Girdwood, AK – It’s been a rough start to the ski season across much of the continental U.S. If you’re looking for December snow, perhaps it’s time to cast your gaze further north to the 49th state.

With 270 inches of snowfall since October, of which 182 inches has accumulated since the ski season started on November 23, Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, 40 miles south of Anchorage, is enjoying a strong start to the season. The early season conditions have been optimal and the last storm resulted in up to 40 new inches of snow in the upper mountain areas. The snow safety and ski patrol team has been able to open a large portion of the mountain including the infamous North Face run Christmas Chute, known for its steep and narrow entrance.

La Niña has delivered the expected cooler temperatures and typically heavier amounts of precipitation to Alaska. For Alyeska Resort, located in the northernmost temperate coastal rainforest region in the Americas, average temperatures in the winter months range between 40 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Given the proximity to the Turnagain Arm, a tributary of the Cook Inlet, the temperatures around the resort are often more moderate due to the salt content in the open waters. With a La Niña effect, however, this can translate into the perfect storm cycle where the large amounts of precipitation and cooler temperatures line up and the result can be as great as the 40 inches of new snow which accumulated last weekend.

If you’re ready to head north in search of snow this month, direct and connecting flights to Anchorage International Airport are available daily with service on Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and Continental Airlines.