Ski Season 2020/2021

[ousuxndallas 65]

This fucking storm keeps getting later and later in it’s arrival. I’m gonna have to come back on Monday to catch the end of it. 

We arrive in CB on Sunday. Monday should be nice, with another wave of snow Tuesday PM. Wednesday could be a powder day. That's my planned free day anyway.

Come on, Urll, gimme shelter!

[ousuxndallas 65]

Roger that.  Thank you for the advice.

You bet. Maybe go the 550 route on the way home, it's stunning, but best traveled in clear weather.

[ousuxndallas 65]

We're headed up there now.  Wife is driving for a bit.  We were supposed to arrive in Telluride Sunday.  Switched things around and now arriving Saturday morning.  Trying to get to Durango tonight, then get up super early tomorrow morning to make it to Telluride.  Telluride had zero rooms available tonight, otherwise, we would've just forged ahead.  
If we can make it before the snow, the skiing should be awesome.  Not as much snow in the San Juans as the front range, but should still be pretty sweet.

We hit a mother storm 2 yrs ago in Telluride. 39 inches in 72 hrs. Maybe you will get lucky this year.

[strangulation! 1716]

2 minutes ago, ousuxndallas said:

5 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Roger that.  Thank you for the advice.

You bet. Maybe go the 550 route on the way home, it's stunning, but best traveled in clear weather.

any thoughts on going to steamboat? was planning on getting to either trinidad or pueblo before heading west up through 69/24

[ousuxndallas 65]

any thoughts on going to steamboat? was planning on getting to either trinidad or pueblo before heading west up through 69/24

That's Chewys neck of the woods. I honestly don't know.

[strangulation! 1716]

@Chewbacca any thoughts on the trek to steamboat?

[Chewbacca 7780]

any thoughts on going to steamboat? was planning on getting to either trinidad or pueblo before heading west up through 69/24

When? If it's tomorrow or Sunday get as far west as fast as you can. Avoid Denver area at all costs.

[strangulation! 1716]

Just now, Chewbacca said:

2 hours ago, strangulation! said:

any thoughts on going to steamboat? was planning on getting to either trinidad or pueblo before heading west up through 69/24

When? If it's tomorrow or Sunday get as far west as far as you can. Avoid Denver area at all costs.

thanks, that's the plan. do you think heading up through poncha springs/breckenridge is west enough? or maybe poncha springs/wolcott?

[Chewbacca 7780]

thanks, that's the plan. do you think heading up through poncha springs/breckenridge is west enough? or maybe poncha springs/wolcott?

That should be good. You just want to get west of the Divide. You will probably still hit snow, but it won't be the shitshow that Denver will be.

[strangulation! 1716]

2 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

6 minutes ago, strangulation! said:

thanks, that's the plan. do you think heading up through poncha springs/breckenridge is west enough? or maybe poncha springs/wolcott?

That should be good. You just want to get west of the Divide. You will probably still hit snow, but it won't be the shitshow that Denver will be.

thanks amigo

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

Ended up finding a room in Telluride last night, so we made it here.  Nice to not have a drive this morning, but it would've been an easy drive.  Still no snow.  But, this Texan was better being safe than sorry.

[Brew 3049]

Had buddies and their families flying into Denver this weekend, but the snow has canceled their flights. They left out this morning for the 20 hour drive. In my 20’s that would have been awesome, in my early 40’s with kids in tow I’m sitting that trip out.

[Pato del Muerto 52524]

Not great video because there’s no perspective and he’s a dot for most of it, but here’s my son heading down the bowl atop big sky. Should start with him on the shoulder to the right of the screen and once I figured out it’s him I get him centered.  This is actually a fairly steep black run. 

[gyroprotagonist 2594]

Is it snowing in Denver yet?

[gyroprotagonist 2594]

Made it in to keystone around 1:30.  Just rain on 25 up through Denver for the most part.   70 was nice and clean too with no ice or snow on the road.  

Drove into Lubbock last night then took off around 4am this morning.  Kept checking the road cams and saw reports that the snow was a little delayed so we pressed on.

