All four of the ski areas (Durango Mountain Resort, Hesperus, Telluride Resort and Wolf Creek) are reporting the best ski-snowboard conditions in at least three years. Snow dropped more than three feet on Wolf Creek, with up to two feet at Purgatory and Telluride, and another 20 or so inches at Hesperus from last weekend’s storm.

Today, Feb. 3, and Sunday, Feb. 4, should be great for a day on the slopes. The National Weather Service is calling for clear skies with a slow warming trend until perhaps the end of the next week.

Wolf Creek Ski Area, which is located east of Pagosa Springs on U.S. Highway 160, is reporting excellent conditions following the recent storms. It has the most all-natural snow in Colorado with a summit snow depth of 111 inches with 98 at mid-mountain.

Hesperus Ski Area, located about 30 miles east of Cortez, has an all-natural base of 59 inches. Surface conditions are excellent on powder and some packed powder.

Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, located about 25 miles north of Durango on U.S. Highway 550, has a mid-way snow depth of 54 inches. Surface conditions are excellent on powder and packed powder.

Telluride Resort, located about 60 miles north of Cortez on Colorado Highway 145, is reporting 47 inches at the top with 48 at mid-mountain. Surface conditions are reported as excellent on powder and packed powder.

The Paul Mitchell Freestyle Competition will be held Feb. 10-11.

Chicken Creek Cross-Country Ski Area, located at the end of Millwood Road (County Road 40) northwest of Mancos, is now officially open to the public for free-skate skiing and classic touring. Chicken Creek received nearly two feet and skiing is reported as excellent. Chicken Creek offers nine miles of groomed track with both beginner and intermediate trails with gentle grades.

Chicken Creek is operated by Friends of Chicken Creek, a nonprofit group of volunteers who groom the trails and maintain the facilities. A donation box is located at the trailhead. Maps of the trails are located at the trailhead. Picnic tables are set up along the trail loops. Dogs and snowmobiles are not allowed. Snowshoeing is allowed on the flat tracks groomed for skate skiing.

For more information about the area, phone the Mancos-Dolores Ranger District Office at 882-7296.

Chapman Hill in Durango finally has enough snow to open. Last weekend’s storm, which dumped a near-record 8.8 inches in Durango, gave the small ski area enough to open. It had been closed for nearly four years because of a lack of snow.

The hill is mainly reserved for children and beginners, but anyone who wants to ski or snowboard can do so on weekend drop-in days. On Fridays, the slope is open from 4-7 p.m. . Saturdays and Sundays it is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Lift tickets are $5 weekdays and $6 weekends. Lessons for children and beginners are available. Rentals of equipment is not available at the hill but there are many places in Durango.