Colorado ski resorts. Where is the snow?? (Denver, Vail: how much, home)

[POhdNcrzy]

Wow, what an abominable snowless ski season so far out there.

We are going into the New Year with most of the legendary (deservedly so) Back Bowls at Vail still closed. Usually they are 100% open by mid-December at the latest.

All the areas should have at least a good 50 inch base by now yet very few do, most still struggling heavily around the 30 inch base level where you still occasionally hit the top of rocks and stumps while skiing.

Anybody in the resorts want to chime in on this one? How does this season rank so far. Am I incorrect to say it's been horrible?

This could be a boon for the environment, with all the snow-riders staying home and not fouling up the air with their wasteful auto emissions to get to the slopes.

[Fuzz]

December's snowfall about 26% of 2008, few flurries predicted | SummitDaily.com

[proveick]

Go to Monarch, 18 new in the last 2 days. RP

[jim9251]

Colorado Ski Country Daily Snow Report | ColoradoSki.com

[jazzlover]

People tend to forget that December is typically one of the drier months in Colorado. Scarce snow until after January 1st is not an uncommon occurence at all. Despite some big snows in certain areas, most of Colorado is below average for snowpack right now.

Personally, I don't give a rat's *** whether the ski areas have snow or not. What I do worry about is the winter snowpack available for summer streamflows. That is of far greater consequence, both locally and regionally, than whether or not people have a place where they can go to goof off. Fortunately, there is not a strong correlation between early snowpack and overall winter precipitation. In fact, the most moisture-laden snow in Colorado actually occurs in late winter and spring, a fair amount of that often coming after the ski areas are closed for the season.

[Shuffler]

Too bad for the folks spending all that money to come out to Eagle/Summit Counties for holiday ski vacations...but I'm sure the resort propaganda machines are spinning things as "the conditions are GREAT, come on up!".

Less open terrain = more people piling into limited terrain. No thanks!

[proveick]

Vail is only 44% open and still want $97.00 for a lift ticket, go figure. RP

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

but I'm sure the resort propaganda machines are spinning things as "the conditions are GREAT, come on up!".

There was a brouhaha about a Vail Resorts spokesperson doing an interview in Genesee during one of the big upslope storms last month, amid big fat flakes coming down all around (something to the effect of how much snow was piling up). While the mountains were completely dry and sunny. VR later said that they were simply talking about the excitement of a big snowstorm in general, and never said it was snowing at the ski areas, but still...

[froggin4colorado]

This is quite comical- I just moved to VA and so many out here think CO is covered with snow and is so cold. Few believe me when I tell them Coloradoans jump for joy when it snows. I miss CO.

[Neditate]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

Too bad for the folks spending all that money to come out to Eagle/Summit Counties for holiday ski vacations...but I'm sure the resort propaganda machines are spinning things as "the conditions are GREAT, come on up!". Less open terrain = more people piling into limited terrain. No thanks!

All of the snow is in SW Colorado: Wolf Creek, Silverton, Telluride.

Talk about resort propaganda... I gotta believe that the Denver tv weather people must be getting some sort of kick-back. Last night a certain 9News weather person was chatting up the "excellent conditions" in Breckenridge. Say what? They got 4" snow yesterday but that's not nearly enough to have changed conditions drastically when there hadn't been any new snow in a week.

Fuzz, I read that a Summit Daily reporter was fired because he wrote about how all of the ski areas exaggerate their snow totals. I used to check the Colorado Ski Country snow reports but I doubt them now as well. We skied Winter Park on Tuesday. It was pitiful. They claimed a 32" base. Yeah, I suppose in the trees at the top of some run there may have been a 32" stash. I seriously doubt there was even 18" in many places. We dodged rocks and people for a few hours and gave up.

I realize it is still relatively early in the season and conditions can change with a nice 12" of fresh. But don't be disingenuous and LIE about how much snow is there.