Top 12 of 25 skiing destinations scored for May · ERA5 reanalysis 2015-2024 · updated monthly
Zermatt, Gudauri, Jackson Hole and 7 others drop out of the prime band after April. Of the 25 skiing destinations in the dataset, 5 score 68 or better in May and 3 reach the prime band above 80, which puts it mid-table for the year.
Mammoth Mountain leads on 91 at 543 cm base. Across the top ten the spread is Europe (5), North America (3), South America (2). The month belongs to the northern hemisphere: 8 of the ten best sit above the equator.
Ranked by score out of 100. Each strip shows all twelve months, so you can see whether May is the spot's peak or its shoulder.
1. Mammoth Mountain California, USA
91
Prime
Monthly score for Mammoth Mountain, January to December. May 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
13%days with working wind
8 knmean daily max wind
22 cmsnowfall this month
-0.9 °Cair temperature
Dec-Junbest run of months
May is Mammoth Mountain's strongest month of the year for skiing, scoring 91. The melt-adjusted base reaches 543 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better.
Monthly score for Val Thorens, January to December. May 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
4 knmean daily max wind
56 cmsnowfall this month
2.6 °Cair temperature
Nov-Maybest run of months
May is effectively as good as it gets at Val Thorens: 89, within 1 point of its best month (April, 90). The melt-adjusted base is 358 cm, but a mean temperature of 2.6 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better.
Monthly score for Tignes, January to December. May 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
60 cmsnowfall this month
3.5 °Cair temperature
Nov-Maybest run of months
Tignes works in May — 85 against a peak of 91 in April — so you are inside the season without being at the top of it. The melt-adjusted base is 355 cm, but a mean temperature of 3.5 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better.
Monthly score for Gudauri, January to December. May is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
76
80
86
90
76
10
10
10
10
23
58
69
0%days with working wind
4 knmean daily max wind
31 cmsnowfall this month
4.3 °Cair temperature
Dec-Maybest run of months
Gudauri works in May — 76 against a peak of 90 in April — so you are inside the season without being at the top of it. The melt-adjusted base is 172 cm, but a mean temperature of 4.3 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. It is also the wet end of the year: 188 mm against a monthly average of 112 mm. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better.
Monthly score for Livigno, January to December. May is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
79
84
87
89
68
10
10
10
10
29
66
77
0%days with working wind
6 knmean daily max wind
47 cmsnowfall this month
5.2 °Cair temperature
Dec-Maybest run of months
Livigno works in May — 68 against a peak of 89 in April — so you are inside the season without being at the top of it. The melt-adjusted base is 133 cm, but a mean temperature of 5.2 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better.
Monthly score for Aspen Snowmass, January to December. May is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
75
79
85
87
64
10
10
10
10
16
51
66
0%days with working wind
6 knmean daily max wind
27 cmsnowfall this month
5.0 °Cair temperature
Jan-Aprbest run of months
May is a shoulder month here: 64, where April reaches 87. The melt-adjusted base is 108 cm, but a mean temperature of 5.0 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better.
Monthly score for Zermatt, January to December. May 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
3 knmean daily max wind
81 cmsnowfall this month
6.6 °Cair temperature
Nov-Aprbest run of months
May is a shoulder month here: 61, where March reaches 90. The melt-adjusted base is 129 cm, but a mean temperature of 6.6 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better.
Monthly score for Valle Nevado, January to December. May is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
10
10
10
10
59
79
84
87
88
90
78
32
0%days with working wind
4 knmean daily max wind
47 cmsnowfall this month
-0.4 °Cair temperature
Jun-Novbest run of months
May is a shoulder month here: 59, where October reaches 90. The melt-adjusted base reaches 58 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 Jackson Hole, January to December. May is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
79
84
88
90
58
10
10
10
10
10
54
71
1%days with working wind
6 knmean daily max wind
18 cmsnowfall this month
5.7 °Cair temperature
Dec-Aprbest run of months
May is a shoulder month here: 58, where April reaches 90. The melt-adjusted base is 100 cm, but a mean temperature of 5.7 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better. The engine's note for the month: too warm.
Monthly score for Portillo, January to December. May is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
10
10
10
10
51
81
86
89
90
90
70
10
0%days with working wind
4 knmean daily max wind
52 cmsnowfall this month
2.0 °Cair temperature
Jun-Novbest run of months
May is a shoulder month here: 51, where September reaches 90. The melt-adjusted base reaches 45 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. The engine's note for the month: no base.
Monthly score for St. Anton, January to December. May 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
69 cmsnowfall this month
7.5 °Cair temperature
Dec-Aprbest run of months
May is a shoulder month here: 45, where March reaches 91. The melt-adjusted base is 83 cm, but a mean temperature of 7.5 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better. The engine's note for the month: too warm.
Monthly score for Åre, January to December. May is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
76
80
84
86
44
10
10
10
10
15
49
65
8%days with working wind
8 knmean daily max wind
12 cmsnowfall this month
6.6 °Cair temperature
Jan-Aprbest run of months
May is a shoulder month here: 44, where April reaches 86. The melt-adjusted base is 67 cm, but a mean temperature of 6.6 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better. The engine's note for the month: too warm.
Mammoth Mountain, USA scores highest in May at 91/100, based on ten years of ERA5 climatology scored for skiing. Its best run of months is Dec-Jun.
Is May a good month to ski?
It is workable: 3 destinations reach the prime band in May, so the answer depends on how far you will travel.
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.