Eldora, CO Dec 26-31, 2022

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OK, I won't be up on the 28th but should be all the other days.

12/26 - Very nice day. 3" of dense creamy new snow that skied very well. Much dealing with race team logistics at points along the day meant that I only had a couple of runs on the backside, but also skied several in the glades on the front for example. Some stuff to hit, but holding up better than I would have expected. It helped to have been in the glades earlier so I knew where to NOT hit stuff under the couple inches of new snow. Everything skied surprisingly well really. A touch of scratch on Corona trail itself. This is where Eldora is in the early part of the transition to western skiing from Eastern. My visual measurement is that when natural snow depth on the edges of trails equals the manmade depths on trail that things begin to transition and more snow holds on the trails in spite of the wind (well more, skiers right can still get decimated, but usually not the entire trail anymore).

Modestly crowded at times with temps in the upper 20's.

On Jolly Jug

Now for a comprehensive tour of Wolf Tongue! Up top... (Hey it was just about the only time I pulled my camera out, lol!)

This is where AlpenHorn merges in. And yes it is also open despite lookers left having no snow. It actually skied quite well too

This spot just below the AlpenHorn merge used to be very narrow and scratchy on a short steeper pitch. Originally they had hoped the narrowing of the trail at that spot would allow for wind sheltering, but since it didn't help in that way, they widened it this summer to normal/full trail width so it is much easier for most people to navigate.

And right after that both those trails merge with Muleshoe... One of the worst thought out trails ever as to wind direction and width. The thing is directly into the wind for the most part and also way too wide. Tons of water needed to get it opened up no matter how much snow falls from the sky. Heck even at 500" (which Eldo never gets) it wouldn't be enough given the wind direction.

Just a general scene up top of Challenge mtn...

 

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12-27

Much warmer. Temps already in the 30's when we pulled into the parking lot at 7:15a. But also the infamous gusty Eldora "breeze".

This time I headed straight for the backside and got in multiple laps on both Wolf Tongue and Alpenhorn. Wolf tongue was about as good as it gets. Packed powder and freshly groomed. Again most trails were a nice packed powder to start the day after the prior days snowfall. Tucking nearly a requirement though to move westward across the hill at points. Though it wasn't steady strong wind, it was very gusty. While there have been a number of natural snow openings, they have been for some trails sporadic or only for a few hours at a time to pack things down and then wait for the next storm type of management. So with no new snow and winds several of those were roped off again today (Psycopath, Marys way for examples).

For some reason I got really hungry about 11a and stopped for a quick bite on the frontside. Usually I just skip lunch since race training is over ~1:30P and I can snack when I get back home. Once back out I suddenly realized the liftline at the 6pack was due to them running the lift at all of about ~1/4 speed. Definitely slower than even a fixed grip would run. I took one more lap of Jolly Jug Glades before deciding the lap time was too long to keep me interested for the day. Quite literally the next storm blowing in as eventually they shut the entire upper mtn about 12:40a. Leaving the short beginner and terrain park stuff open. No pics taken today.

 

[Tony Crocker]

But also the infamous gusty Eldora "breeze".

Is that an upslope wind from the east off the Great Plains?

 

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wind from the east off the Great Plains?

It is not. While that wind direction certainly drops the biggest snow storms for Eldora, the prevailing winds are out of the NW and W most of the time. Given that Eldora is very near, but below the continental divide, the winds can be very persistent from either storms getting pushed up and over the divide or even just downslope type winds from temperature differential with the plains, etc...

As to snow, in general (there are always edge cases!): S or SW wind=no snow for Eldora, W winds=some, but fairly minimal snow, NW winds=just about as good as the rest of Colo for snowfall, N Winds=better than many, or just as good snowfall. NE or E winds better than the rest for snowfall.

So "NW flow" events that Colo is well known for and upslope from the E or NE bring the vast majority of the snowfall, with modest amounts from W winds/storms.

 

[Tony Crocker]

It is obvious that Eldora is in the snow shadow of the Continental Divide from prevailing west to east weather. But since the top of Eldora is 10,600, well below the Continental Divide and with no terrain above tree line, it's not obvious to me why that would be a windy ski area.

 

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I can't say for certain myself why it's always so windy, but the divide has a 7-8 mile stretch where it is almost like a long ridgeline only ~11.7K to 12.3K high, so not exactly super high compared to the top of Eldora. And then north of that a bunch of 13 & 14K peaks on the Divide and the same to the south. So I can guess perhaps that it sort of funnels wind through that lower stretch with Eldora as a high ridgeline just East to boot. Which is why sometimes it is literally just the top of the mountain where the wind issues can be (though not always).

I'm still waiting for Eldora to trademark the term "Eldora Breeze" and then market it with a signature cocktail in the bar, etc... They could make it fun.

Looking West to the relatively low portion of the divide area. Not much in the way of big mtns directly to the west or NW of the divide for some ways allowing winds to be mostly uninterrupted for a good stretch and then the ridgeline just over 1K higher than Eldora. Somehow there really isn't a wind shadow anywhere in the whole area around the ski area either.

 

[Tony Crocker]

That is the same Google Earth view I examined. I noticed that ridgeline of the Divide being quite consistent around 12K for ~9 miles, so not as likely a funneling effect as the two passes pointing at Mammoth. I have read that the east side of the Sierra overlooking the desert has some tendency to stronger winds. That would apply to Heavenly and Mt. Rose as well as Mammoth. Perhaps there is an analogy to Rockies' more easterly areas overlooking the Great Plains.

