Morning photo: Fresh powder in Colorado

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Double-digit snowfall totals across ski country

Plenty of powder in the San Juans this week, including 20 inches at Purgatory. PHOTO COURTESY CSCUSA/SVEN BRUNSO.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Mid-February brought full-on winter conditions to ski areas in Colorado, with most resorts reporting between one and two feet of snow in the past seven days.

A series of storms brought on and off snow to the Rockies, with Wolf Creek reporting a 35-inch total for the week, while Steamboat tallied 28.5 inches. Silverton measured a weekly total of 25 inches and Telluride benefited with 23 inches. Farther north, Loveland and Winter Park both picked up 21.5 inches of new snow for the week with 20 inches at Monarch, Copper Mountain and Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort. Get the full CSCUSA snow report here and find out about resort special offers at www.ColoradoSki.com. (more…)

Filed under: Arapahoe Basin, climate and weather, Colorado, recreation, skiing and riding, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Summit County: Frisco Adventure Parks teams with Copper Mountain Ski & Ride School to offer beginner ski lessons

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Find your ski legs at the Frisco Adventure Park, then shred the steeps at Copper or A-Basin.

‘Relaxed Start’ lessons offered thrice-daily, including a 4 p.m. session

By Summit Voice

FRISCO —The Frisco Adventure Park will soon be humming with the vibe of an old-time neighborhood ski hill, as the town teams up with the Copper Mountain Ski & Ride School to offer two-hour beginner ski lessons.

“Copper has always been Frisco’s mountain and Frisco continues to be our town,” said JP Chevalier, director of ski and golf services at Copper. “This relationship naturally led us to forming a service partnership, at the Frisco Adventure Park. The Copper Ski & Ride School is thrilled to be launching a first time family and friend introduction to snowsports in the heart of Summit County.” (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Frisco, recreation, skiing and riding, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Weather: Powder piles up in Colorado

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Kite skiing on Dillon Reservoir just ahead to the incoming storm.

Plenty of fresh snow for skiers, some roads closed, avalanche warning in the backcountry

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A wet Pacific storm delivered widespread snow across the entire state, with many ski areas reporting more than a foot of snow, including 17 inches at Crested Butte, 16 inches at Telluride and six to 10 inches at the resorts along the I-70 corridor. Get the full snow report from Colorado Ski Country USA.

The latest official National Weather Service totals from automated SNOTEL sites and observers are online here. Check out the full winter weather briefing page here. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Copper Mountain brings back ‘Snow Day’ pass

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

$99 ticket valid anytime there are 4 or more inches of new snow

Flying high at Copper Mountain. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

SUMMIT COUNTY — If you’re one of those skiers or boarders who only likes to ride in soft fresh snow, Copper’s Snow Day pass may be the ticket for you. The resort announced this week that the popular $99 pass is back for the season, valid for any day with four or more inches of new snow.

According to Copper, there are only limited number of the passes and they will only be available for a short time. Check out the Copper website for more info. Be the first to know if it’s a Snow Day by following Copper on Facebook and Twitter, or check out resort’s Snowstake Camera.

On average, Copper sees 30 days per season with 4-plus inches of new snow.

 

Filed under: Colorado, Copper Mountain, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weatherblog: Another storm lining up for Monday

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

San Juans favored again; only a few inches expected in the Summit-Vail area

Opening day turns at Copper Mountain.

Although the Aspen areas aren't officially reporting snow totals yet, it looks like the storm early in the weekend dropped some significant snow in the area, as some locals took to the mountains for the first freshies of the year. PHOTO COURTESY G.R. FIELDING, VIA TWITTER.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — As expected, the weekend storm favored the San Juans, where Wolf Creek reported 12 inches of new snow. The storm came in warm on a southwest flow, and many stations reported slushy conditions early during the storm cycle, which will help boost the water content in the southwestern mountains.

It snowed hard in the north-central mountains, but only for a few hours, with Keystone, A-Basin and Copper all reporting 2 inches of new snow Sunday morning. A somewhat moist westerly flow could bring a few more inches to high-elevation west-facing slopes before the storm clears out Sunday afternoon, leading to chilly overnight readings. Many spots will see low temps fall into the single-digits. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Snow: Colorado cloud-seeding program grows

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A map from an annual cloud-seeding report filed with the CWCB shows estimated increases in precipitation in the target areas around Summit County resorts.

Report says last winter’s efforts added more than 8,000 acre-feet of water, recommends routine seeding

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Cloud-seeding experts say their efforts boosted snow totals at Summit County ski areas by 12 to 22 inches last winter, producing an additional 8,850 acre-feet of water in the Blue River Basin.

