It’s finally starting to look like winter at Colorado’s ski resorts, with storms bringing snow to drier areas of the state — and much more powder in the forecast.
Upwards of 30 inches could fall in the mountains over the next week and a half, according to Chance Keso, senior news producer for North America for OnTheSnow, which tracks snow reports and ski conditions at resorts around the world.
“This is a crazy start to winter,” Keso said, explaining that the weather has been erratic, with a pretty warm, dry November following snow in October.
This fresh powder “is going to open up so much terrain,” he added, finally revving up a ski season that’s been off to a slow start.
This could be a relief for resorts, many of whom just went through a disappointing Thanksgiving, with little natural snow on the slopes. While the long holiday weekend is typically popular with skiers, several ski areas had to delay their opening before or on the holiday due to the unusually mild conditions.
Beaver Creek was set to open Nov. 26, and instead opened Nov. 30. Powderhorn, near the Utah border, was tentatively scheduled for Nov. 12 and will instead welcome skiers and boarders Dec. 5. Telluride was supposed to open Thanksgiving Day but pushed that to Dec. 6.
Even for the ski areas that did open ahead of the holiday, many only had a handful of runs — or just one run — available to guests.
That’s the kind of thing that can really dampen skiers’ spirits.
“You can only do the same run so many times in a day,” Keso said, with a laugh.
The state’s snowpack is still well below normal, but Keso forecasts several feet of snow, and believes that will get folks excited about the ski season ahead.
“I'm going to guess that week of Christmas is going to be when it really starts to kick off and you can get out and start seeing more of the mountain,” Keso said.
For the next few days, most of the state’s ski areas are projected to receive 1-4 inches of snow, though Wolf Creek could see more than a foot.
