Mount Snow
600 acres, 87 runs near West Dover. Epic Pass access, top terrain parks, accessible from Boston.
Season 2026 - 2027
Opens
21 Nov 2026
Closes
18 Apr 2027
Days open
148
Annual snow
14ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Mount Snow's summit reaches 3,599 feet, dropping roughly 1,700 vertical feet to a base at 1,899 feet across 87 runs spread over 600 acres near West Dover, Vermont. Terrain splits 67 per cent intermediate, 16 per cent each for advanced and beginner, and 1 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 166 inches. The resort carries Epic Pass affiliation. Twenty lifts, including four quad chairs and six triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside three double chairs, one six-person chair, five surface lifts and one t-bar.
Mount Snow stands as one of southern Vermont's largest and most accessible resorts, prized for its considerable intermediate terrain and, at its Carinthia area, some of the most highly regarded terrain parks in the Northeast. Its relative proximity to Boston and the broader southern New England metropolitan area has long made it a popular weekend destination.
Walter Schoenknecht, who ran the Mohawk Mountain ski area in Connecticut, visited Vermont in 1946 seeking a location for a new resort with more reliable snowfall than areas further south, yet still accessible to New England's population centres. In 1953, he purchased land at the foot of what became known as Mount Snow, named for the farmer, Reuben Snow, who had previously owned it, and opened the resort in December 1954 with five trails on the lower mountain served by a rope tow and two double chairlifts.
Schoenknecht became known for extravagant, imaginative features, including an Italian-built aerial tram nicknamed the Air Car, an outdoor heated pool, and a large fountain geyser in Snow Lake, expanding the resort to 44 trails across three mountains with a gondola before financial difficulties led to bankruptcy in 1975. In September 2019, Vail Resorts purchased Mount Snow, joining Vail's portfolio and the Epic Pass network. Adult daily tickets run from 139 to 229 US dollars.
1,699ft
Vertical
87
Runs
600 acres
Skiable
14ft
Annual snow
Epic
Pass
The Terrain
87 runs across 600 acres skiable
Mount Snow spreads 87 runs over 600 acres (243 hectares) near West Dover in southern Vermont, from a base at 1,900 ft (579 m) to a summit of 3,600 ft (1,097 m), a vertical of 1,700 ft (518 m). Blue squares dominate at 67%, with 16% green circle, 16% black diamond and only 1% expert, so this is a mountain for cruising rather than extreme steeps. About 166 inches of snow falls in an average winter. Twenty lifts, including a six-pack, four quads and six triple chairs, keep queues moving across the four faces.
Mount Snow is divided into Main Face, North Face, Sunbrook and Carinthia. Snowdance, Canyon, Exhibition and Ridge are the Main Face cruisers, and Long John is a 3.1 mile green run. The Grand Summit Express six-pack reaches the top quickly. North Face holds the steeps and glades, with Ripcord a double black and Challenger close behind. Sunbrook has mellow blues such as Thanks Walt and Cloud Nine. Carinthia runs 15 terrain parks, including Grommet and Inferno. Mount Snow suits families, intermediates and freestyle riders, and its closeness to Boston makes it a popular weekend trip.
Terrain split
87
runs
87 runs across 4 grades
Beginner14 runs · 16%
Intermediate58 runs · 67%
Advanced14 runs · 16%
Expert1 run · 1%
Time it right
When to visit Mount Snow
The 2025-26 season at Mount Snow ran from 28 November 2025 to 19 April 2026, a roughly twenty-one-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 166 inches. Extensive snowmaking supplements natural snowfall to support the resort's early opening and consistent conditions across its considerable intermediate-weighted terrain throughout the season.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Mount Snow's varied terrain. As an Epic Pass resort within the Vail Resorts network, Mount Snow draws substantial visitation from Epic Pass holders alongside its traditional Boston-area weekend visitor base, given the resort's relatively accessible southern Vermont location.
The Carinthia terrain park area continues to draw freestyle-focused visitors throughout the season, supporting Mount Snow's reputation as a premier terrain park destination in the Northeast. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's heavily intermediate-weighted terrain profile. Weekend crowds draw heavily from the greater Boston and southern New England region.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations and Carinthia's terrain park offerings is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Vail Resorts' 2019 acquisition, Mount Snow has continued operating as part of the Epic Pass network, building on seven decades of history since founder Walter Schoenknecht's 1954 opening. The resort's accessible location and considerable scale remain central to its seasonal popularity.
Season 2026 - 2027
21 Nov 2026
Opens
18 Apr 2027
Closes
148
Days open
14 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Mount Snow, and where to stay
Mount Snow sits near West Dover, Vermont, with a base elevation of 1,899 feet and a summit at 3,599 feet across a roughly 1,700-foot vertical drop over 600 acres. This southern Vermont setting places the resort within a considerable drive of the greater Boston metropolitan area.
West Dover and nearby Wilmington offer substantial lodging, dining and shopping within a short drive of the resort, giving Mount Snow a genuine mountain-town base area experience. The broader southern Vermont region surrounds the resort with additional outdoor recreation and scenic attractions.
Vermont State Route 100 provides direct access to the resort, connecting to the broader regional highway network toward Massachusetts and the greater Boston area. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled road is regularly maintained given the resort's popularity as a weekend destination. There is no direct public transport service to the mountain.
Albany International Airport in New York and Bradley International Airport in Connecticut both serve the broader region within a reasonable drive, with Mount Snow's roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive from Boston making it a popular and accessible weekend option for the greater New England metropolitan area.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Mount Snow, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
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11 Oct 2026
Vermont Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Few Dates Set, Killington Waits on the Cold
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9 Oct 2026
Crans-Montana 2027 World Championships President Resigns Ahead of Fraud Hearing
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Kelly Canyon, Idaho, Adds Snowmaking, a Bigger Terrain Park and More Parking for 2026-27
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9 Oct 2026
Mount Snow Lift System
Mount Snow runs twenty lifts: three double chairs, four quad chairs, one six-person chair, six triple chairs, five surface lifts and one t-bar, serving 87 runs across 600 acres near West Dover. This extensive network, among the larger in southern Vermont, has grown considerably from the resort's December 1954 opening with just a rope tow and two double chairlifts.
Founder Walter Schoenknecht's imaginative approach to resort development extended to his lift and infrastructure choices, including an Italian-built Carlevaro & Savio aerial tram nicknamed the Air Car, connecting the resort to the nearby Snow Lake Lodge, a genuinely unusual piece of mid-century ski infrastructure. Schoenknecht expanded the resort to 44 trails across three mountains, adding a gondola before financial difficulties led to bankruptcy in 1975.
The six triple chairs and four quad chairs now distribute the bulk of skier traffic across Mount Snow's heavily intermediate-weighted terrain, while the resort's dedicated Carinthia terrain park area benefits from its own supporting lift infrastructure, contributing to the area's reputation for some of the best terrain parks in the Northeast.
Since Vail Resorts' September 2019 acquisition, bringing Mount Snow into the Epic Pass network, continued investment has supported this twenty-lift system. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects beyond this ownership transition are not confirmed in available resort information. Mount Snow's extensive lift network remains central to its role as one of southern Vermont's most significant resorts.
20lifts across 6 types
1
6-Person Chair
4
Quad Chairs
6
Triple Chairs
3
Double Chairs
1
T-Bar
5
Surface Lifts
Mount Snow lift system
Mount Snow is served by 20 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Mount Snow intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.