OpenSnow Releases 2026-27 Ski Season Forecast
Predicting a winter forecast is a challenging endeavor. While El Niño and La Niña do give people some idea, the actual results can vary wildly.
Take last winter, for example. What people thought would be a typical La Niña turned out to be one of the worst winters ever for the American West. There was one outlet that foresaw a troubling trend: the Pacific Blob, a similar above-average-temperature pattern in the North Pacific Ocean to that of the infamous 2014-15 season. Who foresaw that this trend could result in bad skiing and riding for the 2025-26 season? OpenSnow.
This week, OpenSnow issued its first winter forecast for the 2026-27 ski season. Meteorologist Alan Smith described his initial observations of El Niño and what they mean for ski resorts in North America, Europe, and Japan.
Potential Winners
Ultimately, this upcoming winter bears similarities to the 2015-16 season. Ski resorts in the Mountain West will be pleased to hear that OpenSnow is predicting above-average snowfall for them. This includes ski resorts in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, along with lower portions of Idaho and Oregon.
Mixed Bag
Japan is predicted to be below average, but this doesn’t mean they won’t still see a lot of snow. Europe appears more finicky, with some above-average snowfall expected in Scandinavia and the Alps, but below average for the Dolomites.
However, the concern is that above-average temperatures are forecasted across many ski resorts out West (outside the Southwest). OpenSnow isn’t expecting temperatures to be as warm as last winter, but it’ll be something to watch for, especially at lower-elevation mountains.
Potential Losers
With similarities to 2015-16, which skiers in the Midwest and Northeast don’t have good memories of, this would likely lead to warm temperatures. The question is whether precipitation comes, and whether it will be below freezing.
The Northwest (particularly Washington) also isn’t predicted to do well, although the 2015-16 winter ended up being alright there.
The tough part of this forecast is that water temperatures for this El Niño could be the warmest ever. This leads to unpredictability, so we’ll see whether the West gets a rebound winter or another rough one.
Image/Video Credits: OpenSnow
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