Top 12 of 25 skiing destinations scored for October · ERA5 reanalysis 2015-2024 · updated monthly
Cerro Catedral drops out of the prime band after September. Of the 25 skiing destinations in the dataset, 3 score 68 or better in October and 2 reach the prime band above 80, one of the leaner months of the year.
Valle Nevado leads on 90 at 305 cm base. Across the top ten the spread is Europe (5), South America (3), North America (2). The month is split across both hemispheres — 3 of the ten best are south of the equator — so the choice is as much about flight time as about score.
Ranked by score out of 100. Each strip shows all twelve months, so you can see whether October is the spot's peak or its shoulder.
1. Valle Nevado Santiago Andes, Chile
90
Prime
Monthly score for Valle Nevado, January to December. October 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
35 cmsnowfall this month
0.0 °Cair temperature
Jun-Novbest run of months
October is Valle Nevado's strongest month of the year for skiing, scoring 90. The melt-adjusted base reaches 305 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 Portillo, January to December. October 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
48 cmsnowfall this month
2.0 °Cair temperature
Jun-Novbest run of months
October is Portillo's strongest month of the year for skiing, scoring 90. The melt-adjusted base reaches 244 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 Cerro Catedral, January to December. October is highlighted.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
10
10
10
10
22
71
85
89
84
68
10
10
2%days with working wind
7 knmean daily max wind
41 cmsnowfall this month
4.5 °Cair temperature
Jun-Octbest run of months
Cerro Catedral works in October — 68 against a peak of 89 in August — so you are inside the season without being at the top of it. The melt-adjusted base is 115 cm, but a mean temperature of 4.5 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The season is turning over here — the months before this one score better.
Monthly score for Val Thorens, January to December. October 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
27 cmsnowfall this month
2.9 °Cair temperature
Nov-Maybest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 29, where April reaches 90. The melt-adjusted base is 21 cm, but a mean temperature of 2.9 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher. The engine's note for the month: no base.
Monthly score for Livigno, January to December. October 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
1%days with working wind
5 knmean daily max wind
44 cmsnowfall this month
4.0 °Cair temperature
Dec-Maybest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 29, where April reaches 89. The melt-adjusted base is 27 cm, but a mean temperature of 4.0 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher. The engine's note for the month: no base.
Monthly score for Gudauri, January to December. October 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
22 cmsnowfall this month
2.9 °Cair temperature
Dec-Maybest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 23, where April reaches 90. The melt-adjusted base is 15 cm, but a mean temperature of 2.9 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher. The engine's note for the month: no base.
Monthly score for Mammoth Mountain, January to December. October 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
14%days with working wind
9 knmean daily max wind
11 cmsnowfall this month
1.6 °Cair temperature
Dec-Junbest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 22, where May reaches 91. The melt-adjusted base reaches 10 cm, carried through from earlier snowfall rather than counted from this month's alone. It is one of the drier months, at 30 mm. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher. The engine's note for the month: no base.
Monthly score for Tignes, January to December. October 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
27 cmsnowfall this month
3.9 °Cair temperature
Nov-Maybest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 20, where April reaches 91. The melt-adjusted base is 18 cm, but a mean temperature of 3.9 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher. The engine's note for the month: no base.
Monthly score for Aspen Snowmass, January to December. October 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
1%days with working wind
6 knmean daily max wind
26 cmsnowfall this month
4.0 °Cair temperature
Jan-Aprbest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 16, where April reaches 87. The melt-adjusted base is 15 cm, but a mean temperature of 4.0 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher. The engine's note for the month: no base.
Monthly score for Åre, January to December. October 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
15%days with working wind
8 knmean daily max wind
19 cmsnowfall this month
3.5 °Cair temperature
Jan-Aprbest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 15, where April reaches 86. The melt-adjusted base is 12 cm, but a mean temperature of 3.5 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher. The engine's note for the month: no base.
Monthly score for Zermatt, January to December. October 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
74 cmsnowfall this month
6.5 °Cair temperature
Nov-Aprbest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 14, where March reaches 90. The melt-adjusted base is 27 cm, but a mean temperature of 6.5 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. Conditions are still building, so later in the season scores higher. The engine's note for the month: too warm.
Monthly score for Baqueira Beret, January to December. October 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
4%days with working wind
6 knmean daily max wind
20 cmsnowfall this month
9.6 °Cair temperature
Dec-Aprbest run of months
October is a shoulder month here: 10, where February reaches 87. The melt-adjusted base is 3 cm, but a mean temperature of 9.6 °C means spring snow that softens by afternoon. The engine's note for the month: too warm.
Valle Nevado, Chile scores highest in October at 90/100, based on ten years of ERA5 climatology scored for skiing. Its best run of months is Jun-Nov.
Is October a good month to ski?
October is one of the harder months — only 2 destinations reach the prime band, and the shoulder options below are worth reading before booking.
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.