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Discovery January Skiing

Discovery snow in January

Data show January is the second best month Discovery for overall snow quality when considering the following factors:

  • Snow quantity at Discovery
  • Snow quality at Discovery
  • How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Discovery—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
  • Discovery's snow frequency (standard deviation)
  • Discovery's elevation
  • Discovery's latitude
  • Discovery's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
Discovery snow score by month, January in focus
January
Dec1
Dec15
Jan1
Jan15
Feb1
Feb15
Mar1
Mar15
Apr1
Apr15

What matters when it comes to snow for January skiing:

January at Discovery, or any ski resort, for that matter, is the beginning of the 'safe bet' season. Booking a ski trip in December can be tricky, as even Utah's Cottonwood Canyons can be wanting for snow at that time of the year. But by January, most mountains have begun to fill in and booking a trip should be considered more of a sure thing.

January is also the time when ski resorts that possess large amounts of south-facing and east-facing terrain tend to be at their peak. The dark January days and low sun angles during this time in North America let areas such as Montana's Whitefish, which has a lot of south-facing terrain, ski at its best. The January sun isn't powerful enough, usually, to push the slopes into the kinds of freeze-thaw cycles that happen with regularity later in the season.

January is when the coldest winter storms typially happen, so this is when skiers will want to pack their mitts instead of gloves and their ski knickers in addition to their Gore-Tex pants. Coats that combine insulation and waterproof membranes—often too hot to wear in March–shine during January. This is the month to chase fluffy and chalky snow. To understand more of what makes a ski resort peak in January, consult our snow rankings page.

Crowds After the New Year's holiday and before MLK weekend is also a great time to ski for those looking to avoid crowds. It's often the quietest time of the year outside of early and mid-December.

Discovery skiing by month:
Discovery
By Month