Where to Ski in December

December is a great time to hit the slopes in North America. While most ski resorts are still working toward opening all of their terrain, early December often brings minimal lift lines, uncrowded ski runs, and—if you’re lucky—a powder day. Then later in the month, the magic of the holidays takes over ski areas, resort villages, and ski towns. It all makes for a great time to kick-off the ski season.

While the 2025-26 ski season has gotten off to a slow start at many North America ski resorts, there are a number of ski resorts that are in good shape heading into December. Ready to plan your trip? See Meteorologist Chris Tomer’s twice-weekly snow forecasts as you start planning your ski trip. Now, without any further ado, let’s get to our recommendations of where to ski this December.

Where To Ski In December

Jay Peak, Vermont

Jay Peak is the clear early-season outlier, and in the best way possible. The Northern Vermont resort finished November with an astounding 119 inches of snow (yes, 119 inches in one month), which follows a ski season in which it was one of the snowiest ski resorts in North America, receiving 475 inches of snow by the end of the 2024-25 season. It was a November to remember at Jay Peak and December is setting up to be even better thanks to consistent cold temperatures, snow in the forecast, and Jay’s reputation for pulling moisture off Lake Champlain. If you want early December powder and the deepest base in the East, Jay Peak is the standout.

Killington, Vermont

Killington, aka the Beast of the East, consistently opens earlier than just about any other East Coast ski resort—often in October or early November. By December, fresh snowfall and the resort’s state-of-the-art snowmaking system, one of the largest and most energy-efficient in the world, has typically built a dependable base for top-to-bottom skiing. Visitors can count on reliable coverage, with impeccably groomed runs on the upper mountain and signature trails like Great Northern and the Downdraft Headwall. Early-season conditions tend to be firm, with a reliance on machine-made snow rather than deep powder, but the resort still delivers a solid variety of terrain by mid-December, especially across its main peaks. As of December 1 it was open for top to bottom skiing across 16 miles and 130 acres of terrain.

Wolf Creek, Colorado

While most of Colorado is off to a slow start this season, you can count on Wolf Creek, which is known as Colorado’s snowiest ski resort, receiving 430 inches of snow each year on average. Wolf Creek opened this year ahead of Thanksgiving week, on November 22, and had more than 80% of its terrain open for Thanksgiving Day. All total Wolf Creek received 43″ of snow in November and saw some good snowfall to end November and begin December. While Wolf Creek may not have the recognition of Colorado’s mega resorts, it shouldn’t be overlooked. In fact OnTheSnow users rated it the ‘Best Small Ski Resort’ for the 2024-25 ski season.

Alyeska, Alaska

While you may be keeping an eye on the snow forecast for ski resorts in the contiguous U.S., don’t sleep on Alyeska, Alaska’s preeminent destination ski resort. Alyeska just recently opened, on November 29, however, the top of the mountain had already received 147″ of snow by December 1, while there was a snow depth of nearly 60″. Alyeska is historically one of the snowiest ski resorts in North America, so the season will only get better from here. If you truly want no lift lines and uncrowded slopes, then head to Alyeska. Plus, it’s just 50 minutes from Anchorage, making it surprisingly accessible—especially for Pacific Northwest skiers who can hop on direct flights.

Arizona Snowbowl, Arizona

Arizona Snowbowl is an early-season sleeper out West. Early-season snow dumps made for an incredible opening weekend at Arizona Snowbowl over the third weekend of November, just before Thanksgiving. They opened with 3 lifts and more than 20 trails, while even more of the mountain opened by the end of November. As of December 1, nearly 80% of Arizona Snowbowl was open, while it had received nearly 60″ of snow. Though it’s been a slow start out West, Arizona Snowbowl has enjoyed a nice start to the season.

SkiBig3, Alberta

Though many North America ski resorts are only just opening in early December, Banff’s SkiBig3—Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise, and Mt. Norquay—have already been spinning lifts for weeks. The SkiBig3 trifecta of resorts typically open in early November, and the 2025-26 ski season was no different, with all three resorts open by November 8. While Lake Louise and Banff Sunshine are the headliners, Mt. Norquay has enjoyed the snowiest start to the season, receiving 110 inches of snow by December 1. If you’re looking for reliable early-season snow, plenty of terrain, and classic Canadian hospitality, then head to Alberta.

Deer Valley, Utah

Deer Valley often opens later than many other Utah ski resorts, typically around the first week of December. This season in particular is a unique time to visit Deer Valley because of the debut of the Deer Valley East Village expansion, which includes expanded terrain, 80 new runs, the new 10-passenger East Village Express Gondola, a day lodge, several restaurants, and the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley (and more hotels soon to come). The expansion actually doubles the resort’s skiable terrain. It’ll be like skiing a completely different resort this year if you’ve skied Deer Valley before. Just remember that Deer Valley is one of only a few skier-only resorts, so no snowboards are allowed. Among the many benefits of a Deer Valley ski trip is the convenience to nearby Park City Mountain Resort, the largest ski resort in the U.S.

©Scott DW Smith / Wolf Creek Ski Area