The 2025/2026 ski season was a tough one across much of the American West, but the story was not uniformly grim. Western Canada held up considerably better than its southern neighbors, though conditions still varied depending on where you were. PeakRankings explored the resorts that did pretty well or even stellar this winter.
British Columbia saw snowpack levels track close to normal for most of the winter before dipping below average heading into March. The interior of the province fared best, essentially running a normal season from start to finish. The coastal zone, including Whistler Blackcomb, was more up-and-down but not dramatically out of the ordinary.
The real bright spot in the entire North American West was the Canadian Rockies. Resorts in the Banff area, particularly Sunshine Village and Lake Louise, caught favorable storm tracks and stayed cold enough to build a deep base early and keep it going through March. While conditions were falling apart across much of the United States, these resorts were still rolling.
It is also worth noting that travelers who made it all the way up to Alaska found strong snow conditions holding through March as well. Utah’s Cottonwood Canyons stood out as the one area that still managed to deliver a genuinely functional experience, even if it was a step below a typical year. Alta, Snowbird, and Brighton sit at high enough elevation with the right terrain aspects to work with whatever the season throws at them.
Alta averages more than 500 inches of snow in a normal year, and even with only around 250 inches on the books by mid-March, that total still topped what most resorts around the country see in their best years. Throughout most of the season, all three resorts were still able to open the vast majority of their terrain from beginner runs to expert lines.
