Colorado 2017-18 Colorado Weather and Stoke

[nay]

As someone who doesn't deal with altitude well, I find that somewhat evil.

They’ve been warned - it’s payback for dragging me into lift lines.

More importantly, it will make them desperate for a beer and since I’m the tour guide...

 

[surfandski]

To avoid doing last Thursday 2.0 and staying local with low snow totals, I'm considering traveling for this incoming storm. Joel is saying the southern resorts are going to be well into the double digits with high confidence. The northern resorts are going to be a little more hit or miss due to SW winds (which Loveland doesn't seem to do well with) and narrow bands again where your particular resort has to luck out and get nailed by one of those small, but slow moving and high moisture bands. Sounds very similar to last week where one resort could get 12"+ and another far less. I've stayed local and played Russian Roulette and won a couple time but I'm also gun shy given that a lot of these similar "hit or miss" storms have under delivered and I end up regretting not driving to Steamboat.

I'm considering heading south and skiing tomorrow and Tuesday with a hotel somewhere Monday night. I get free Monarch passes on one of my season passes but Joel didn't specifically discuss that resort's potential. I have however ridden the lift with a skier at Loveland who lived in Salida and said that was her favorite mountain in Colorado. Joel is again saying that Wolf Creek is going to get "HUGE" snow with almost a certainty. Will Monarch likely go big as well?

I have a couple options:
1. Drive to Monarch early tomorrow and ski there both days with a hotel in Salida.
2. Drive to and ski Monarch early tomorrow, stay in Salida, or somewhere in between and then drive to Wolf Creek early on Tuesday (not a short drive from Salida to Wolf, especially when it's dumping).
3. Drive to Wolf Creek really early (ouch) tomorrow and ski there both days with a hotel somewhere around there.

1 and 2 sound the best to me as I wouldn't have to leave so early but this may be my best shot for a big storm this season so I'm not going to mess around if a couple more hour drive will guarantee me a legit powder day. My 125mm Spurs haven't sold yet so this may be my one shot to ski them and we are really leaning towards Utah for next season so I could likely use them a lot more there.

I've driven from my parents house in Colorado Springs, through

Salida ​

and Pagosa, to Durango during the Summer but don't remember it that well. Can any of you give me Beta on the 2 resorts and lodging advice?

Thanks!

 

[surfandski]

Also, I realize too much of a good thing can cause problems and it looks like the snow is supposed to start at midnight tonight around Wolf Creek and not relent until Tuesday. I found a hotel that is 10 miles from Wolf but I haven't booked it yet.

If I ski Monarch tomorrow and it's dumping all day, what risk is there that they close the pass to wolf Creek either to get to my hotel tomorrow night, or to get to the resort from my hotel on Tues am? Also is wolf good about avy control to where the goods will likely be skiable on Tuesday or after a big storm will a lot be closed most of Tues?

Also, if anyone wants to road trip, the room I'm looking at sleeps 4-5 so you'd have a free place to stay. I may even buy the beer if you know either of these resorts enough to show me the goods!

 

[Freaq]

...snip......
Also, if anyone wants to road trip, the room I'm looking at sleeps 4-5 so you'd have a free place to stay. I may even buy the beer if you know either of these resorts enough to show me the goods!

Dude, I'd be all about this but have commitments in WP Monday afternoon.

If it were me I'd head straight to WC and get two days there, get familiar, maybe make a local friend or two. Nothing against Monarch, I've had a few fun days there and that was before they opened Mirkwood. An employee at Crested Butte told me he was excited to hit up Monarch as, "nobody skis the trees there."

Good luck, have fun, be safe!

 

[surfandski]

Dude, I'd be all about this but have commitments in WP Monday afternoon.

If it were me I'd head straight to WC and get two days there, get familiar, maybe make a local friend or two. Nothing against Monarch, I've had a few fun days there and that was before they opened Mirkwood. An employee at Crested Butte told me he was excited to hit up Monarch as, "nobody skis the trees there."

Good luck, have fun, be safe!

Bummer about the commitment as it would have been a blast to ski together down there! It looks like it may be dumping all tonight so I'm actually going to drive to Salida this afternoon and most likely ski Monarch tomorrow but WC for sure on Tuesday with a hotel there Monday night. I could do WC both days like you suggest but Monarch is free and it would be cool to check it out.