[Chewbacca 7780]

Made it in to keystone around 1:30.  Just rain on 25 up through Denver for the most part.   70 was nice and clean too with no ice or snow on the road.  
Drove into Lubbock last night then took off around 4am this morning.  Kept checking the road cams and saw reports that the snow was a little delayed so we pressed on.

I cannot tell you how lucky you are the storm got here late.

[gyroprotagonist 2594]

22 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

2 hours ago, gyroprotagonist said:

Made it in to keystone around 1:30.  Just rain on 25 up through Denver for the most part.   70 was nice and clean too with no ice or snow on the road.  
Drove into Lubbock last night then took off around 4am this morning.  Kept checking the road cams and saw reports that the snow was a little delayed so we pressed on.

I cannot tell you how lucky you are the storm got here late.

No doubt.  I was pessimistic and prepared to hole up at Co Springs if it was bad.  Saw a weather report that said it would start in Denver around noon but not accumulate till later in afternoon. and then figured we could get there sooner than that. 

 

Appreciate all the knowledge 🙏 

[ousuxndallas 65]

What i didn't expect was to hit a crazy storm around Amarillo. Hail, torrential rain, wind. Same storm dropped a huge tornado outside Paducah. We saw storm chasers on the side of the road about 10 minutes east of Amarillo. That's never a good sign.

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

16" overnight in Telluride.  Gonna be a good powder day!

[ousuxndallas 65]

16" overnight in Telluride.  Gonna be a good powder day!

Hit Bushwacker. It's a long black trail that gets groomed. So it will be so sweet with that powder on top. No moguls under neath. But with 16 inches, every run will be sweet.

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

5 minutes ago, ousuxndallas said:

48 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

16" overnight in Telluride.  Gonna be a good powder day!

Hit Bushwacker. It's a long black trail that gets groomed. So it will be so sweet with that powder on top. No moguls under neath. But with 16 inches, every run will be sweet.

Bushwacker is on the list for sure.  I'm stoked about hitting Revelation.  Only catch is kids are with us today.  Tomorrow and Tuesday, they're in ski school.  Wednesday together again.

Oh, and my wife just surprised me last night that she booked heilski for me Thursday.  So, that doesn't suck.

[strangulation! 1716]

18 hours ago, gyroprotagonist said:

Made it in to keystone around 1:30.  Just rain on 25 up through Denver for the most part.   70 was nice and clean too with no ice or snow on the road.  

Drove into Lubbock last night then took off around 4am this morning.  Kept checking the road cams and saw reports that the snow was a little delayed so we pressed on.

We did the same for steamboat. I think we were 5-6 hours behind you. Denver and 70 weren’t too bad and once we got through the second (long) tunnel it was much better

[Chewbacca 7780]

No doubt.  I was pessimistic and prepared to hole up at Co Springs if it was bad.  Saw a weather report that said it would start in Denver around noon but not accumulate till later in afternoon. and then figured we could get there sooner than that. 
 
Appreciate all the knowledge  

The shitshow that is I-70 right now is what was forecast for yesterday. Berthoud Pass is closed. 70 was closed at Silverthorne last night.

Enjoy the snow. Might be a little uncomfortable asking with that rabbits foot up your ass, though!

[Born to Run 6569]

Getting it all day at wolf creek.
Roads were good.

[BabaYaga 15301]

Spent a week in Park City with the fam.  Damn, what a nice place.  Not cheap, but worth it (compared to NM or closer spots).  Mountain was pristine.  No snowboarders.  A limited number of lift tickets given per day, so it was never overcrowded.  By the 3rd day I was having more and more trouble getting out of bed.  Place can beat you up if you spend all day going hard.  

Went snowmobiling.  For those that watch the show, the valley they film the series Yellowstone is actually there in Utah.  We were looking down on where they filmed much of the series.  Guide said they also do hunts there in the summer.  They had to take a 2 week break this year so as not be seen creeping around in hunter orange in the background of the show.  We were cruising around the summits and saw a moose not too far off.  Hadn't seen on of those in decades.  Forget how big they are.  

