarily go changing my lodging plans in favor of places like Winter Park or Steamboat. It's always a crap shoot at that time of year, and even if the snow is better at those areas, it's only marginally better at best. The one area I do try to avoid at that time of year is Keystone because their man-made snow tends to be icy, especially on the over-used runs, and their grooming just doesn't seem to be on a par with Breck & Vail. Head a few miles up the road from Keystone and ski at Arapaho Basin instead - it's smaller, and it's runs are more intimate, but it's at a higher elevation and has more natural snow coverage.

thanks for all the replies. Looking forward to some snow in dec!! I was at Vail beginning of the year, didn't get much snow at all, probably nothing for 14 days, but still had a great time.

As of today, snow pack at Breck is 20% above average.

Your luck may be improving. The central mountains are being hammered. I-70 is closed both ways at Silverthorne. It is a mess.

80% open area, have anyone board or skied at breck yet? How's conditions?

I've lived here for 16 years and these are the best early December conditions I've seen.

More snow predicted today for Summit County and Grand County and Steamboat. It is supposed to be a good year for those areas, if you believe the weather forecasters.