Mount Mansfield Sets New Record, Vermont Ski Resorts Enjoy Deep Snow
The Mount Mansfield snow stake, in Vermont, is having an impressive run.
The stake on Vermont’s highest, 4,000-plus-foot peak recently reached a snow depth of 50 inches, marking the earliest in the season that this milestone has been achieved.WCAX, which reported the news, also noted that snow depths on Mount Mansfield have only reached 50 inches in December during 18% of the seasons since record keeping began in 1954.
Typically, the 50-inch mark is hit in late January, the outlet added. That means that atop Mount Mansfield, the snowpack is looking more like mid-winter than early winter. Vermont ski resorts, unsurprisingly, are enjoying the snowy bounty, too.
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The snow stake serves as an approximate barometer for the Northeast ski season, which, at many ski resorts across the region, is off to a strong start. Jay Peak, in northern Vermont, has already crested 100 inches with 157 inches of seasonal snowfall to date (Jay Peak averages 347 inches of snow each year).
Smugglers’ Notch, another mountain in the state, just surpassed the 100-inch mark.
Stowe Mountain Resort and Killington, meanwhile, appear to be on their way, tallying 90 inches and 52 inches so far, respectively.
“Conditions on snow were absolutely money yesterday, and the storm is still rolling, so hopefully today will be even better with more packed powder,” the latest Killington snow report reads. Ten inches of snow have fallen at the mountain in the past week, and 67 trails are open.
Photo: Tim Fater/Jay Peak
The season is starting to resemble the previous winter, given the snow disparity between the East and parts of the West.
At points in 2025, Jay Peak had larger seasonal snow totals than major western destinations like Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming, and Alta Ski Area, Utah.
It probably goes without saying that Jay Peak is maintaining that trajectory this winter.
While Jackson Hole and Alta have finally seen a burst of wintry weather after a slow start, they’re still behind the Vermont ski resort at 105 inches and 51 inches, respectively, according to their snow reports.
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