Here in New England, we typically don’t boast about our ski seasons compared to other places in the US and Canada. Often referred to as the “Ice Coast” from skiers out west, it’s almost hard to believe what’s going on right now.

It’s not the Sierras, Cascades, Rockies, or even any resort in Alaska that has the most snow, season-to-date in North America. That title actually belongs to a ski resort right here in New England…

Currently, Jay Peak is over 300″ on the season for snowfall and that’s more than any other resort in North America. It is also the fastest Jay has ever reached that amount, happening after last weekend’s snow storm.

Jay Peak is notorious for having the most snow in New England. Located near the Canadian border in Northern Vermont, it is typically cold enough to never mix over in a winter storm, but also rests in a unique location that boosts its snow totals more than any other resort in the east.

If you’ve ever been to Jay, even on a relatively sunny day in Vermont, it seems Jay is often stuck in a cloud. Local meteorologists refer to this as the “Jay Cloud” which is actually caused by a meteorological phenomena called orographic lift. Although other mountains also experience this and it is pretty common, what makes Jay’s setup more rare is it’s position east of Lake Champlain.

Jay Peak is in an ideal location for lake-enhanced orographic lift due to the additional moisture from Lake Champlain to the west. So all Jay needs is a cold west wind and for Lake Champlain to be unfrozen to get consistent snowfall.

Since this season started out so cold in November, Jay was able to start the season off to the races with a record 103″ of snow. This was not just from the “Jay Cloud” but also 2 large snow storms that hit Vermont that month.

However, when you compare Jay’s total amount that month to nearby Stowe Resort (on Mount Mansfield) Stowe only received around 60 inches of snow for November, also a record. So the “Jay Cloud’s” effect typically provides Jay with 15-20% more snow than surrounding resorts, up to 40% more early season due to the enhancement from a warmer Lake Champlain.

Although Jay is the snowiest of the East nearly every season, it usually doesn’t come close to west coast resorts like Alyeska in Alaska, Mount Baker in Washington, and Alta in Utah. These resorts typically wrap up the season with 500-600 inches of snowfall and sometimes get closer to 700-800 in a good season.

This year has been very different, as a Pacific ridge has kept things warmer and drier than normal over the West Coast, that has allowed Vermont resorts to take 3 out of the top 5. Jay is beating out Alyeska Resort in Alaska by over 30 inches and Jackson Hole is trailing Bolton Valley.

Utah has also had an abysmal snow season, where Alta and Snowbird are sitting at just 143 inches on the season so far. They might see a little more snow this month but the overall pattern seems to favor New England through February.

Outside of Northern Vermont, several other resorts are having fantastic ski seasons as well. Cannon in New Hampshire has about as much snow as Alta right now and Waterville Valley is not far behind. Southern Vermont has also seen it’s fair share from recent storms, with Bromley nearing 120 inches of snowfall and counting.

Aside from having great snow, it has been one of the coldest winters here in a while. So if you’re from the West Coast and you’re looking to ski out East this season, prepare for some cold days on the slopes but filled with plenty of snow of course. -AJ