Aspen mountains fare better than most after snow dump

A powder-packed storm dropped some much-needed moisture over Colorado on Monday and early Tuesday but Aspen fared better than most ski areas.

A scene from Tuesday at Aspen/Snowmass.
Photo by Jeremy Swanson

The Aspen Skiing Company is reporting 14 inches at Buttermilk and Snowmass, and a foot on Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands. Only Silverton — an expert's only area famous for its steep and deep terrain and guided tours in southwestern Colorado — garnered more snow. The snow report shows Silverton landed 19 inches in the last 24 hours. Other ski resorts that Ullr smiled upon include Crested Butte (12 inches), Steamboat (11 inches), Vail (10 inches), Wolf Creek (10 inches), Beaver Creek (9 inches) and Telluride (8 inches). For southern Colorado resorts such as Wolf Creek, Tuesday's snow total is on top of several inches reported Monday.

The storm moved into the state late Sunday night and by Monday morning, radar maps showed that it stalled over the Elk Mountains where it energized powder-starved locals who took to mainstay social media sites to tweet and update their statuses to spread the news.

Breckenridge on Monday
Troy Hooper

The drive along Interstate 70 from the Front Range into the Rockies wasn't a problem Monday morning but increasingly worsened throughout the day with accidents in the afternoon and evening. The worst of it, however, was reserved for those fleeing the mountains after the three-day weekend (Martin Luther King Day) and heading back to the flatlands.

I was moving in the other direction, after skiing Breckenridge on Monday where there was pretty good coverage considering the snow drought that marred much of the season until now. Snow fell off and on all day with a couple inches of fluff early in the trees and along the sides of runs on Peak 7 and Peak 10. Heavier traffic left Peak 8 and Peak 9 slightly less favorable. But by the day's end, the skies were dumping snow and the wind was howling — a bad combination for visibility and driving. At one point, the highway leading out of Breckenridge was closed due to multiple accidents. According to today's snow report, however, the mountain didn't do as well as some others: only 5 inches. A-Basin and Keystone reported 4 inches while Loveland reported 3 inches.

For a look at how Aspen/Snowmass skied today, check out this video courtesy of Aspen Skiing Company: