It’s been an interesting season for snowfall so far. Some places have seen decent conditions while others have seen abysmal conditions. Some have seen quite good conditions. If you need more proof of these interesting conditions, just look at how Vermont’s Jay Peak Resort stacks up against Utah’s Alta and Wyoming’s Jackson Hole.
To be clear, I’m not bashing on any resort here. All three have a lot of great stuff to offer, even when the conditions aren’t the best, but it’s hard to ignore the uniqueness in the conditions presented this year.
Jay Peak’s total snowfall for the season so far sits at 285 inches (as of February 10). That’s around 82% of their annual snowfall average, 347 inches. Pretty good so far, and there’s a good chance they’ll keep getting snow throughout the month.
Now take a look at Alta’s totals. Alta’s average annual snowfall is 548 inches, over 200 inches more than Jay Peak, but this year they’ve seen only 274 inches of snowfall to date. That’s just half of their average annual, and less than Jay Peak’s total for the season.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s average annual snowfall is a bit lower than Alta, sitting at 458 inches each year. To date, Jackson Hole has seen 266 inches, again less than Jay Peak, and about 58% of their average annual.
Obviously, it’s still only mid-February, and late February/March can bring some large snowfalls to all of these areas. But it is pretty fascinating to see Jay Peak doing so well compared to several mountains in the west. Looks like it’s just one of those years.
