The great El Niño is back, and if you’re a skier, that’s more than just a nerdy weather term—it can be the difference between a good ski trip and a great one.
The El Niño climate pattern, which is caused by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific, can shift the winter storm track across the US. That can determine which mountains get dumped on, and which will sound like an ice-skating rink.
This year is forecasted to be a “Super” El Niño winter—meaning NOAA put the odds of a very strong El Niño as of January 2027 at 90% or greater, along with a 69% chance that the event will be the strongest on record since at least 1950. Historically, El Niño winters lead to wetter conditions in the Southern US and warmer and drier conditions in the North.
I’ve been snowboarding for most of my life (and am now spending more time on skis), so I’ve learned that the timing of a ski trip matters almost as much as the mountain itself. And after a lackluster 2025–26 season in some of the most popular skiing parts of the western US, I’m especially eager to see what this winter will bring. The current outlook favors wetter conditions across the southwest, putting California, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern Colorado in an interesting position (while Utah and the northern Rockies are less straightforward). In the northeast, an El Niño winter typically means that conditions will be warmer, and thus more dependent on individual coastal storms for snowfall. (It’s important to note that in any of these locations, unexpected storms can change conditions on a dime, so be sure to check your local mountain forecasts for timely updates.)
This winter’s snow season is already off to an early start, with AccuWeather reporting October snowfall across the Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, and Central to Southern Rockies. According to NOAA, these initial snowfalls signal a highly active southern storm track that favors above-average precipitation for western mountain ranges like these.
El Niño historically packs its biggest punch in mid-to-late winter, so it’s still too early to be completely certain about how the rest of the 2026–27 season will shake out. But the recently released winter forecasts from the experts at Weather Channel, SnowSure, and NOAA are a good place to start. With all that taken into consideration, these are the 7 US mountains and ski resorts that I’m keeping an eye on this season.
