Park City's Ski Season Is Off to Its Driest Start in Years-But There's Still Snow at the Top

"Park City, Utah, one of the West's most beloved ski destinations, is having an unusually difficult season. For a state that prides itself on its snow, 2026 has started on an unexpectedly thin note. By this point in winter, rooftops are typically glazed in white and aspen groves disappear beneath Utah's signature "champagne powder." This year, that familiar scene is missing."

"A Tiktok that circulated in December-showing a chairlift drifting over a brown, snowless hillside-sparked immediate concern. After all, what is a skier to do at the top: roll back down? News coverage hasn't been much more reassuring. Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts, which owns Park City Mountain, told Skimag.com that this has been among "the worst early-season snowfalls ... in over 30 years.""

Park City, Utah, is experiencing an unusually dry 2026 winter with scarce snowfall and warm temperatures. Rooftops and aspen groves remain largely snow-free, giving the town a late-fall appearance instead of peak ski-season coverage. Local staff describe the current season as the driest they have seen. After some early Thanksgiving snow, December produced rain and recent daytime temperatures have hovered in the low 50s at 7,000 feet elevation. Typical annual snowfall near 300 inches contrasts with a current total of 85 inches, and SNOTEL data show Utah snowpack among the lowest on record, with a Park City base depth near 40 inches.

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