Colorado Early Snow

Killclimbz

Killclimbz

New member
That storm has hit Colorado with some vengence. Loveland is reporting 22" and it's still snowing. I couldn't make it into work today in Denver. The roads were a parking lot. Oh well, I can work from home.
Fraser has received 16" and Breck around 15". These are alll reports from this morning. I am sure they have gotten more. Starting to look like another great early season for Colorado. \:D/
 
Wolf Creek will open 25% of terrain tomorrow and has received 65 inches snow this fall vs. a similar 63 inches at Loveland. Loveland, despite its high visibility early snowmaking has only 3 trails and 5% open. Loveland's website says 160 of its 1365 acres have snowmaking coverage.

Perhaps some Colorado local can inform us of the disparity. Some guesses:
1) Loveland's WROD's get a lot of traffic due to proximity to Denver so all the snowmaking effort has to be concentrated on maintenance for the first month they are open.
2) Loveland has varied exposures while Wolf Creek is nearly all north facing.
3) Loveland's high alpine terrain is windy and it takes a lot of snow to cover it up.

Last year Colorado had similar October snowfalls and other areas did not open ahead of schedule. The storms didn't far enough south then to open Wolf Creek. The Front Range had a great early season because high snowfall persisted in November and December.
 
something I have to keep reminding myself is that Colorado snow is generally very light in moisture conent, even this time of year. .. so it packs down much more than you'd think, and takes quite a bit to get a base going. regardless, I'm jealous as hell seeing al lthose pictures this fall of the early season snow!
 
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72" at loveland, look at the great pics! Last year this time, 32". Better than when I was there in October!



October 26th, 2006
Nearly 2 Feet of Fresh Powder - Come and Get It!
The 5:30am snow report this morning weighed in at 22 inches of fresh and it continued to come down hard all morning. Those who braved the highway before it closed reaped the rewards, just check out some of these sweet pictures taken after Ski Patrol dropped the ropes on the steeps under Lift #1. It is one of the earliest dates Ski Patrol has recruited help to pack down the steeps, so hopefully they will open soon.

Had to work? Snowed in? Highway closed? Not to worry! Chair #6 is scheduled to open tomorrow, so there is still a chance to get some of this fresh snow. And if that were not enough to get you excited, Chair #2 is tentatively scheduled to open on Saturday. If things go according to plans, you could get 2 great powder days after the snow has stopped falling. Its no wonder Loveland has the best early season skiing: more terrain, deeper snow, less people, and right at the divide!

This year to date Loveland has received 73 inches of natural snow fall. When we looked back this day last year, we had only gotten 32 inches so far, and if you remember last year had a strong early season. 5 years ago it was 40 inches and 10 years ago it was 45 inches. Lets hope its a sign of things to come! Sign up for our custom snow reports or visit http://www.skiloveland.com for all the up to date news and snow conditions

There's Still Time to get your Season Pass and 4-Paks!
Don't procrastinate! Get your season pass or 4-Paks now because these great prices will not be around forever. Pass products and 4-Paks can be picked up at any of the ski shows attended by Loveland. Click Here to see a full list of ski shows. You can also order over the phone by calling 303-571-5580 Ext. 136, or online at http://www.skiloveland.com. Discounted 4-Paks are only available at ski shows attended by Loveland.

Ski Show Update!
New Fort Collins show added! Loveland will be at the Colorado State University on the main level of the Lory Student Center on October 31st, from 8am - 5pm. We will have all of our pass products including the discounted 4-Paks.

New Greeley show added! Loveland will be at the University of Northern Colorado in the Colorado University Center from 3pm till 6pm on October 27th. We will have all of our pass products including the discounted 4-Paks.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, October 28th - Jonser Fest. Loveland Ski Area will be at the Coors Amphitheater this weekend from 4pm till 10pm for the Jonser Fest Rail Jam. Join us for three video premiers, live music from Letters From The Front, and a hand rail competition with cash and product prizes. Entry is $10, and $15 to compete. We will also be selling all of our pass products including discounted 4-Paks.

Tuesday, October 31st - Tommyknocker Halloween Party
Specials on all Tommyknocker Brewery Beers to celebrate Halloween. Don't forget to stop by the brewery on your way down the hill for the real party after the slopes are closed.
 
I think Loveland is more affected by winds than Wolf Creek is. A lot more of Loveland is above treeline from what I have seen. Loveland also sees 10X the traffic as Wolf Creek as you mentioned Tony.

Other things that could make a difference. The ground the snow falls on. Rockier terrain vs more grass covered terrrain makes a difference for sure. I do not know if this is the case in Wolf Creek vs Loveland but for early season backcountry turns, this is the terrain I look for.

Then again maybe the powers that be at Loveland Ski area are just pussies about opening terrain...
 
CWHappyRN's post indicates that Loveland will open new lifts and terrain tomorrow, likely giving them as much or more than Wolf Creek.
 