[Both Tacos 1806]

Snow report - Biggest total from record-shattering snowstorm tops 50 inches (msn.com)

Spoiler

 

Biggest total from record-shattering snowstorm tops 50 inches

Mark Puleo  2 hrs ago

 

 

 

 

---

 

A snowstorm of epic proportions swept across the western United States this weekend, dropping over 3 feet of snow in many areas and leaving tens of thousands of residents without power under the heavy blanket of record-breaking snow totals.

The storm left historic mounds of snow in its wake, dropping 25.8 inches of snow in Cheyenne, Montana, the most snow from a single storm the city had ever seen. The previous record was set in 1979 when the city received 25.2 inches over two days.

This same system would become the fourth-largest snowstorm in Denver history, leaving over 27 inches of powder at Denver International Airport. Throughout Colorado, five locations received at least 3 feet of snow, led by Buckhorn Mountain's 42 inches recorded over this weekend.

In Wyoming, even the most winter-proofed lifelong residents wouldn't be able to recall a storm that packed this heavy a punch. Along with Cheyenne's all-time record, a site atop Windy Peak in the Laramie Range reported 52 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The "historic" conditions spewed far enough to even drop 19 inches of snow in Nebraska, triggering the closure of Interstate 80 near Gering, according to The Associated Press.

By early Monday morning, the 27.1 inches of snow reported at the Denver International Airport, forced all airlines to cease operations, leading to the cancellation of 1,072 departing flights and 1,116 arriving ones.

Other locations in Colorado received in excess of 3 feet such as Aspen Springs, which recorded 40 inches of snow.

By Sunday night, snowfall amounts had exceeded 30 inches in Cheyenne, easily eclipsing the city's old record for the heaviest snowstorm in history, which stood at 25.6 inches set from Nov. 19-21 in 1979.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced that he activated the Colorado National Guard to respond to search-and-rescue requests through the state's Emergency Operations Center from 12 p.m. Friday until 12 p.m. Monday.

The dangerous winter conditions also sparked widespread power outages, leaving more than 33,000 customers in the dark at one point on Sunday morning.

"I urge you to stay home if it's going to snow hard in your area, so you don't need them to rescue you," Polis said. Colorado State Patrol echoed that motorists should stay off of the roads amid what a trooper referred to as "Snowmaggedon" or "Snowpocalypse" in a video recorded and sent out on Twitter.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Colorado reported that it was responding to many people throughout the county who were stranded in their vehicles on Sunday. A deputy and a Colorado Department of Transportation plow were among the vehicles that were having problems.

Denver International Airport's fleet of snow-removal vehicles prepared early, so they could take on the snow as soon as it arrived.

"The good news is that snow in Denver is not unusual, maybe this much is, but we plan all year for big storms," The Denver International Airport Spokesperson, Emily Williams, said.

Along I-25, The NWS office in Boulder reported that roads were getting "slushy" on Saturday night, and conditions deteriorated in a hurry throughout the day on Sunday, leading to travel becoming nearly impossible.

Portions of I-25, I-70, I-76 and I-80 were shut down as a result of the treacherous travel conditions on Saturday night.

Conditions on I-70 began to get "treacherous," as the snow fell steadily. Colorado State Patrol announced a westbound closure at C-470 on 260, with all traffic being diverted east on Colorado 470.

By Sunday afternoon, the Colorado State Patrol said conditions continued to deteriorate to the point that flares put out to block the ramp to westbound I-70 from C470 were no longer visible.

Traffic cameras in the area all showed the same scene: roadways covered with so much snow that they became indistinguishable from the surrounding ground.

On Sunday morning, I-25 was closed north of Fort Collins, Colorado, near Wellington, to the Colorado and Wyoming border.

"We just received a report from a caller in Wellington who said 10-inch- diameter trees were snapped in his neighborhood and power lines are laying on the ground. Roughly 14 inches of snow is on the ground," NWS Boulder tweeted.