 

[Jerez]

they are calling for 70-80 mph winds at WC on Monday, so the chance of the pass closing for Avy danger may be pretty high. On the other hand if you get over the pass beforehand, you could be stuck in Pagosa with 20 inches of new snow and no way to get to it.
Personally, I love Monarch. The trees are amazing if you are willing to hike a bit. It is a mountain that is best suited to people who like to explore. @Jeff N I believe knows it well and can give you some advice. You can find fresh tracks on that mountain for days after a storm. Mirkwood is a hoot, but a longer hike. And if you feel like splurging, they have cat skiing. Salida is a fun town too.

Both Monarch and WC on a powder day are hard to beat.

 

[Jerez]

PS: if you stay in S. Fork, that side of the pass rarely closes. There is virtually nothing for lodging between Salida and S. Fork. It's not a bad drive. Done it a few times.

 

[surfandski]

they are calling for 70-80 mph winds at WC on Monday, so the chance of the pass closing for Avy danger may be pretty high. On the other hand if you get over the pass beforehand, you could be stuck in Pagosa with 20 inches of new snow and no way to get to it.
Personally, I love Monarch. The trees are amazing if you are willing to hike a bit. It is a mountain that is best suited to people who like to explore. @Jeff N I believe knows it well and can give you some advice. You can find fresh tracks on that mountain for days after a storm. Mirkwood is a hoot, but a longer hike. And if you feel like splurging, they have cat skiing. Salida is a fun town too.

Both Monarch and WC on a powder day are hard to beat.

Thanks for the info. I already booked my hotel in Salida for tonight so I'll hit up Monarch tomorrow. I plan to stay on the S. Fork side Monday night and am debating about booking that room now, or waiting to hear how conditions play out down there as I could always ski Monarch both days if getting to WC looks too gnarly. I'd really love to ski WC on Tuesday so hopefully that isn't a problem. One of the hotels I'm looking at is in S. Fork and the other is halfway between S. Fork and WC. That would be more convenient and make for a very short drive on Tuesday but I don't want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere if the pass closes and I can't get to WC or back to S. Fork. S. Fork is higher than Pagosa Springs so I figured the drive to WC would be easier up that side of the pass which you confirmed.

Yes, I'd really appreciate any intel @Jeff N can give on Monarch.

Thanks!

 

[tball]

^^ Yes, stay in South Fork if you go to Wolf.

If you are skiing solo, Monarch is the safer bet. Nice and easy to get around. You'll love Monarch on a powder Monday, no doubt.

Wolf Creek is another deal on a big powder day. Not so easy to navigate and the flats can be frustrating and even scary. Much better if you are with someone who can show you the ropes. While Wolf is inbounds, be ready for more of a backcountry experience. Ski partner, shovel, probe, and beacon are a very good idea, especially when the forecast looks big like it does.

 

[tball]

More about Monarch from @Fishbowl 's recent road trip:

https://www.pugski.com/threads/road-trip-help-requested.8099/
https://www.pugski.com/threads/road-trip-report-az-co-ut-az.8224/

I forgot tomorrow is a holiday. He was there on a powder weekend and it wasn't too crowded. I'm curious how it will be on a Pres Day.

 

[tball]

Holy crap, the forecast is looking like the real deal for Wolf Creek. It's gonna snow big, the only question is how big.

 

[surfandski]

I just finished mounting my Spurs bindings in the Salida Walmart parking lot so there's no turning back. The drive down was beautiful but windy as heck. I thought my ski box was going to fly off the Subie it was blowing so hard.

It also looks like summer down here and had me thinking about kayaking a good part of the way. However I drove up to Monarch and coverage looks good. Should be an epic couple of days!

 

[palikona]

Checking back to see if anyone has gotten into the Steep Gullies at A-Basin....what’s the best/easiest one to try first? Also, can you take a look and bail out if you’re not feeling it or are you committed once through the gate?

 

[mikel]

@surfandski wow you were not kidding about heading down there. Sorry I couldn't have responded quicker. You should have taken my pack, beacon, avy stuff. Dude your ankle will be beat after these 2 months of skiing.

I will let you know how the snow looks for the end of the week. Sure wish I hadn't skied over that tree branch.

