Honestly, if you've been looking at the peaks lately and thinking they look a little "brown," you aren't wrong. This season has been a weird one. We’ve all been there—refreshing the OpenSnow app at 6:00 AM, hoping for a miracle powder day, only to see a big fat zero.
Colorado snow fall totals for the 2025-2026 season have been, frankly, a bit of a roller coaster. We started with one of the driest Octobers on record, followed by a November that felt more like extended patio weather than the start of ski season. Denver didn't even see its first measurable flake until November 29, which is the second latest date in recorded history.
It’s been tough.
But then January hit. A massive storm on January 8 and 9 finally brought some dignity back to the Front Range and the high country. While it wasn't the "Snowpocalypse" some were hoping for, it put a much-needed dent in the deficit. Places like Ouray got hammered with 18.5 inches, and Colorado Springs actually beat out Denver with a solid 11.5 inches.
What’s the deal with the current Colorado snow fall totals?
If you're planning a trip to the mountains right now, you need the ground truth. As of mid-January 2026, the state is still playing catch-up. Most ski resorts are sitting between 50% and 70% of their "normal" snowpack for this time of year.
Usually, by now, we’d be seeing season totals well over 100 inches at the big-name resorts. This year? Steamboat is leading the pack but only recently crossed the 85-inch mark.
Here is a quick look at where things stand for the 2025-2026 season totals so far:
- Steamboat: 85 inches
- Wolf Creek: 81 inches
- Winter Park: 78 inches
- Copper Mountain: 73 inches
- Vail: 64 inches
- Arapahoe Basin: 64 inches
- Breckenridge: 61 inches
- Aspen Mountain: 59 inches
- Telluride: 59 inches
- Crested Butte: 59 inches
Keep in mind these numbers include everything that has fallen since the first dusting in autumn. Because we had such a warm December—with Vail hitting 43°F on Christmas Eve—a lot of that early-season moisture either evaporated or turned into a nasty crust.
The "base depth" is what actually matters for your skis. Most resorts are reporting bases between 25 and 40 inches. That’s enough to open the groomers, but the expert terrain and those legendary "back bowls" are still looking pretty thin. You’ll want to keep your rock skis handy for another few weeks.
The January 8-9 Storm: A Tale of Two Cities
The recent storm was a classic Colorado "upslope" event. These are notoriously hard to predict. One town gets buried; the next town over gets a dusting.
Colorado Springs was the big winner on the plains, clocking in at 11.5 inches. Compare that to Denver International Airport, which only managed 1.1 inches. It’s a 70-mile drive that felt like moving between two different planets.
Up in the hills, the totals were even more scattered. Woodland Park saw a heavy 12 inches, while Boulder ended up with about 6.4 inches. If you were up near Rabbit Ears Pass, you lucked out with over 14 inches of fresh powder.
Why March is actually the month to watch
People always assume January is the snowiest month because it’s the coldest. That’s a total myth.
Historically, March is the champion of Colorado snow fall totals. Why? Because the air starts to hold more moisture as it warms up just a tiny bit. Those massive "low-pressure" systems start swinging in from the southwest, sucking up moisture from the Gulf and dumping it right against the Rockies.
If you’re looking at the current low snowpack and feeling bummed, don't sell your gear yet. We’ve seen seasons start this dry and end with 100-inch Marches that save the entire year.
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"It's a marathon, not a sprint. We've seen record-low Decembers turn into record-breaking springs more than once in the last twenty years." — This is the mantra of every local ski bum right now.
Comparing this year to the "Good Old Days"
To give you some perspective, the average annual snowfall for Denver is about 57 to 60 inches. Right now, the city is sitting at less than 10 inches for the entire season. We are way behind.
In the mountains, the "average" is a moving target. Crested Butte usually averages over 210 inches a year. Wolf Creek often clears 400 inches. When you look at the current 60-80 inch totals, it’s clear we are in a "lean" year.
The USDA's SNOTEL data, which measures the "Snow Water Equivalent" (basically how much water is in the snow), shows that we are currently at a "record low snowpack" for early January in several basins. The Gunnison River Basin is particularly struggling, sitting at roughly 70% of the median.
Survival tips for a low-snow season
If you're heading up to the I-70 corridor or the San Juans this week, you’ve gotta change your strategy.
- Stick to the North: The northern mountains (Steamboat, Winter Park) have consistently fared better this year than the southern peaks.
- Follow the Snowmaking: Resorts like Keystone and Copper have some of the best snowmaking systems in the world. Even when it doesn't snow, they can keep the main runs in great shape.
- Watch the Sun: With lower base depths, south-facing runs turn into "mashed potatoes" by 1:00 PM. Stick to the north-facing slopes to find the preserved stashes.
- Check the 7-Day: Meteorologists like Joel Gratz at OpenSnow are currently eyeing a potential pattern shift around January 22-24. That could be the "reset" we've been waiting for.
The Actionable Takeaway
Don't panic, but do be realistic. If you are booking a trip for late January, prioritize resorts with high elevations and north-facing terrain. Check the "Base Depth" rather than the "Season Total" to get an idea of what’s actually under your boots.
Monitor the SNOTEL maps for the most accurate, objective data on how much water is actually sitting in the mountains. This helps predict everything from spring skiing quality to summer wildfire risk. For now, we wait for the late-January system to see if it can finally push those Colorado snow fall totals back toward the "normal" range.