Summit County Citizens Voice

An ice sailor took advantage of a narrow window of conditions suitable for the unusual sport on Christmas Eve, skimming across the frozen surface of Dillon Reservoir at unbelievable speeds.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Christmas Day dawned cold and windy, with only a dusting of snow reported at the local ski areas, including a quarter inch at A-Basin and one inch at Copper Mountain and Breckenridge, where the resort is reporting 72 inches for the season so far, with a 32-inch mid-mountain base.

The forecast is for continued chilly weather the next few days, although temps will warm slightly on Saturday as the winds shift to more westerly direction. Temperatures will struggle to get out of the single digits for highs, and the lows are forecast to dip into the negative teens the next couple of nights.

Sunday should warm up a bit more under building high pressure, but a northwest flow could keep the chance of a few showers in the forecast through the middle part of the week. No big storms on the horizon yet, as the weather pattern is still dominated by a Jet Stream that’s carrying major systems to the south of our area.

At mid-day, snow was blowing sideways in Summit County, with poor visibility and icy patches on some mountain roads. Check in with the GoI70 beta web site for the latest on high country road conditions or follow GoI70 on Twitter for real-time feeds to your phone.

With steady winds in the 15 to 25 MPH range, the frostbite factor is high, so protect your skin and make sure the kids are bundled up properly. Get more information on frostbite here.

Forecasters with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center bumped the avalanche hazard rating up a notch to “high” on north to southwest aspects on steeper slopes above treeline, where backcountry travelers are likely to trigger a slide if they venture onto wind-loaded slabs in the Summit and Vail zone.

New snow, wind and cold temperatures have combined to create a brittle snowpack, with both hard and soft slabs layered in an awkward sandwich. Be careful out there, stay warm and Merry Christmas!

Filed under: Weatherblog