El Colorado CL
The short answer: PassCast projects a median of 252" at El Colorado for 2026 — 165% of a typical season — with a skiability rating of 78/100, ~13 powder days, and Jul–Aug as the prime window. Updated daily from 10,000 simulations.
80% of simulated seasons land between 159" and 378". Reseeded daily as ENSO observations, CPC outlooks, and SEAS5 runs update.
10,000 simulated 2026 seasonsENSO-weighted resampling of 36 real seasons (1990–2026) at El Colorado, tilted by the live seasonal outlook
Highlighted bars span the middle half of outcomes (P25–P75). The yellow dashed line is a typical season — the median of the last 36 at this mountain.
What's driving this forecast
The 2026 season is simulated by resampling El Colorado's historical seasons weighted toward El Niño analog years. NOAA CPC El Niño Advisory (June 11, 2026): El Niño conditions are present and expected to strengthen into winter 2026-27, with a 63% chance of a very strong event (Niño3.4 ≥ +2.0°C) during Nov-Jan. CPC DJF strength odds: very strong 46%, strong 33%, moderate 16%. IRI (June 22) concurs at 98% El Niño for DJF. Latest observed ONI (AMJ 2026): +1.0.
The strongest ENSO-snow teleconnection of any ski region on Earth: El Niño parks the subtropical jet over 30-37°S and hammers the high Andes (Masiokas et al. 2006). Portillo averages ~+45% snowfall in warm-ENSO seasons; storms are characteristically back-loaded into July-September. Applied as a +16% tilt at partial weight.
The 51-member SEAS5 seasonal forecast puts Aug–Sep snowfall at this grid point at 124% of its ERA5 normal (ensemble mean 83", spread 39–134"). Applied as a +6% tilt — experimental, heavily shrunk and clamped because seasonal models and reanalysis have different biases.
The reanalysis archive could not be reached, so snow already on the ground is not blended in today — this outlook is running on climate drivers alone and will pick the observations back up on the next refresh.
The regional readAndes · from the 2026-27 outlook
This is El Niño's flagship ski trade: with Niño3.4 possibly reaching +2.0°C, the subtropical jet should park over central Chile and hammer the 30-37°S Andes through late winter — Portillo averages roughly +45% snowfall in warm-ENSO seasons (Masiokas et al. 2006; bestsnow.net). The dry, slow June 2026 start fits the pattern rather than breaking it: 1997 and 2015 also began quietly before multi-meter July-September storm cycles produced some of the deepest Portillo bases on record. August and September should be the payoff months. If you hold a multi-resort pass, this is the hemisphere to spend it in.
Month by monthENSO-conditioned analog medians vs a typical month — when this season should deliver
Prime window: Jul–Aug — the deepest contiguous stretch of the conditioned season. Aim the trip there.
The analog poolEvery season since 1990 at El Colorado (ERA5, calibrated to the resort's reported average), colored by ENSO phase
Next 16 days, model by modelDaily snowfall (inches) at mid-mountain from four global models — fetched 2026-07-10
| Model | 7/10 | 7/11 | 7/12 | 7/13 | 7/14 | 7/15 | 7/16 | 7/17 | 7/18 | 7/19 | 7/20 | 7/21 | 7/22 | 7/23 | 7/24 | 7/25 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFS (NOAA) | 1.2 | — | — | — | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 4.4 | 7.7 | 3.7 | — | — | 0.1 | 0.7 | — | — | 18.9" |
| ECMWF IFS | 5.2 | 0.4 | — | — | — | 1.9 | 10.7 | 16.6 | 11.5 | 24.9 | 14.8 | 10.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.6 | — | 99.0" |
| ICON (DWD) | 1.1 | — | — | — | — | 8.6 | 8.1 | 34.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 52.1" |
| GEM (Canada) | 2.8 | 0.1 | — | — | — | 1.1 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 10.2 | 7.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26.3" |
| PassCast blend | 2.6 | 0.1 | — | — | 0.1 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 14.4 | 9.8 | 12.0 | 7.4 | 5.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | — | 61.7" |
Pass math for El Colorado
El Colorado isn't on a multi-resort pass — but you can still see what a season here is worth.
No multi-resort pass covers these mountains — window tickets are the play.
El Colorado 2026: straight answers
- How much snow will El Colorado get in the 2026 season?
- PassCast's latest 10,000-run simulation (reseeded 2026-07-10) puts the median at 252 inches — 165% of a typical season at El Colorado — with 80% of outcomes between 159 and 378 inches. The forecast blends El Colorado's own 36-season ENSO analog record with NOAA's seasonal outlook and the ECMWF SEAS5 ensemble.
- Is a season pass worth it for El Colorado in 2026?
- El Colorado is not on Epic, Ikon, or Mountain Collective for 2026 — budget about $85 per peak-window day ticket, or check the resort's own multi-day products.
- When is the best time to ski El Colorado in 2026?
- Jul–Aug is the prime window — the deepest contiguous stretch of the ENSO-conditioned season at El Colorado. Month-by-month medians are charted on this page.
- How reliable will the snow be at El Colorado this season?
- The simulation gives El Colorado a 91% chance of beating its typical season and a median of about 13 six-inch-plus powder days. Its skiability rating is 78/100 (“Exceptional season likely”), updated daily.
Sources: ERA5 reanalysis & multi-model forecasts via Open-Meteo · NOAA CPC ONI, ENSO advisory & seasonal outlook · ECMWF SEAS5 · pass prices verified July 2026. See methodology for the honest fine print.