Never Predict The Snow

There is already plenty of diverse conversation about the winter ahead in Vail, and with good reason on the heels of a less than stellar 2025–2026 spell.

Depending on whom you ask, which Farmer's Almanac forecast or meteorologist prediction you read, or which longtime local you happen to run jaw with, everyone seems to have an opinion about what Mother Nature has planned for our 2026–2027 ski season. This year, a potential Super El Niño has certainly given the ski world something extra to talk about and marinate on.

There is some real science fueling the conversation. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center confirmed this month that El Niño is already present and strengthening in the tropical Pacific, with greater than a 90% chance it develops into a very strong event during the fall and winter ahead. What that ultimately means for Vail snowfall is far less certain. Colorado's unique geography, elevation and mountain weather patterns mean El Niño alone simply cannot tell us how much snow will fall on any particular mountain.

I've spent enough winters in Vail to know one thing with absolute certainty:

Never predict the snow; it has a unique pattern of its own and answers to no one and on no timeline.

Hell, it's just August after all, and anyone who tells you they know exactly what this winter will bring probably has a crystal ball or magic wand Amy and I haven't found just yet — but the early conversation is certainly intriguing, fun banter, or for some even a possible trade bet on POLYMARKET.

Could we be in for one of those memorable Vail winters from a snowfall perspective? Growing up here, I can tell you that anticipating winter has always been a very fun part of the magic and nostalgia of the Vail lifestyle.

As you notice the temperatures beginning to change, and the first dusting appears high on the mountain… conversations turn rapidly to opening day. Skis and boards come back out of hibernation, and eventually, there is that first morning when you wake up, look outside, and realize winter has officially arrived — shenanigans on the horizon and time to send it!

This year, Amy, I, and our entire hospitality team will experience that anticipation a little differently. For the first time, we'll be watching the snow fall knowing the doors of THE SIXTY TWO™ Society are now officially open, after 3 long years in the making.

I'll honestly admit, there's something extremely exciting about the possibility that Mother Nature might decide to make our inaugural ski season a particularly memorable one. I am a front windshield, manifest destiny, positive individual — and this season is going to be one for the record books; bank on it!

Imagine waking up to a dumping of fresh early season pow-pow, leaving the driving and ski logistics to us, arriving for a prompt curated breakfast, your sleds waiting slopeside, warm boots ready in our Gorsuch ski valet area, and an entire astonishing mountain sitting literally steps from our new front door.

That is a truly wonderful and always epic day in Vail.

Those are the days I grew up loving, and the opportunity to now share them with our members during our very first winter makes this season feel particularly special and emotional to us.

Of course, none of us get to order the weather, and we're certainly not making any promises on Mother Nature's behalf — but we can absolutely be excited about the endless possibilities. Whether she delivers sixty inches or six hundred, our job remains exactly the same: make every single day you spend with us feel absolutely remarkable.

That's a forecast you can count on… and if she happens to deliver one of those legendary Vail winters during our inaugural season, rest assured, we'll be ready.

 

Cheers,
Brad Kaemmer, Founder