“We … believe that this valuable service of providing additional snow was achieved in a cost effective manner,” says a report filed with the state by Western Weather Consultants, recommending that cloud-seeding weather modifications proceed on a routine basis each year to help bolster the state’s water supplies and to enhance early season skiing at the targeted resorts.

This year, the $274,000 central Colorado mountains program includes seven Front Range water providers and four ski areas: Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Winter Park and Breckenridge, all contributing to the cost of the cloud-seeding program, according Joe Busto, head of the state’s weather modification program. The CWCB supports the program with grant funding.

Cloud seeding started this week, and Larry Hjermstad, of Durango-based Western Weather Consultants, said he’s keeping an eye on the wave of incoming storms to determine if it’s time to fire up the silver-iodide generators. Low-level wind fields, cloud characteristics, atmospheric temperatures and terrain features all figure into the equation of determining which network of generators will best seed the cloud system during each seeding opportunity. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Colorado: Opening day at A-Basin

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Summit County ski season under way

A lot of angels joined in the opening day celebrations at Arapahoe Basin.

The 18-inch base at A-Basin skied like a dream on opening day.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — There was a time when I wanted to start each season with the latest and greatest ski gear, but these days, I’m just happy that I can still bend down easily to lace up the liners of my 15-year-old Scarpas before joining my son in the lift line for opening day at Arapahoe Basin. Not even Halloween yet, and we’ve barely seen any frost on the pumpkin, but thanks to a spate of cold nights, perfect for snowmaking, and a little eight-inch assist from Mother Nature, it really is time to ski again.

I took Dylan out of school for the morning to let him experience the vibe. He’s grown up skiing at the Basin. This is his tenth season (he’s 13) but it’s the first time he’s been there to watch the lifts roll for the first time. He jumped right out of bed, too, without the usual school-morning routine, which involves moaning and pulling the covers over his head a few times.

So in the cool blue shadows of early morning, we line up in the maze, just a few spots back from the front of the line, eat donuts, listen to rock-and-roll and wait for the countdown. I also wanted him to be there for the memorial for A-Basin founders Marnie Jump and Max Dercum who both passed away this summer. (more…)

Filed under: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, recreation, seasons, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Colorado: Arapahoe Basin opens for skiing Oct. 13

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Opening day includes tribute to A-Basin founders Marnie Jump and Max Dercum

Arapahoe Basin opening day 2011-2012

Arapahoe Basin opens for the 2011-2012 season on Oct. 13.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Teaming up with Ullr, A-Basin’s snowmaking crews have put down a blanket of white that will enable the ski area to open for the season this Thursday, Oct. 13, with skiing and riding on High Noon. (more…)

Filed under: Arapahoe Basin, climate and weather, Colorado, recreation, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Skiing: Wolf Creek set to open for skiing and riding Oct. 8

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Early storm, chilly temps generate some early ski industry buzz

An Oct. 6 storm dropped several inches of snow across much of the Colorado high country, with as much as a foot of snow reported in the southwestern mountains.

A skier samples the early season goods at Wolf Creek. PHOTO VIA TWITPIC.

SUMMIT COUNTY — After an early season storm pasted Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, the traditional race to open may be over before it ever really started.

Wolf Creek Ski Area announced it will open Saturday, Oct. 8 with three lifts operating, and several other resorts have fired up their snow guns. Follow Wolf Creek on Twitter for more news.

According to Colorado Ski Country USA, Wolf Creek picked up three feet of snow. (more…)

Filed under: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, Copper Mountain, La Niña, recreation, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County news, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Breckenridge town council to take a hard look at Peak 6 plan

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A crowd of people turned out recently for site visit to the proposed Peak 6 expansion area.

Public input wanted at July 26 work session as town formulates comments

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Breckenridge Town Council this week will consider a host of issues related to a proposed expansion on Peak 6, including impacts to forest and wildlife, plans for a proposed restaurant as part of the expansion and the cumulative impacts of the expansion. Get more background on the proposal and read past stories at the Summit Voice Peak 6 page.

At issue is a contentious plan to add several hundred acres of new lift-served terrain and expanding the resort’s footprint by another couple of miles across the Tenmile Range. The town is in the process of developing its formal comment letter on the plan. More details and all the public project documents are online at http://breckenridgepeak6.com/.

The Forest Service draft study for the proposal includes three options. The no-action alternative provides a baseline for comparison, alternative 2 is the preferred option of the Forest Service and the resort, while alternative 3 is a scaled-back version of the plan that is seen my many residents as a viable compromise that meets some of the resort’s objectives while leaving a smaller footprint on the land. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, Breckenridge Peak 6 expansion, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Colorado, endangered species, Environment, Ski Resorts, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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