Widespread Snow Blankets Ski Resorts From California to Montana

Widespread, chilly weather and precipitation brought snowfall to ski resorts across the West this weekend, depositing in some cases more than a foot as anticipation for the 2026-27 season builds.

The big winners this time were in western Montana. Among them was Showdown, which tallied between 12 and 19 inches. In a social media post, the resort reminded stoked skiers that the season hasn’t officially started yet and that “If you choose to ski, it is at your own risk!” In other words: feel free to break out the skins but, please, stay safe. 

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At Big Sky, Sunday night brought wind with flakes zipping past the webcams. When day broke and the sky cleared, Lone Mountain stood tall with a fresh white coat, looking very much ready for winter. What a view, right?

Another local haunt, Bridger Bowl, also benefitted from the storm.

Beyond those three, several other Montana ski areas picked up precip, including Lookout Pass, Lost Trail, and Blacktail Mountain. Further north, more ski resorts just over the Canadian border like Castle Mountain and Kimberly Alpine Resort got hit.

A higher freezing level in Utah meant that the snow line, this time, hasn’t reached the base of Beehive State classics like Alta and Snowbird. Still, upper elevations at those mountains received solid accumulation. Flooding in Big Cottonwood Canyon showed just how much precipitation arrived, not all of it frozen. 

In California, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Kirkwood, and presumably others around Lake Tahoe reported a more modest—but still exciting—dusting.

The party isn’t over yet. More mixed precipitation is set to fall on Utah throughout Monday, with freezing levels dipping lower on Tuesday and Wednesday. Alta could come away from the storm with over a foot of snow. Colorado’s also in play this week, with snow at Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, and others in the forecast. 

Further ahead and towards the end of October, the outlook is less clear, but it seems encouraging.

“All major ski regions in the West are at least in play for some snow, but confidence in the storm track is low this far out, which will determine which areas are more or less favored, so stay tuned,” wrote OpenSnow forecaster Alan Smith in a recent update.

We’ll take those odds. 

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