Can We Still Count on Christmas?

December and the all-important Christmas holiday period were a bust for many North American resorts this year. Mild temps, lean snow, and rainy weather made for an unusually slow start to the 2023-24 ski season across the country. Some resorts were not even able to open, and others offered only limited terrain. Nationally, only about 12 percent of the country had any snow cover at all for Chrismas—the lowest percentage ever.

Resorts got a boost when powerful storms rolled across the country in the first half of January, followed by cold Arctic temps. The resulting snow and snowmaking weather ushered in a happier new year for many. On Jan. 10, Le Massif de Charlevoix, Quebec, invited skiers to the mountain for “Christmas, Take 2” to celebrate 18 inches of long-awaited snow, topped off with a drawing for a new pair of skis or snowboard.