Area 51 - Keystone

Snow was re-introduction to Summit County a few weeks ago as the season was opening but now itseems to be headed in waves. Last night provided up to a half foot or more in much of Summit County including Keystone and about 7 inches at Copper . Forecasters are expecting a second storm right behind this one with potential for similar snowfall as Breckenridge opens for the 2010/2011 ski season.

“Hey La Nina, what’s in it for me?” When geek-speak goes mainstream, you know the nerds must have a hot topic on their hands. You might think that I’m talking about The Facebook Movie (“The Social Network”), where geeks write computer code over shots of Tequila. But not quite. I’m actually talking about meteorology. With the words La Nina getting mainstream attention this fa

ll, all skiers are scrambling to hone their weather skills in hopes of finding just what “The Girl” (or “The Nina” according to Chris Farly) has in store for them. As a meteorologist and lover of snow

and skiing, I’m here to turn the geek speak into snow information. To save you most of the suspense, here’s the conclusion right up front. If you’re further north in the U.S., you’ll probably see higher than average snowfall. If you’re further south in the U.S., you’ll probably see lower than average snowfall. Don’t worry; there are more details in a bit. You might be thinking, “Why do we care about La Nina, or El Nino?” In short, it’s really the only reliable clue that meteorologists have to predict temperature and precipitation patterns months and seasons in advance.

The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a fancy name for the water temperature in the central Pacific Ocean, roughly between Peru and the islands off southeast Asia. Some years, the water temperature in this region is much warmer than normal, and this is called an El Nino. In other years, the water temperature is colder than normal, which is called a La Nina. And during most years, the water temperature is close enough to average that it’s neither an El Nino or La Nina and is affectionately called “La Nada”. The central Pacific Ocean is so large that the temperature of its water can actually influence air currents all over the world. The ocean and the atmosphere are completely linked together, so a change in water temperatures in the central Pacific can produce different atmospheric conditions thousands of miles away. When we look back on previous winters with an El Nino or La Nina, some weather patterns emerge, and we use this knowledge of the past to infer what is going to happen in the future. In the absence of an El Nino or La Nina, it’s almost impossible to predict snow and temperature patterns months and seasons in advance. But for this winter we’re in luck, because La Nina is back!

So here’s what we can expect La Nina to mean for snowfall across the U.S.: MUCH HIGHER THAN AVERAGE SNOW (125-150% of average) AlaskaBritish Columbia Washington Oregon Idaho Montana Wyoming HIGHER THAN AVERAGE SNOW (100-125% of average) Colorado (from Crested Butte & north) Vermont (northern) New Hampshire (northern) Maine (northern) AVERAGE SNOW (95-105% of average) California (Lake Tahoe) Utah (Salt Lake City area) Vermont (central & southern) New Hampshire (central & southern) Maine (central & southern) Of course, one or two big storms can mean the difference between a season that’s below average and one that outperforms, so while these seasonal forecasts are interesting, I look at them as something fun to read during the preseason rather than as an absolute decision-making tool. That said, for areas that are slated to get higher than average snowfall this year, it appears that January and February are the prime months for big totals, and this could include December as well. But enough geek speak. Regardless of the seasonal outlook above, it will snow and you will have a great time on skis this winter. And that’s my 100% guaranteed prediction. Meteorologist Joel Gratz is the creator of http://www.ColoradoPowderForecast.com and is based in Boulder, CO. Data from Tony Crocker contributed to this article. His website http://www.BestSnow.net has additional information on the impacts of El Nino and La Nina on snowfall.

Source: SKI Magazine.

Loveland Ski Area and Arapahoe Basin Ski Area may be the only ski resorts open, but that hasn’t prevented other local resorts from gathering snow.

According to a press release from Vail Resorts, Keystone Resort has accumulated nearly 20 inches in the past week on its North Peak, thanks in large part to the winter storms of the past two days. Breckenridge Ski Resort and Beaver Creek Ski Resort built up 8 inches each, and Vail Ski Resort reported 11 inches.

At Copper Mountain, unofficial snow reports tally storm snowfall totals at close to 14 inches by 6 a.m. Tuesday. Snow fell all day Tuesday for additional accumulation that hasn’t yet been counted.

Keystone and Copper are the next local resorts to open for the season on Nov. 5, with Breckenridge following suit on Nov. 12.

By Drew Andersen
summit daily news

10.27.2010

The 2010 ski and snowboard season in Colorado has begun! Opening 10.24.2010 the first resort to open in Colorado, Loveland Ski Area has claimed the “first to open” title here in Colorado.  A day behind is Arapahoe Basin on Monday, October 25, 2010.

As a local I am not surprised that Loveland opened first.  Loveland has opened first nine times versus A-Basin’s two (they tied in 2008) since 1999.

Loveland and A-Basin are on going rivals in a yearly ritual of opening first, while they are smaller than neighboring ski areas in Colorado and in bordering states. Other occasional mountains include Maine’s Sunday River — often the first East Coast area to open.

Summit and Eagle County resorts opening days:

Arapahoe Basin – OPEN

Beaver Creek – November 24

Breckenridge – November 12

Copper – November 5

Keystone – November 5

Loveland – October 24, 2010

Vail – November 19

The ski season is right around the corner with Keystone opening in 28 days, Breckenridge in 35 days, Vail and Heavenly in 42 days and Beaver Creek in 47 days.

The best mountains. Get the best deal on lodging now pre-season pricing is in full swing — but don’t wait, prices are only guaranteed until 10/31

Loveland – The first mountain to open for the 2009/2010 ski season in North America is claiming the first snow fall and has starting making snow! Really! What have you heard and what do you make of this? PREDICTIONS – Will they be the first to open again? Will they have the next snow fall? Ski season is upon us. YA BOOOYYY!!!