Memories of more than five years ago are hard to come by for me (wear your helmets!), but there seem to be several from the winter of ’96 that I recall vividly. That winter was one of the largest snow falls on record in Colorado since nearly a century before. People living in mountain towns found themselves having to dig tunnels through masses of snow to reach their doors. To the disappointment of the school board, the Summit Country School District had to close school for the first time in years (but only because the snow plow drivers went on strike). The melt off that spring flooded the property of a friend’s house living on the Blue River; the bridge to his driveway was washed away under heavy currents. The winter of ’96 was little less than epic.
That winter was filled with day after day of powdery face shots, even for people taller than me. Christmas Eve was a blizzardy mess that left the next morning glistening with fresh snow even more beautiful than the ribbons and bows under the tree. I remember a bridge at Copper Mountain that my sister and I would continually jump from, burying us well above our waists with each landing.
Since that winter, Colorado has been in one of its ten year cycling droughts. Snow falls steadily declined and resorts found themselves opening later and closing earlier. Forest fires destroyed thousands of acres and water restrictions were placed on nearly everyone but the golf courses. It wasn’t until this summer that the Lake Dillon Reservoir water levels went high enough to spill over the glory hole.
It has been ten years since that epic winter and the cycle is proving itself to be over. Loveland Ski Area was the first in North America to open this season, running its lifts on October 14th; last week brought nearly three feet of snow to the rocky mountain ski resorts. It is only Thanksgiving and many Colorado ski areas are around 70% open. It appears as if this season will be another one to remember.
The fantastic snow conditions however, have created an early avalanche season that has already claimed the life of one Colorado skier. Heavy snow, wind deposition, and western faced sun baking, has set up the Colorado back country in multiple layers easily capable of breaking and sliding upon one another. There may be an abundance of early season snow, but those enjoying it should be cautious.
Colorado is off to a brilliant start to the 2005-2006 winter season. The drought plaguing the state for the past ten years has come to an end and an epic season is about to begin.
That winter was filled with day after day of powdery face shots, even for people taller than me. Christmas Eve was a blizzardy mess that left the next morning glistening with fresh snow even more beautiful than the ribbons and bows under the tree. I remember a bridge at Copper Mountain that my sister and I would continually jump from, burying us well above our waists with each landing.
Since that winter, Colorado has been in one of its ten year cycling droughts. Snow falls steadily declined and resorts found themselves opening later and closing earlier. Forest fires destroyed thousands of acres and water restrictions were placed on nearly everyone but the golf courses. It wasn’t until this summer that the Lake Dillon Reservoir water levels went high enough to spill over the glory hole.
It has been ten years since that epic winter and the cycle is proving itself to be over. Loveland Ski Area was the first in North America to open this season, running its lifts on October 14th; last week brought nearly three feet of snow to the rocky mountain ski resorts. It is only Thanksgiving and many Colorado ski areas are around 70% open. It appears as if this season will be another one to remember.
The fantastic snow conditions however, have created an early avalanche season that has already claimed the life of one Colorado skier. Heavy snow, wind deposition, and western faced sun baking, has set up the Colorado back country in multiple layers easily capable of breaking and sliding upon one another. There may be an abundance of early season snow, but those enjoying it should be cautious.
Colorado is off to a brilliant start to the 2005-2006 winter season. The drought plaguing the state for the past ten years has come to an end and an epic season is about to begin.
Contributed by Natasha