 

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12-29

Powder day. 8" new on the report; not cement, not blower. Decent base building material that was also easy to ski. Of course that's not near what a lot of places across the West are getting from this storm, but At Eldora we'll take every inch at any time. Given my current MO of being there well before opening for the racer thing (they free skied the whole day - not able to run speed training as planned). I was able to get several untouched laps, but as you might expect I'm pretty sure it was the busiest day of the year up there so far. Not crazy busy - it is mid-week and still early, but still actual lift lines even on Corona chair at times, etc...

My ski MO today was to actually stay on the frontside for much longer than most. Not enough of the best natural only stuff is open on the backside to be worth it IMO. So instead I skied the entirely overlooked Psychopath for 2 laps, Joly Jug Glades, and after some ski team discussion for 15 minutes was able to hit unexpected untracked on Powderhorn as that and Challenge trail opened for the first time of the year today. However it's not super deep so in my opinion you have to be one of the first while it's still very floaty otherwise you will be part of the later pack that finds all the stumps, logs and rocks once the powder is flattened out.

After that hitting the backside for a few laps of soft, but long since skied out snow. They were running groups of ~10 down West Ridge for the first 'directed skiing' of the year on some of the real steeps, but I wasn't waiting around for that (you have to go inside, sign up sign waivers, etc... it's a big hassle, followed by a long wait, etc... and I had other things to take care of anyway. But good to know that it may fully open in another storm or two. Eldora is claiming 83" YTD but especially on the frontside E facing trails much of any of that fully melted out. Probably only ~40" or so that has stayed in place on the natural snow frontside stuff. So ski with caution.

I sort of got busy and forgot to take pics. Partially since you have to "just go" in order to have any shot at more than one run of powder at a place now so popular with the Ikon crowd.

Backside late am

Looking a lot different than even a couple weeks ago now that the frontside has tracks pretty much everywhere...

 

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12-30

Mostly a packed powder day. The exception being that they opened Salto Glade and West Ridge. I took the risk and did 2 laps in Salto. Essentially untouched as all the "tours" a day earlier had gone to West Ridge. The powder was a mix of decent powder and also a bit windpacked/settled. Still not bad for just barely Dec. They did have a rope line half way down pushing you through the trees and onto Corona for the lower half.

Otherwise a fairly average day of work and a short 90minute ski session. Just barely 10K vert.

Mid Salto, untouched goodness.

It is true that you better know where the rocky spots are... otherwise this time of season you Will hit stuff. 2nd lap at the same spot as above.

 

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12-31

Surprise powder. With a forecast of a dusting (if anything), it was a surprise to pull in to the parking lot with it snowing and a report of 4" at 6am. Since I leave the house before any resorts have reported for the day (yes, that early to get to the 7:30a race training start), sometimes it's a surprise.

Temps were fairly warm at near 30F right from the start and probably 1-2 inches fell during the first half of the day. Wife and I were on one of the first chairs of the day and immediately headed to Corona. Getting about 20th down Corona trail - which being so wide meant I didn't cross anyone's tracks until the choke point most of the way down. Then getting more soft turns on Wolf Tongue. This time making figure 8's with prior tracks. The Snow being for the 3rd storm in a row good, denser than normal base building material. With 2 simial hit the big untracked patches skiing on Alpenhorn before patrol opened Salto and Westridge this time all the way to the bottom.

I risked 3 more runs down Salto today. Again avoiding known rocky spots. With lots of untracked snow lap 1, crossing tracks to untracked lap 2 and soft but mostly skied out for lap 3. Followed up by heading back to newly snowmade Diamondback and eventually a few laps frontside. Ditching by ~12:30p with about 17K vert.

Note the snowguns upper left. Getting ready to hit Muleshoe soon.

Bottom of Corona chair. No real lines today which was a surprise.

Psychopath on frontside.

 

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1-2-2023

Weird day at best. After an expected storm fizzled and split apart over Colorado, we ended up with 1" new (vs expectation of 4-6"). Very underwhelming. For the first time of the holiday period Race training started at only 8:30a or 30 minutes ahead of public skiing. Which was also very head scratching to me as the vast majority of workers had a Monday the 2nd off as "New Years (Observed)", but the mountain went back to normal weekday operations for some reason. It was easily the most crowded day at Eldora of the season so far and I believe they parked out for the first time ever including the new this year multi-hundred car parking lot addition.

It was a chilly day in the teens with unusual weather. popping up into Nederland it suddenly became blue-sky sunny and many a decision by early goers on goggle lens choices were later regretted when pea soup level fog mostly came-in but occasionally left during the day. Solid lines on both the 6pack and Corona chairs and even IP lift was quite busy though not quite enough to cause lines to form. Snowmaking is still ongoing with Muleshoe now getting treatment. Probably only a few very short sections of trails left after that one before they run out of water though (eg top couple hundred yards of Powderhorn, last bit of lower Westridge, etc...).

Anyway the skiing was nice on groomed surfaces to start for the first hour or so. Moose glade opened up for the first time. But then the crowding became a bit much (anywhere from 5-15 minute lift lines depending on singles line or not and specific lift) and even the steeps were getting pounded into mostly firm bumps with deep (sometimes too deep) troughs. Happy to depart by 1p with shocking number of cars headed up the shelf road at nearly 1:20p.

Far from the thickest of the pea soup.

Cool partial snow-bow

The undercast and pea soup levels kept ebbing and changing all day.

Do I need dark lenses for sun or low light, yellow lenses?

Now with Eldora mostly open and I70 headaches in full effect for the rest of the season, I expect to see this kind of line a whole lot more often...