Latest Storm Positions Colorado Well for President’s Day Weekend

Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) said the most recent storm was expected to drop double-digit accumulation totals on 19 of the resorts it markets, more than two feet at 10 resorts, and more than three feet at five resorts, CSCUSA said.

The fresh snow positions the state’s resorts well going into the long weekend, particularly in comparison to those in the Sierra Nevada of Northern California. While some resorts around Lake Tahoe received more than a foot of snow over the weekend, many of the region’s resorts are still operating with less than half their trails open.  Government data show 91.2 percent of the Central Rockies covered by snow, compared with 99.9 percent in the Northeast, 70.4 percent in the Northwest, 40 percent in the Sierra Nevada.

 

The latest dump began Thursday when a winter storm that had traveled from the Pacific Ocean to the central mountains of Colorado stalled at the continental divide. Monarch Mountain received a foot or more of snow for four consecutive days, leaving 55 inches of new powder since last Thursday, and Arapahoe Basin has recorded 41 inches of new snow in the same time period. Crested Butte has welcomed 37 inches of new snow, and Loveland Ski Area and Eldora each saw 35 inches of fresh powder, CSCUSA reported.

 

Several resorts’ snow accumulations approached two feet and could surpass it today. Copper Mountain and Wolf Creek each have measured 23 inches of new snow so far, while Winter Park has seen 21.5 inches. 19 inches of new snow fell at Ski Cooper and Steamboat, and Ski Granby Ranch saw 16 inches of powder.

 

Further west, Silverton registered 36 inches of new snow while Powderhorn celebrated 26 inches of fresh powder. Aspen Highlands received 17 inches of new snow, Durango Mountain Resort received 13 inches, Howelsen recorded a foot of new snow, and Sunlight Mountain and Snowmass measured 11 inches. Aspen Mountain received 10 inches, Telluride saw 6 inches of new powder, and Buttermilk received 5 inches of new snow.

 

With many CSCUSA resorts surpassing 200 inches of total snowfall this weekend, and base depths exceeding 100 inches, the conditions at Colorado’s ski resorts will be excellent through the President’s Day holiday weekend when the next significant snowstorm is expected to arrive.