 

 

[Johnny Chimpo 478]

45 minutes ago, Both Tacos said:

Snow report - Biggest total from record-shattering snowstorm tops 50 inches (msn.com)

Biggest total from record-shattering snowstorm tops 50 inches

Mark Puleo  2 hrs ago

 

 

 

 

---

 

A snowstorm of epic proportions swept across the western United States this weekend, dropping over 3 feet of snow in many areas and leaving tens of thousands of residents without power under the heavy blanket of record-breaking snow totals.

The storm left historic mounds of snow in its wake, dropping 25.8 inches of snow in Cheyenne, Montana, the most snow from a single storm the city had ever seen. The previous record was set in 1979 when the city received 25.2 inches over two days.

This same system would become the fourth-largest snowstorm in Denver history, leaving over 27 inches of powder at Denver International Airport. Throughout Colorado, five locations received at least 3 feet of snow, led by Buckhorn Mountain's 42 inches recorded over this weekend.

In Wyoming, even the most winter-proofed lifelong residents wouldn't be able to recall a storm that packed this heavy a punch. Along with Cheyenne's all-time record, a site atop Windy Peak in the Laramie Range reported 52 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The "historic" conditions spewed far enough to even drop 19 inches of snow in Nebraska, triggering the closure of Interstate 80 near Gering, according to The Associated Press.

By early Monday morning, the 27.1 inches of snow reported at the Denver International Airport, forced all airlines to cease operations, leading to the cancellation of 1,072 departing flights and 1,116 arriving ones.

Other locations in Colorado received in excess of 3 feet such as Aspen Springs, which recorded 40 inches of snow.

By Sunday night, snowfall amounts had exceeded 30 inches in Cheyenne, easily eclipsing the city's old record for the heaviest snowstorm in history, which stood at 25.6 inches set from Nov. 19-21 in 1979.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced that he activated the Colorado National Guard to respond to search-and-rescue requests through the state's Emergency Operations Center from 12 p.m. Friday until 12 p.m. Monday.

The dangerous winter conditions also sparked widespread power outages, leaving more than 33,000 customers in the dark at one point on Sunday morning.

"I urge you to stay home if it's going to snow hard in your area, so you don't need them to rescue you," Polis said. Colorado State Patrol echoed that motorists should stay off of the roads amid what a trooper referred to as "Snowmaggedon" or "Snowpocalypse" in a video recorded and sent out on Twitter.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Colorado reported that it was responding to many people throughout the county who were stranded in their vehicles on Sunday. A deputy and a Colorado Department of Transportation plow were among the vehicles that were having problems.

Denver International Airport's fleet of snow-removal vehicles prepared early, so they could take on the snow as soon as it arrived.

"The good news is that snow in Denver is not unusual, maybe this much is, but we plan all year for big storms," The Denver International Airport Spokesperson, Emily Williams, said.

Along I-25, The NWS office in Boulder reported that roads were getting "slushy" on Saturday night, and conditions deteriorated in a hurry throughout the day on Sunday, leading to travel becoming nearly impossible.

Portions of I-25, I-70, I-76 and I-80 were shut down as a result of the treacherous travel conditions on Saturday night.

Conditions on I-70 began to get "treacherous," as the snow fell steadily. Colorado State Patrol announced a westbound closure at C-470 on 260, with all traffic being diverted east on Colorado 470.

By Sunday afternoon, the Colorado State Patrol said conditions continued to deteriorate to the point that flares put out to block the ramp to westbound I-70 from C470 were no longer visible.

Traffic cameras in the area all showed the same scene: roadways covered with so much snow that they became indistinguishable from the surrounding ground.

On Sunday morning, I-25 was closed north of Fort Collins, Colorado, near Wellington, to the Colorado and Wyoming border.

"We just received a report from a caller in Wellington who said 10-inch- diameter trees were snapped in his neighborhood and power lines are laying on the ground. Roughly 14 inches of snow is on the ground," NWS Boulder tweeted.

I’m gonna quote this motherfucking long cat just for fun. 

[Your Mom 4806]

13 hours ago, Born to Run said:

Getting it all day at wolf creek.
Roads were good.

