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Nov. 17, 2001 BY JIM THOMAS Travel by the American public has been crippled since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and on The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Americans aren’t flying as much and with the economy sliding into recession they aren’t going on long leisure trips. As a result several Colorado ski areas have scaled back operations and opening dates for the coming 2001-02 season. And now Mother Nature is dealing cruel a joke by not dumping snow on ski areas, especially those in Southwestern Colorado. The National Weather Service on Thursday released its long-range outlook for the Four Corners area. The forecast is over higher-than-normal rainfall and cooler-than-normal temperatures. That should translate to a snow for the mountains which is good news for the ski areas. However, the short-term forecast (for the next five days) calls for clear skies and cool nights as a high pressure system has now moved over the area. A recent slow-moving low pressure system moved out of the Four Corners. It brought rain and snow to New Mexico but little or no snow to the San Juan Mountains. Because of one of the warmest and dries Octobers and now into mid-November on record in Southwestern Colorado, the Telluride Ski and Golf Co. (Telski) announced Thursday afternoon, Nov. 15, it has delayed its normal day-before Thanksgiving Day opening to Dec. 5. "We are excited to enter this season with the biggest news in ski country with the grand opening of Prospect Bowl (733 new acres of terrain). Through our agreement with Mother Nature (joke) to reschedule opening day back a couple of weeks, we can provide our community and guests with the best pure mountain experience possible," Johnnie Stevens, chief operating office of Telski, said. "I am fully prepared to carry on the tradition of dancing and burning skis at the bottom of Lift No. 7 if that what it takes to make it happen." Telski’s Opening Donation Day, which traditionally donates all net lift ticket proceeds to the Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club, will also take place on Dec. 5. This year’s Opening Day will coincide with the Town of Telluride’s Noel Night — a celebration of holiday cheer featuring Christmas carolers, garland and lights to ring in the holiday season. The Gondola will open as planned on Monday, Nov. 19, with the Chondola beginning operation Dec. 5. Prospect Bowl will open Dec. 20. The official Grand Opening of Prospect Bowl will be Jan. 10-13. Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, located 25 miles north of Durango, also had scheduled its opening for Nov. 21, but that it now has now been postponed. Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory) announced proceeds from Benefit Day on Dec. 1, will go to local organizations non-profit benefit groups (Southwest Colorado Cares Fund) helping with the Sept. 11 tragedy. Also money raised will be benefiting the San Juan Mountains Association. Skiers can hit the slopes for only $10 per person. Benefit Day in the past has raised as much as $20,000 for non-profit groups since 1994. Durango Mountain Resort also has donated more than $100,000 to local groups. Matt Skinner, communications manager for Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, said Friday morning, Nov. 16, "we have delayed our opening date to Dec. 1. But right now it (decisions) will be made on a week by week basis." Ironically, just this past week Durango Mountain Resort got the nod for having the best weather among North American resorts, according to a SKI Magazine poll. Purgatory normally has an average of 263 inches of snow but some 300-plus sunny days a year. The ski area is located in a unique place in San Juan Mountains in the Central Rockies. Storms come quickly, dump a lot of snow, and then leave in a hurry. The skies clear making for "beautiful, sunny but cool days." January’s high temperatures range from the mid-20s to 30s. Normally, Arctic blasts from the north miss the area and slide eastward along the Front Range. Purgatory, with help from the San Juan Water Association, may seed clouds in order to produce snow. The water is certainly needed because of near-drought conditions for the past five years throughout the Four Corners area. McPhee Reservoir near Cortez is at its lowest level ever. Snow seeding has been in the area before with good results, although sometimes the clouds drift and dump snow on nearby Durango. Both Purgatory and Telluride have advanced snow-making capabilities. Both have been running snowguns off and on since Nov. 7, however, the much of the man-made snow has since melted. Skinner said that snowmaking across the state has been "been touch and go with accumulations minimal." He said the whole industry in Colorado is definitely concerned. The resort has purchased seven new snow guns that should increase both output and efficiency. Wolf Creek Ski Area, located near the summit of Wolf Creek Pass on U.S. Highway 160, is reporting only two inches at mid-way and four inches at the summit. That report is far cry from last year when the ski area had one of its earliest openings ever (Oct. 28). "There’s not much snow up here," Roseanne Pitcher, marketing director for Wolf Creek Ski Area, said Friday morning. "We are still going to open on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 22) but we will only have one run off the Nova Chairlift. We are mainly doing this because for the tourists who made reservations in the area." The lift ticket will be $8 for an adult lift ticket. The sport shop, ski school, and restaurant and bar, will be open, she said. Hesperus Ski Area, which had one of its better seasons in a number of years last year, will open as soon as there is enough snow. Right now, there is no snow on the hill. As for the rest of Colorado, three resorts — Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin, and Loveland — are open with limited runs and lifts. |
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