Top 12 of 25 skiing destinations scored for January · ERA5 reanalysis 2015-2024 · updated monthly
Nozawa Onsen, Hakuba, Chamonix and 3 others come into the prime band in January after missing it in December. Of the 25 skiing destinations in the dataset, 18 score 68 or better in January and 12 reach the prime band above 80, which puts it mid-table for the year.
Whistler leads on 91 at 522 cm base. Across the top ten the spread is Europe (6), North America (2), Asia (2). The month belongs entirely to the northern hemisphere: every one of the ten best sits above the equator.
Ranked by score out of 100. Each strip shows all twelve months, so you can see whether January is the spot's peak or its shoulder.
1. Whistler British Columbia, Canada
91
Prime
Monthly score for Whistler, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
91
90
92
82
22
10
10
10
10
10
83
89
0%days with working wind
4 knmean daily max wind
207 cmsnowfall this month
-0.8 °Cair temperature
Nov-Aprbest run of months
January is effectively as good as it gets at Whistler: 91, within 1 point of its best month (March, 92). The melt-adjusted base reaches 522 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. It is also the wet end of the year: 325 mm against a monthly average of 182 mm.
Monthly score for Nozawa Onsen, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
88
90
89
20
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
76
2%days with working wind
7 knmean daily max wind
159 cmsnowfall this month
-1.2 °Cair temperature
Dec-Marbest run of months
January is effectively as good as it gets at Nozawa Onsen: 88, within 2 points of its best month (February, 90). The melt-adjusted base reaches 255 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Monthly score for St. Anton, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
87
90
91
83
45
10
10
10
10
10
64
83
0%days with working wind
5 knmean daily max wind
115 cmsnowfall this month
-3.1 °Cair temperature
Dec-Aprbest run of months
January is among St. Anton's best three months for skiing (87), behind March at 91. The melt-adjusted base reaches 264 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Monthly score for Zermatt, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
87
88
90
90
61
10
10
10
10
14
73
83
0%days with working wind
4 knmean daily max wind
79 cmsnowfall this month
-3.7 °Cair temperature
Nov-Aprbest run of months
January is effectively as good as it gets at Zermatt: 87, within 3 points of its best month (March, 90). The melt-adjusted base reaches 235 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Monthly score for Verbier, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
87
89
90
84
42
10
10
10
10
10
62
80
0%days with working wind
3 knmean daily max wind
99 cmsnowfall this month
-3.7 °Cair temperature
Dec-Aprbest run of months
January is effectively as good as it gets at Verbier: 87, within 3 points of its best month (March, 90). The melt-adjusted base reaches 232 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Monthly score for Hakuba, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
87
89
89
31
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
77
0%days with working wind
5 knmean daily max wind
135 cmsnowfall this month
-2.5 °Cair temperature
Dec-Marbest run of months
January is effectively as good as it gets at Hakuba: 87, within 2 points of its best month (February, 89). The melt-adjusted base reaches 236 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Monthly score for Chamonix, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
86
89
79
44
10
10
10
10
10
10
33
74
0%days with working wind
3 knmean daily max wind
107 cmsnowfall this month
-0.5 °Cair temperature
Dec-Marbest run of months
January is effectively as good as it gets at Chamonix: 86, within 3 points of its best month (February, 89). The melt-adjusted base reaches 199 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Monthly score for Tignes, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
86
88
89
91
85
22
10
10
10
20
74
86
0%days with working wind
4 knmean daily max wind
121 cmsnowfall this month
-7.3 °Cair temperature
Nov-Maybest run of months
Tignes works in January — 86 against a peak of 91 in April — so you are inside the season without being at the top of it. The melt-adjusted base reaches 336 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone.
Monthly score for Revelstoke, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
86
88
82
39
10
10
10
10
10
10
63
79
0%days with working wind
2 knmean daily max wind
74 cmsnowfall this month
-2.4 °Cair temperature
Dec-Marbest run of months
January is effectively as good as it gets at Revelstoke: 86, within 2 points of its best month (February, 88). The melt-adjusted base reaches 206 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Monthly score for Val Thorens, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
85
87
88
90
89
38
10
10
10
29
70
84
0%days with working wind
3 knmean daily max wind
108 cmsnowfall this month
-7.2 °Cair temperature
Nov-Maybest run of months
Val Thorens works in January — 85 against a peak of 90 in April — so you are inside the season without being at the top of it. The melt-adjusted base reaches 305 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone.
Monthly score for Mammoth Mountain, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
85
86
87
89
91
68
10
10
10
22
59
79
22%days with working wind
9 knmean daily max wind
148 cmsnowfall this month
-8.4 °Cair temperature
Dec-Junbest run of months
Mammoth Mountain works in January — 85 against a peak of 91 in May — so you are inside the season without being at the top of it. The melt-adjusted base reaches 303 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. It is also the wet end of the year: 211 mm against a monthly average of 87 mm. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Monthly score for Baqueira Beret, January to December. January is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
84
87
85
68
10
10
10
10
10
10
37
70
3%days with working wind
6 knmean daily max wind
89 cmsnowfall this month
-0.2 °Cair temperature
Dec-Aprbest run of months
January is effectively as good as it gets at Baqueira Beret: 84, within 3 points of its best month (February, 87). The melt-adjusted base reaches 169 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher.
Whistler, Canada scores highest in January at 91/100, based on ten years of ERA5 climatology scored for skiing. Its best run of months is Nov-Apr.
Is January a good month to ski?
Yes — 12 destinations in the dataset reach the prime band (80+) in January, so you have real choice rather than one option.
These scores are climatology, not a forecast. They are computed from ten years of
ERA5 reanalysis (2015-2024) and answer which month and which spot to book — not
whether this Saturday is on. For live conditions, open the
interactive map.