We're getting there Wednesday to snowboard Thursday thru the weekend.  Looks perfect.  Glad the road up the pass in is good shape.

[gyroprotagonist 2594]

first time on a board.  my 10yo seems to be a natural.  I finally got to try out my new board (170cm ultra wide) and it helps a ton keeping my size 15s off the snow on toe turns

 

keystone has been good so far.  snowing on and off a little bit most of the time but nothing heavy.  no ice.  should get a lot of sun tomorrow.

 

going to drive to Breck on Thur as that was the only place to get her a boarding lesson in the area.  

 

[Born to Run 6569]

We're getting there Wednesday to snowboard Thursday thru the weekend.  Looks perfect.  Glad the road up the pass in is good shape.

Still finding 2' deep powder in the trees today. So many clean fresh lines 4 days later.
Hopefully it doesn't start crusting up with the warm up.

The trees just right of the Alberta lift are sweet.

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

OK.  So, heli-skiing was insane.  Legit bucket list trip.  But, damn I got my ass kicked.  Humbling, breath taking, amazing and about a jillion other superlatives.  Will upload pictures tonight or tomorrow.  

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

Edited March 21, 2021 by Spaulding Smails
I suck at computers

[conVINCEd 21469]

5 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

You don’t suck at putting down fresh tracks.  That looks incredible.

[Upgrayedd 5814]

Where was that?

On 3/18/2021 at 3:19 PM, Spaulding Smails said:

OK.  So, heli-skiing was insane.  Legit bucket list trip.  But, damn I got my ass kicked.  Humbling, breath taking, amazing and about a jillion other superlatives.  Will upload pictures tonight or tomorrow.  

Where was that?

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

56 minutes ago, Upgrayedd said:

Where was that?

Where was that?

San Juan Mountains.  Just north of Telluride.  Chopper flew out of Mountain Village.  

[Born to Run 6569]

San Juan Mountains.  Just north of Telluride.  Chopper flew out of Mountain Village.  

Nice.
How much- if you don't mind me asking?

What level of skier/ rider do you need to be. We have a couple really good riders in our group and a few that only ride blues and blue level tree runs and blacks in powder. We are kicking around ideas for 2022 for a 40th birthday trip several years late.

[Chewbacca 7780]

Nice.
How much- if you don't mind me asking?

What level of skier/ rider do you need to be. We have a couple really good riders in our group and a few that only ride blues and blue level tree runs and blacks in powder. We are kicking around ideas for 2022 for a 40th birthday trip several years late.

Cat skiing runs 500-600 per person, so I'm guessing double or triple at minimum?

[Both Tacos 1806]

This one is out of Telluride/San Juan Mountains. I thought it would be more than this. May have to go on the bucket list.
https://www.helitrax.com/trips/

[Spaulding Smails 1553]

7 hours ago, Both Tacos said:

This one is out of Telluride/San Juan Mountains. I thought it would be more than this. May have to go on the bucket list.
https://www.helitrax.com/trips/
 

Yep.  This is who we used.   First class operation.  Can't say enough good things.  They know their shit.  And they know that area like the back of their hand.

@Born to Run regarding ability, they did a great job of tailoring the trip according to ability.  I'm a good, but not great, skier.  I can handle blacks and moguls, but I'm not super fluid and I don't do the double black diamond stuff.  I had skied in powder before, but not like that.  It took some getting used to.  For example, I veered off to the side and the chopper pick-up location on one run, and took my skis off and sank to my chest in powder. By the third run, I was more comfortable and started taking more aggressive lines that actually helped all around.  If I did it again, it would be a completely different mindset.  

The group that we were paired with (husband and wife) were amazing skiers.  The husband skied competitively in his younger days.  We had two runs where the chopper dropped me and my buddy off at the normal launch point, then took the guide and the two of them up to a more difficult segment that ran down to us.  It was a blast to watch them carve up those steep areas between rocks.  

