Where to ski in mid December?

[TonyC]

I also agree that Loveland and Arapahoe Basin are somewhat safe bets for mid-December.

Actually not. Median percent of terrain open mid-December is 35% at A-Basin and 38% at Loveland. By Christmas those percents have risen only to 53% and 61%. The early season rep for both areas rests upon the ability to blow snow in October at their 10,000+ base elevations. As far as natural coverage is concerned, light/dry snow, rocky terrain and above timberline wind exposure result in very slow base building vs. most destinations. By contrast both areas are on the short list for excellent late season snow preservation.

As usual I'll refer to my article rating early/late seasons: http://bestsnow.net/fam_ski.htm Mid-December should generally be limited to the places with the highest early season rating. Nonetheless the best advice remains this:

All that being said, Mother Nature is fickle. Book your trip as late as possible.

What really matters is who gets the early snow in the specific year you're traveling in December.