Ski areas finally receive needed snow

Ski areas finally receive needed snow

November 27, 2001

By Jim Thomas
Journal Sports Editor

Snow finally fell throughout the Four Corners area. Although it made for tough sledding for some automobile drivers who had forgotten how to drive on the white stuff, the snowfall was especially good news for skiers and snowboarders. That’s not to say it certainly didn’t please operators of the local ski areas.

Telluride Ski Resort, located about 65 miles north of Cortez on Colorado Highway 145, received 11 new inches since noon Sunday, Nov. 25, and a total of 41 inches since Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22.

Right now the ski area will open Dec. 5 after being postponed from Nov. 21.

"But we are holding a meeting today (Monday, Nov. 26) to discuss possibly opening up earlier," MaryHelyn Kirwan, communications director for Telski Inc., said by phone. "Right now we do not have as much as normally like for an opening. We will talk about it this afternoon."

Telski’s Opening Donation Day, which traditionally donates all net lift ticket proceeds to the Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club, will take place on Dec. 5 as it stands now, she said. 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 opened 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.

The road over Lizard Head Pass was snowpacked and plowed as of Monday morning.

Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory), located about 25 miles north of Durango on U.S. Highway 550, is reporting 22 inches at mid-way with 24 inches at the top. A total of 16 inches has fallen over the last 48 hours.

Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory) announced proceeds from Benefit Day on this Saturday, 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."

The road to the DMR was snowpacked and plowed as of Monday morning.

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. However, snowguns will be running all-day today as the temperature is not supposed to be above the freezing point in the mountains.

Wolf Creek Ski Area opened on Thanksgiving Day with only one chairlift operating and one run open.

The ski is sporting 38 inches at the summit with 30 inches mid-mountain of all-natural snow. The ski area, located about 20 miles east of Pagosa Springs on U.S. Highway 160, received nine inches within the past 24 hours and 20 the last 48. The storm was nothing but good news for the ski area because it does not have snowmaking equipment.

Wolf Creek now has two lifts running (Bonanza and Treasure triple lifts) with more runs (11) now open. Conditions are early-season at the bottom with packed powder snow near the top. Lift tickets are $31 for adults and $18 for children under age 12.

The road up Wolf Creek Pass was snowpacked and plowed.

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 a little less than a foot of snow at the area, all received since Thanksgiving Day.

"Right now we are just hoping for more snow. But we are ready to open," Hesperus owner Jim Pitcher said.

Chicken Creek Cross-Country Ski Area, located just north and west of Mancos on Colorado Highway 180, has about a foot of new snow.

The road between Cortez and Hesperus was icy in spots as of Monday morning.

The National Weather Service is reporting only a slight chance (20 percent) of snow late Monday night into today, Nov. 27. Clouds will filter into the Four Corners region tonight and into today, Nov. 27. A low-pressure system is dropping down but the bulk of the moisture is expecte to slide along the Front Range and into eastern New Mexico. Another storm is possibly lurking on the horizon by Thursday, Nov. 29. Temperatures throughout the region should be colder-than-normal.