To me, the most critical part is physical aptitude.  If you can't ski all day, or if you're out of shape, don't do it.  You need to be ready for getting after it to make the trip enjoyable.  So, to summarize, if you're a high-intermediate skier in good shape, you'll be fine.  Anything less than that, and I don't think it would be very enjoyable.  

[texasdago 7575]

Spent a week in Durango/Purgatory.  Snow was good... not the big dump like the rest of CO but good quality and some great bluebird days.  Bottom lift got a little busy but honestly not overwhelming.  You just had to time it.  Key was catching an early lift up and then heading over to lift 8.  You could then ski black after black by yourself.  Runs like Elliott's, Ray's Ridge, most of Bushwacker, etc. were empty.  Not a soul on them at the same time.  Same went for most others like Wapiti, Spur, etc.  until about lunchtime.  One day, headed over the Styx and Brimstone around lunch and took the runs by myself.  Enjoyed Durango and really liked chilling out at the Nugget after skiing. Didn't hurt that they were passing out resort credit like candy.

[Born to Run 6569]

Yep.  This is who we used.   First class operation.  Can't say enough good things.  They know their shit.  And they know that area like the back of their hand.
[mention=2205]Born to Run[/mention] regarding ability, they did a great job of tailoring the trip according to ability.  I'm a good, but not great, skier.  I can handle blacks and moguls, but I'm not super fluid and I don't do the double black diamond stuff.  I had skied in powder before, but not like that.  It took some getting used to.  For example, I veered off to the side and the chopper pick-up location on one run, and took my skis off and sank to my chest in powder. By the third run, I was more comfortable and started taking more aggressive lines that actually helped all around.  If I did it again, it would be a completely different mindset.  
The group that we were paired with (husband and wife) were amazing skiers.  The husband skied competitively in his younger days.  We had two runs where the chopper dropped me and my buddy off at the normal launch point, then took the guide and the two of them up to a more difficult segment that ran down to us.  It was a blast to watch them carve up those steep areas between rocks.  
To me, the most critical part is physical aptitude.  If you can't ski all day, or if you're out of shape, don't do it.  You need to be ready for getting after it to make the trip enjoyable.  So, to summarize, if you're a high-intermediate skier in good shape, you'll be fine.  Anything less than that, and I don't think it would be very enjoyable.  

Appreciate all the info and I'm stoked to give this a go. I can ski or ride all day on lift served with no problem, but for that kind of trip I will definetly do some extra training months prior. It will be a great fitness motivator/ reward.
One of the ideas tossed about in our group was a back country training certification in advance of a split boarding trip- f that.

[Doc Holliday 199]

if you guys don't follow I-70 things on instagram, it's worth the follow.  

Happy you guys are getting some runs in!  It's also snowing again in Denver.

[texasdago 7575]

Worst part of a ski trip is coming back and trying to figure out the next ski trip... withdrawallllzzzzzz....

[ousuxndallas 65]

Nice! So jealous!

[PRONG HORN 3146]

 

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

Good snow in Beaver creek, Niece tearing it up...she is already way better than me (well, I suck but, semantics)

her Grandpa's ski cottage, somehow my invite is always lost in the mail!!!

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2021 by ChickenSandwich

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Road tripping the next 10 days in the chinook RV thru Maine, Vermont, and New York spring skiing season.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Day 1 complete . Corn snow conditions , very forgivable, soft snow no bare spots on the good runs,  Heading to saddleback now 2500 vertical fall, 50 degrees .

A really great spring day I skiing .

[texasdago 7575]

That would be a lot of fun.

 

BTW, last week was bulk trash day in our hood in Austin.  Someone put out a 1985ish pair of Atomic Arcs out by the curb.  190 cm (what I used to ski), Tyorilia bindings.  Based in good shape, edges need sharpening.  Time to tune them and revisit my skinny ski days?  

 

Similar to these... https://longskistruck.com/products/atomic-arc-team-bionic-rs-yellow-sleds-210cm-s747?variant=43190556050 

[Axle Hongsnort 208]

taking a hard look at winter park next weekend for some final runs. i see they just got dumped on and the apps show promising late spring conditions...anyone have first hand knowledge ?