|
It's Halloween but it looks like Christmas morning across the Sangre
de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico.
Steady October snows have been piling up and, after
a howling storm on Tuesday, almost of New Mexico’s ski resorts
are reporting solid base depths heading into the 2002-03 season.
Two feet of fresh in New Mexico
Taos, Angel Fire, Red River, Santa Fe and Sipapu all got hit
with heavy wet snow which is quickly being worked into a hard base
by the areas, letting the ever-colder weather weld it to the earth
until next spring.
Taos Ski Valley is also making snow on top of the
natural snowfall. Taos picked up over 2 feet from the latest storm,
Angel Fire received over a foot, Ski Santa Fe received over 6 inches
and now has a 21-inch base.
There is talk of opening early at some of the areas
but, besides being too soon to know for sure, it is projected to
only be by a couple of days should it happen. Still, everyone in
New Mexico is more than ready for the season to begin and starting
to believe all the talk about an El Niño winter.
A foot in Colorado
In Colorado, Steamboat and Telluride received nearly a foot
of snow Tuesday night. Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone
received up to six inches of new snow. Arapahoe Basin and Durango
Mountain Resort received at least four inches, as did Loveland,
where skiers and snowboarders are already riding.
Durango Mountain resort has received 18 inches in
the last week. Silverton Mountain has seen over 68 inches at the
top of their mountain to date this season. Copper, Breckenridge,
Keystone, Beaver Creek, and Winter Park are all blowing snow thanks
to cold winter temperatures.
Farmers Almanac predicts cold winter
The Farmers Almanac is calling for heavy snow and colder-than-normal
temperatures this winter. “We are predicting a rough winter,
with severe weather patterns that gradually shift eastward as the
winter progresses,” writes Caleb Weatherbee, the pseudonym
used by the almanac's forecaster.
Opening Days in New Mexico:
Angel Fire - 12/13/02
Enchanted Forest XC Ski Area - 11/16/02
Pajarito - Mid-December
Red River - 11/28/02
Sandia Peak - Mid-December
Sipapu - 12/13/02
Ski Apache - 11/28/02
Ski Santa Fe - 11/28/02
Taos Ski Valley - 11/28/02
Opening Days In Colorado:
Resort Opening Date (subject to change) Closing
Date(subject to change)
Arapahoe Basin November July 4
Aspen Highlands Dec. 14 April 6
Aspen Mountain Nov. 28 April 20
Beaver Creek Nov. 23 April 13
Breckenridge Nov. 15 April 20
Buttermilk Dec. 14 April 6
Copper Mountain Saturday, Nov. 2 April 20
Crested Butte Dec. 14 April 6
Durango Mountain Resort Nov. 28 April 6
Eldora Mid-Nov. Mid-April
Howelsen Late Nov. Late March
Keystone Nov. 8 April 20
Loveland OPEN! Mid-May
Monarch Nov. 22 April 6
Powderhorn Dec. 12 March 30
Silverton TBD June 15
Ski Cooper Nov. 28 March 30
Snowmass Nov. 28 April 13
SolVista Dec. 14 March 30
Steamboat Nov. 27 April 13
Sunlight Nov. 27 April 6
Telluride Nov. 26 April 6
Vail Nov. 22 April 20
Winter Park/Mary Jane Nov. 13 April 20
[Source: Ski Press]
| 
