Super El Niño Ski Season: Time to Quit Your Job? Probably Not.

Super El Niño, “Super Godzilla El Niño” “Mega El Niño” - The upcoming Super El Niño winter season is all anyone is talking about, and the hype is exactly that - Hype.

According to our rural cousing - the Farmers Almanac - Super El Niño will affect the United States in the following ways:

Southwest - Wet and stormy with potential for mega storms in the Sierras and inner mountain west
Midwest/North Plains - Brutal cold snaps interrupting milder weather overall
Northeast - Tricky weather patterns, sometimes snow sometimes rain
Pacific Northwest - Less dependable snowpack, and warmer temps

What does that mean for the American Ski Bum? No one is really sure. Almost every ski resort and mega pass is saying that this could be a historic year. Even resorts in the Pacific Northwest, which is predicted to have a rough snowpack this year is saying that it could be really good.

The only thing universally agreed upon by almost all sources is that the Sierras/Lake Tahoe area should have a good season. The last three “Super El Niños” were the 15/16 season, the 97/98 season, and the 82/83 season - so historical predictions can’t really be trusted without taking into consideration everything else that has changed in the last 40+ years environmentally.

Even looking at the recent El Niño seasons at Mammoth Mountain, the numbers don’t necessarily support the “Super Godzilla El Niño Mega Season” that mega passes and resorts are promoting.

As a super fan of Chris Tomer - his breakdown of potential weather is the best one we’ve seen so far.

Our recommendation - is to follow the storms this, the weather may be unpredictable and no one really knows what is about to happen this year. Keep it flexible and play the short game scheduling your trips.