Dry is a word many Coloradans don’t like hearing in January. Less snow means harsher skiing conditions, and sparse moisture could adversely affect the next wildfire season.
For the Colorado Headwaters River Basin, where resorts like Sunlight and all Aspen SkiCo mountains reside, it’s experiencing its lowest snowpack in state history. And at just 55% of normal, according to SNOTEL data, chamber of commerce officials around the Roaring Fork Valley suggest that many visitors are avoiding the slopes and going straight to the apres.
“When there isn’t a lot of snow [in] the surrounding areas, especially day trippers come here because the skiing isn’t great,” said Lisa Langer, director of tourism for Visit Glenwood Springs. “We’ve had a really good last few weeks because of low snow.”
Langer said visitors, especially from neighboring Eagle County, where Vail Resorts is also seeing a shortage of snow, find themselves in Glenwood Springs, perhaps looking for a soak in the local hot springs or to enjoy dried-out hiking and biking trails.
According to numbers provided by Langer, average daily visitor counts for the Glenwood Springs Visitor Center increased from 38 to 47 people between December 2024 and December 2025.
“We’re seeing a lot of traffic,” she said. “People want to come, spend money and hangout and shop.”
The lack of snowfall hasn’t necessarily negatively impacted hotel stays either, according to Snowmass Tourism Director Julia Theisen. Snowmass Village, which currently boosts between 1,800-1,900 rooms for lodging, showed only about a 4% decrease in overnight lodging compared to this same time last year (about 70%), with “last minute bookings” still likely for the remainder of January, she said.
Light to moderate snowfall is expected this weekend. According to OpenSnow, at least three inches are forecasted in the Aspen area between Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, X Games at Buttermilk is slated for Jan. 23-25 — this weekend.
“We’re definitely seeing some last-minute bookings,” Theisen said. “We’re expecting things to fill up as we get the snow.”
Prior to this anticipated influx, however, the Town of Carbondale also retained favorable foot traffic in contrast to low snowfall, according to Carbondale Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Andrea Stewart.
“Anecdotally, I’ve heard that December for retail was very beneficial,” she said. “It worked in the business[es’] favor.”
Though the town’s sales tax revenue for December is currently unavailable, Stewart quickly emphasized the continued success of the local Deck the Walls event. With at least 70 vendors selling items like chocolate, candles and jewelry, this holiday bazaar saw up to a 3% increase in revenue from last year, according to Brian Colley, gallery manager at Carbondale Arts.
“We were kind of surprised it went up even more this year compared to last year,” he said. “It was really gratifying.” The Sun asked whether a lack of snow affected foot traffic in Carbondale, from his point of view.
“I think we were surprised this year,” he responded, “because it seemed as busy as ever.”