Does it snow in Arizona and is there skiing?

Question

Please tell me

Answer 1

Absolutely...it does snow in Arizona. Higher elevations receive quite a bit of snow and occasionally, there is snowfall in the desert during the winter months. I have seen snowfall in Flagstaff and other higher elevations as late as May. Mt. Humphrey has a snow cap year round. As far as sking, there are several places to go and enjoy.
If you cannot make it to our beautiful state, then I would suggest a subscription to 'Arizona Highways' magazine so that you can enjoy seeing and reading about Arizona and what it has to offer.

Answer 2

It does snow in Arizona and the state has three ski resorts (well, two and a half really).

The biggest and best of the Arizona ski resorts is Sunrise in the White Mountains near the town of Showlow (about a 3+ hour drive from Phoenix). They have 10 lifts and 64 runs spread across three different mountain faces. It is located on the Apache reservation and ran by the tribe. They do have snow making equipment.

The next best ski spot in Arizona is the Snow Bowl on the San Francisco Peaks near the mountain town of Flagstaff (about 2+ hours north of Phoenix). It has 32 runs and 3 major lifts. They do not have snow making equipment due to water rights (they have been trying to get it) and thus often have a short season. Most of the runs are intermediate or advanced (diamonds and squares) with relatively few beginner (circle) runs.

Lastly, there is the little 1-lift Mount Lemmon Ski Resort on the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson. It is really more of a novelty since it is completely surrounded by desert (it may be the southern most ski resort in the US).

Only Sunrise is comparable in size and quality to other major western ski resorts and even it no where near the level of a Telluride, Snowbird, Park City, etc. Arizona is not a great ski state, but it does have skiing.

Answer 3

It definitely does. Any area above 5000' in Northern Arizona will get snow, including both rims of the Grand Canyon. The snow fall can often be significant and when I lived in there i always had chains in my car and on occasion was required by law to use them.
Flagstaff AZ is at 7000 ' the mountains that Flagstaff sits at the base of ,top out at 12633'-Humphrey's' Peak.
There is a ski area NW of downtown Flagstaff called Snow Bowl.
Because Native-American consider the San Francisco Peaks sacred, snow making is not allowed. The result is that you are completely dependent upon natural snowfall ,which of course can make advanced trip planning difficult.

Answer 4

I don't know how often it snows, but I was once caught in a blizzard (for real) near Flagstaff, Arizona.

I don't know of any ski resorts in AZ, so it's either an uncommon phenomenon or it doesn't stick around long enough for people to ski on it (???)

There's skiing in New Mexico.... just one state over :D

Answer 5

It mostly snows in the mountains between January and March. We were caught in a snowstorm going through there this last March.

We lived in Flagstaff for many years, but only once did it actually snow on Christmas.

Our pipes froze!

Answer 6

Up in Flagstaff you can get snow and mountain skiing.

Answer 7

yes it does snow in Arizona..Flagstaff, Strawberry, Sedona, AZ up in the mountain cities. Dont know if there is skiing, but thats all the areas I know where it snows.

Answer 8

"The snow skiing in Arizona is comparable to that in Colorado or Utah. It's one of the country's best kept secrets," said Leia James, spokesperson for the Arizona Office of Tourism. "We are so fortunate here to have the best of all worlds."

Answer 9

It probably snows in a lot of states just because it might be desert there are still higher elevations that are usually colder and will get snow.

Answer 10

yes, up north in the Mts.
Flagstaff
It is only in the Winter, cause it heats up fast
Maybe u should try water skiing at the lakes