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 »

Morning photo: Solstice!

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Cycles of the sun …

Spring equinox 2010, Meadow Creek wetlands, Frisco. The spring equinox marks the day when the sun is directly over the equator, resulting in 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night.

SUMMIT COUNTY — It’s the winter solstice, and to mark the day in the morning photo essay, I searched back through the archives to find images from the past couple of years taken on those rare days when the dance of the Earth and Sun mark the official change of seasons. It’s kind of fun to mark the year by those three-month cycles, which really mark significant phases in the eternal cycle of the solar system. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Morning photo, photography, seasons, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Skiing: Monarch Mountain’s season pass goes global

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Powder skiing at Monarch Mountain with the ski area's powder cat program.

One planet, one pass is the new motto for Monarch Mountain after adding new ski areas in the Alps to its season pass partnership program

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY —The appeal of sliding down snow-covered mountains has always transcended national borders and ideologies, and this winter, Monarch Mountain has taken that global culture to a whole new level by forging a season pass deal with several ski areas in Austria and Germany.

The four German areas added are in Chiemgau region, not far from Munich: Hochfelln, Kampenwand, Wendelstein and Oberaudorf. In Austria, the Monarch Pass will be honored at Hochkössen. All are part of the 5 Berge & Co. resort group, and all are similar to Monarch in that they are mid-sized ski areas with a lot of good terrain and a friendly family vibe, without the mega-hype and mega-prices that characterize large resorts worldwide.

Monarch now has 26 ski areas as season pass partners Passes are accepted at nine areas in Colorado, six in New Mexico and at areas in Utah, Wyoming, California, Michigan, Arizona, British Columbia, Germany and Austria. Most of the partners offer three days of skiing on a Monarch Pass, but details vary. (more…)

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

Skiing: Monarch Mountain updates ski area master plan

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Snowmaking, new lift, gladed terrain and tubing hill planned at central Colorado ski area

A map from the Monarch Mountain master plan shows where the ski area would build a new lift in No Name Basin.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Monarch Mountain, one of Colorado’s ski gems, is looking to make some significant upgrades in the next few years, including new lift-served terrain, some tasty gladed stashed for powder lovers and a snow-tubing hill for family fun.

The ski area recently released a master plan for public review, outlining the list of if improvements. Subsequent site-specific proposals to implement elements of the plan on national forest lands could require additional analysis and public involvement. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, public lands, recreation, ski industry, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Morning photo: Spring snow!

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

March (snow) madness

Matt Krane's pooch, Warren, proudly wears a sprinking of graupel (rime-coated snowflakes) that heralded the start of our big March snow storm. PHOTO BY MATT KRANE.

SUMMIT COUNTY — The morning photoblog includes several images by Matt Krane who was clearly enjoying the big spring snowstorm that brought stellar powder skiing and will help boost the snow pack for the all-important April 1 survey. If you have some seasonal shots that you’d like to share with Summit Voice readers, send them in to bberwyn(at)summitvoice.com or post them to the Summit Voice Frisco Flickr group (they don’t have to be taken directly in Frisco, it’s just to show that the group is centered around Frisco). Establishing an active Frisco Flickr group will help Summit Voice establish a stronger online social media presence — a good thing for independent journalism in Colorado. Contact me at the above e-mail of you have questions. Meanwhile, enjoy the rest of our March Madness powder shots! (more…)

Filed under: daily photoblog, Morning photo, photography, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weatherblog: Quiet days ahead, snowpack looking good

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

No red or yellow dry zones anywhere in Colorado as of Feb. 27.

Next storm expected Wednesday night

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Quiet weather is expected for most of the coming week, but the late February storm that exited the area Sunday helped boost the snowpack across the state, with all the major river basins reporting near to above-normal readings.

In the San Juans, the snowpack is at 99 percent of average, good news during a La Niña year when the southwest corner of the state can often be quite dry.

Some 48-hour storm totals (as of Sunday evening) include 18 inches at Wolf Creek, 6 inches at Steamboat, 20 inches at Silverton Mountain and Monarch Mountain with an incredible 35 inches. Crested Butte reported 20 inches for the two-day storm and locally, A-Basin picked up a solid 17 inches to bring the base up to 74 inches. (more…)

Filed under: Arapahoe Basin, climate and weather, Colorado, La Niña, Ski Resorts, Weatherblog | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weatherblog: Powder, avy concerns in the high country

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Wilderness Sports sponsors the Summit Voice weatherblog. Click to visit Wilderness Sports online.


A blob of blue shows Saturday's storm right over the Colorado mountains.

Snow to end Saturday night, chilly overnight lows expected

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — More widespread snow and high winds reported across the high country Saturday morning, as an energetic wave of moisture is pushed through the area by a strong jet stream. Heavy snow started falling overnight, with Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain all reporting 7 inches of new snow in their 6 a.m. snow reports. A-Basin reported 4 inches, with 6 inches and Crested Butte, 5 inches at Loveland, 3 inches at Monarch Mountain and 8 inches at Sol Vista — the first time I can remember seeing that area report the highest total for the day. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, La Niña, seasons, Weatherblog | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Powder daze in Colorado

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Double-digit snowfall blankets most Colorado ski areas

 

Big snows and big smiles at Silverton Mountain, Colorado. PHOTO COURTESY SILVERTON MOUNTAIN. Click on any of the images to visit the resorts online.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Today’s photoblog is courtesy of Colorado Ski Country USA, representing nearly all of the state’s ski areas. With a major winter storm blanketing much of the Rockies, the trade group is looking forward to a strong holiday and good momentum going into the rest of the winter.

“Colorado’s ski industry is poised for a busy season,” said Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “We’ll likely see the early season momentum continue with resorts being active over the holidays due in part to the great snow conditions and abundant events.”

Click here for the daily CSCUSA snow report. More pics after the break. (more…)

Filed under: Morning photo, photography, skiing and riding | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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