Tony Crocker":1m6u91xm said:
CWHappyRN's post indicates that Loveland will open new lifts and terrain tomorrow, likely giving them as much or more than Wolf Creek.
Click to expand...

If I were you, just go somewhere! CO got a lot of snow! Tony is usually not very enthusiastic about early snow. I am! He tried to talk me out of CO last year. It was nice. No rocks at all, not hard, not crowded. Folks are not very interested early or late season, in my experience of skiing since I was a child. I also lived in CO as a child and as an adult on a long work contract! I am more of an all condition, want to ski, does not have to be the illusive perfect skier. I prefer midweek, or low crowds. Mammoth was about empty weekends late Spring! Suits me fine. I have lines on the slopes! I will do it versus not ski. This season, I am more dreaming with a knee injury than anything, most likely. Not a ski injury, a athletic slipped on a slippery, third to do it, injury. Five coats of laquer is a little to much!
 
Not that I ride resorts much. Then again I will be at Winterpark this year, so maybe more often now.

For what it is worth, I have heard from several friends that Loveland has not been very crowded on weekends or any other day of the week for that matter this year. I am thinking that since a majority of people who would be riding there right now are buddy pass holders, they are hitting up A-Basin. Conversely, I have heard the crowds at A-Basin have been outrageous.
So this might not be such a bad year to do an early season trip to Loveland.
 
I can vouch for the crowds at A-Basin. Today they had only 1 chair open and the lines averaged about 1/2 hour until about 3 pm, at which point they dropped to 5 minutes. Obviously the number of Colorado and Buddy pass holders is far greater than the number of Loveland pass holders. Also, the chair has been stopping an amazing number of times, given that there aren't supposed to be any beginners on the slopes. Reading about the terrain that was open at Loveland today does make me jealous; however, with 2 passes (Mammoth and Summit) it's hard to pay for skiing elsewhere, unless it's someplace really different like a road trip to Canada (which we're planning later this season).

That said, the top will open tomorrow and the new terrain should help spread out the crowds. We plan to be there before 9 am. This is how it looked today:

ABasin_top1.gif
 
Tony Crocker said:
Wolf Creek will open 25% of terrain tomorrow and has received 65 inches snow this fall vs. a similar 63 inches at Loveland. Loveland, despite its high visibility early snowmaking has only 3 trails and 5% open. Loveland's website says 160 of its 1365 acres have snowmaking coverage.

Perhaps some Colorado local can inform us of the disparity. Some guesses:
1) Loveland's WROD's get a lot of traffic due to proximity to Denver so all the snowmaking effort has to be concentrated on maintenance for the first month they are open.
2) Loveland has varied exposures while Wolf Creek is nearly all north facing.
3) Loveland's high alpine terrain is windy and it takes a lot of snow to cover it up.(Quote)

Oh, Tony...you drive everyday in Los Angeles in heavy traffic just to work. Sour Grapes! Your just jealous. If you lived there you would go on the weekend, figure out a way to avoid traffic, and beat it into the trees! Jealous! Be positive about the early snowfall. Beause I can see green from here! Your all green for Halloween! Tony..........! It is time for you to move to CO or UT and ski! Carol
Click to expand...
 
Yes I would have skied last weekend if I lived in Colorado. But with the new snow Loveland had 3 lifts and more than just WROD's to ski. I wouldn't go to A-Basin with the lines skibum4ever mentioned though.
 
Loveland should be the best bet this weekend. It has the highest trail count and most acreage open. Keystone and Copper may have the same problem as A-Basin of being overrun with season passholders.
 
I would think that A-Basin would thin out a little since most passholders there have the buddy pass which is also good at Keystone. Copper....yeah that will be a zoo for sure.
 
Killclimbz":3p6v4as7 said:
That storm has hit Colorado with some vengence. Loveland is reporting 22" and it's still snowing. I couldn't make it into work today in Denver. The roads were a parking lot. Oh well, I can work from home.
Fraser has received 16" and Breck around 15". These are alll reports from this morning. I am sure they have gotten more. Starting to look like another great early season for Colorado. \:D/
Click to expand...

How is Denver and the ski situation out there now, as of election day, 11/2007. I am not sure if you live there or in CA? I am thinking of a trip near the end of November. Utah is not happening, so, my usual T-Day group will not go once again unless it dumps a lot! Carol
 
Denver is warm and dry. Then again that is pretty much Denver year round. We haven't had significant snow in about two weeks. That is supposed to start changing tomorrow. Looks like maybe a foot of new snow by Sunday. Then maybe close to another foot by Tuesday. So things seem to be crankin' up.
How good the resorts will be depends on the weather patterns and if it gets warm or not. Right now things are looking pretty good, though the snow hasn't been as consistent as it was this time last year. Then again we are getting more of it when it does snow.
 
I spent all of last weekend in coaches' clinics (I coach ski racing) at Copper Mountain. The snow conditions were pretty good with the major problems being the crowds and rocks in the bumps. It's snowing up there last night and today with more expected this weekend so hopefully things will continue to improve.
 
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