 

[surfandski]

@surfandski wow you were not kidding about heading down there. Sorry I couldn't have responded quicker. You should have taken my pack, beacon, avy stuff. Dude your ankle will be beat after these 2 months of skiing.

I will let you know how the snow looks for the end of the week. Sure wish I hadn't skied over that tree branch with both of my skis.

Yes, I just had to give it a go. Who knows, I70 may end up with just as much snow but I just couldn't risk a 3rd missed opportunity where I considered traveling, but wimped out, only to regret it. It may be super windy tomorrow, cold on Tuesday and WC may be so deep that it's sketchy but it's going to be an adventure and hopefully my deepest days of the year! If Mirkwood at Monarch is a miniature version of Kirkwood, I'll be stoked as that was one of my go to mountains when it was dumping.

We will definitely shred Copper later in the week and hopefully you didn't do much damage to your good skis. The ankle surgery is scheduled for March 9th so I'll just keep pushing thru the pain and deal with the consequences later as I don't think it can get much worse before then. It sounds like it may be deep enough that it should feel good the next couple days but I've also never skied fat skis so that torsional torque may be interesting.

 

[Jerez]

OK. Since Jeff hasn't chimed in, I will tell you some of my favorite spots at Monarch. I'm not an expert there. skied it maybe 15 times. All of it is fun while powder is fresh. So don't overthink it. All the terrain off the Pioneer and Garfield lifts is great while the powder is fresh. At the top of Garfield there is an obvious tiny hike that goes under the lift shack to Christmas Trees, but it can get chewed up fast (it is obvious, right). So if it is, you can access those trees on the other side of the shack, just go around it. Mirkwood is a lot of fun, but you may find it a relatively short slide for the long hike. I like to hike it part way and then go right around the outcropping and ski the ridge down through east trees or Lodgeview trees. It's a nice long run and often holds fresh tracks after other spots are skied out. Curicanti has a bad aspect, so ski it early in the day or it sets up if it's warm. has a backcountry feel. Gunbarrel is worth the hike. I like to ski the trees on the side of it. It is a good stash spot because most people don't want to make the little uphill effort. Sheer Rocko is also a lot of fun and not skied too much. Lots of small skates or uphill hikes will bring you freshies after the runs are chewed up. And all the trees - unmarked trees too - are fun.

Have a blast!

 

[surfandski]

OK. Since Jeff hasn't chimed in, I will tell you some of my favorite spots at Monarch. I'm not an expert there. skied it maybe 15 times. All of it is fun while powder is fresh. So don't overthink it. All the terrain off the Pioneer and Garfield lifts is great while the powder is fresh. At the top of Garfield there is an obvious tiny hike that goes under the lift shack to Christmas Trees, but it can get chewed up fast (it is obvious, right). So if it is, you can access those trees on the other side of the shack, just go around it. Mirkwood is a lot of fun, but you may find it a relatively short slide for the long hike. I like to hike it part way and then go right around the outcropping and ski the ridge down through east trees or Lodgeview trees. It's a nice long run and often holds fresh tracks after other spots are skied out. Curicanti has a bad aspect, so ski it early in the day or it sets up if it's warm. has a backcountry feel. Gunbarrel is worth the hike. I like to ski the trees on the side of it. It is a good stash spot because most people don't want to make the little uphill effort. Sheer Rocko is also a lot of fun and not skied too much. Lots of small skates or uphill hikes will bring you freshies after the runs are chewed up. And all the trees - unmarked trees too - are fun.

Have a blast!

Thanks for the info!

 

[surfandski]

Solo powder missions don't suck!

Moonlight pizza and brewery in Salida has unreal pizzas......and beer!

 

[tball]

Here's Jeff's Unofficial Guide to Wolf Creek on the Internet Archive:
http://web.archive.org/web/20170427...com/a/wolf-creek-ski-area-co-unofficial-guide

Note the cautionary sections in that guide. Also, think about tree well safety:
http://www.deepsnowsafety.org/

50% odds fo 21" or more through close of lifts Tuesday at Wolf Creek is about a good as it gets!


http://origin.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/pwpf/wwd_percentiles.php?ftype=percentiles&fpd=48&ptype=snow

 

[Slim]

Thanks @Ron for showing me around on a great sunny Powder day in Steamboat on friday. Thursday was great too, with snow falling hard all day long. Heading up to Copper now for some more powder fun!