Down but not out

Published: February 1, 2010

Below average snowfall has plagued much of CO so far, but we’re not done just yet.

Keep on reading for something to do tonight, something to do next month, and a great deal to carry you through the winter.  Oh, and of course the somewhat-snowy forecast is included free of charge.

Lacking Snow?

It feels like southern Colorado is getting the brunt of this winter’s storms, and northern Colorado (along and north of I-70) is getting the cold shoulder.  But what does the data say?  According to the numerous remote mountains weather stations (SNOTELs) around Colorado, our gut feel is about right.  While the southern part of the state is just below or around average for snowfall through the end of January, the northern areas are 20-30% below average.

But don’t worry – historically, El Nino winters provide a little more snowfall across the north during Feb/March/April compared to earlier in the season.  Oh, and in case you’re wondering, El Nino conditions (warm Pacific water) are weakening, but should still hang on (pdf) through the spring.

Free Movies Tonight, 7pm, Golden!

The results of the Serac Adventure Film School are in!  After three days of importing, editing, re-editing (is this a word?), and exporting, the finished movies are ready for all to see.  Come to the Foss Auditorium at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden (Google map link) tonight, Feb 1st, at 7pm.  Why should you come out tonight?

  • It’s free!
  • Ten films, each about five minutes.
  • Meet the filmmakers (including an Aussie, a Marine, a NOLS guide, an outdoor photographer).
  • One of the films is about me :-) , profiling the birth of the Colorado Powder Forecast.

The Adventure Film School crew capturing the sunrise from a ridge near Searle Pass.

Forecast

The brunt  of last week’s storm (Wed/Thur) missed most of the state, but Wolf Creek continued its domination on the snow scoreboard racking up 17″ of fresh.  What does the upcoming week have in store?

  • Monday: A bit of light snow continues through the day for northern areas (I-70 and north), but only another 1-2″ is likely.  Elsewhere, partly-to-mostly sunny.
  • Tuesday: Sunny with comfortable temperatures.
  • Wednesday: Increasing clouds especially across the southern part of CO.  Snow should start to fly in the San Juans (Durango, Silverton, Wolf Creek) by evening.
  • Thursday: Snow starts Wednesday night for the south, and additional snow spreads over the central and northern mountains through the day.  This is a weak and “wobbly” storm, so it’s hard to forecast at this point.  By Thursday evening, the best chance of snow looks to focus along and north of I-70.  The eastern mountains may also see some flakes.  OVERALL, this does not look like a big storm with most snow totals coming in below 6″.
  • Friday: A few more inches could fall for locations along and north of I-70, but again – this is a tough storm to forecast.
  • Sat/Sun: Umm…more light snow?  The models are hinting at this, but no specifics at this point.  Best chance for another round of snow looks like Sunday>Monday.

Next update: Wednesday morning.

Getting Creative

Friday and Saturday nights were prime time for full-moon skiing.  It’s fun to ski deep powder, but it’s also fun to get a little creative and make your own adventure that doesn’t necessarily include bottomless fluff.

After a memory lapse that left my backcountry skis at Copper Mountain, Tim Brown loaned me some equipment (I now love Dynafits) and myself and a friend made our way up an easterly-facing bowl to view a spectacular moonrise over the front range.  Once the moon was a little higher in the sky, skiing the low-angle, lightly-treed slope was sensational – no headlamps required.  A blurred, grainy, yet still descriptive image is below, just to whet your appetite for the next full moon on the weekend of Feb 27/28.

Deal: Pow Pow Platter

It’s back!  You get three days for $99, which breaks down to one day Copper, one day at Winter Park, and one day at Steamboat.  More details here.