Actions

Much needed powder arriving on Colorado's ski slopes

As of Thursday afternoon, Steamboat resort has recorded approximately 1' of powder on their summit stake, with over 5" at Vail. Several more inches will fall through tonight, making for a powder day on Friday and a solid skiing weekend.

Much needed snow will lead to a good ski weekend in Colorado

Colorado ski area season snow totals as of January 8th, 2026

By: Casey Dorn

Posted

and last updated

Disclaimer: This is sponsored content. All opinions and views are of Monarch Mountain and does not reflect the same of KOAA.

Colorado's ski resorts are finally getting the snow they desperately need as a storm system moves through the state, bringing fresh powder to slopes that have struggled with below-average conditions this season.

The storm hitting southern Colorado is delivering much-needed snowfall to mountain resorts across the state. Steamboat Springs has already picked up at least 12" at their summit, with snow continuing to fall.

I expect most central mountain locations to receive between 3 and 8 inches by Friday morning, providing a welcome boost to base depths that have remained stubbornly low this winter.

Season-to-date snow totals currently range between 50 and 80 inches across Colorado resorts. The highest base depths are still below average, sitting in the 30 to 35 inch range. While these numbers remain low for this time of year, they represent an improvement over December's base depths.

It will actually feel like early January on Friday - and on Saturday - in the central mountains

Friday will bring lingering snow showers, but the main story will be the cold temperatures. Vail will top out at 10 degrees and Breckenridge at 13 degrees, with windy conditions adding to the chill.

Blowing snow is possible at A-Basin on Friday, mainly in the morning, with both Loveland Pass resorts staying quite cold through the weekend. Both should offer solid skiing relative to what you've seen so far this season on Saturday and Sunday.

A warming trend will begin over the weekend, with highs reaching the 20s to low 30s at Arapahoe Basin and Keystone by Sunday.

While travel to the mountains may be difficult, this storm system will provide powder day conditions Friday at some resorts. Given the continued cold temperatures, any terrain additions should remain open, making this a good weekend to ski anywhere you want to go.

Since this represents a significant storm total, the slopes are likely to be crowded this weekend. Remember that one of the parts of the responsibility code is that those in front of you have the right of way. Make sure you're able to stop and avoid others who are below you if you're on a busy run.

Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.

Report a typo