No snow, no go: Ski area postpones opening day
Bad new for Steamboat Springs, no snow means no opening of the mountain as expected. This, however, could be a blessing based on the state of the base at this moment in time. I personally am perfectly fine with the beautiful weather we have been having lately and feel whole-heartedly that we should all just enjoy the weather that we are given. The snow will come, it may not be epic but it will come and when it does we will ski. Until then, there are a million things to do and a million ways to appreciate this wonderful place in which we live. (article written by Tom Ross from Steamboat Pilot & Today)
Steamboat Springs - For the second time in seven years, mild November weather has caused the Steamboat Ski Area to push back its opening day.
The traditional opening Scholarship Day benefit for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club has been delayed from Nov. 21 to Nov. 30, Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. officials said Thursday. All season and value passes will be honored beginning Dec. 1.
“The warm weather patterns we’ve experienced lately have made snowmaking a challenge,” said Andy Wirth, executive vice president of sales and marketing and chief marketing officer for Intrawest, Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.’s parent company. “Snowmaking crews, which were busy making snow last night, are ready to take full advantage of colder temperatures and conditions; and, as we’ve seen in the past, everything can change in a matter of days.”
The last time Steamboat delayed its opening day was in 2001. Opening day was delayed until Nov. 30 that year, too, but heavy snow began to fall almost as soon as the postponement was announced.
The opening of Vail Mountain also was delayed Thursday because of a lack of snow. Originally scheduled to open today, Vail will now open Wednesday.
Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this week that early winter snowfall in Northern Colorado could depend on the positioning of a high-pressure system associated with the La Niña phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean. Current long-range forecast models show Northwest Colorado has almost equal chances of average, below-average and above-average precipitation through February.
Wirth said Thursday unseasonably warm and dry weather this month was the only consideration in choosing to postpone opening day. The construction projects wrapping up on the Headwall trail at the base of Mount Werner were not a factor, he said.
“This was based on one factor, and that was the weather,” Wirth said. “The weather to date combined with the short-term forecast doesn’t give us any information that a normally scheduled opening would be advisable.”
Wirth said nine-day forecasts give ski area officials reason for optimism. Chances of snow in Steamboat Springs are forecast through next week.
Pray for cold
Wirth said the ski area’s management team, including Vice President of Mountain Operations Doug Allen, conferred Monday and did the math. Even if the Yampa Valley had experienced ideal snowmaking conditions beginning Monday and continuing through the originally scheduled opening day of Nov. 21, there would not have been sufficient time to build the necessary snow base, Wirth said.
Steamboat’s snow guns have operated for three sessions this fall, including Thursday morning, when the plumes of snow were visible just below Thunderhead Peak on the Vagabond trail, ski area spokesman Mike Lane said. The first snowmaking session of autumn was overnight Nov. 3 into Nov. 4, when modest amounts of snow were produced on the Betwixt and Between trails. Daytime highs in the 50s and 60s eroded what little snow was made.
As much as skiers and riders could now be wishing for a powder dump, ski area officials are probably praying for a series of cold clear nights.
“At this stage of the game, we’d lean toward colder temperatures,” Wirth confirmed.
Bob Milne, president of Steamboat Resorts, was leaning toward the pack of Rolaids he keeps in his desk on Thursday afternoon.
“We’ve been through this before, but it’s never easy,” Milne said of the delayed opening. “It’s probably the right decision given that it’s 45 degrees out right now.”
Milne’s staff was busy calling a list of 150 reservations booked into resort condominiums during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Guests were being told they are welcome to cancel with full refunds of their deposits.
“Surprisingly, a fair number of them are saying they’re coming,” Milne said. “We started calling the people who are traveling from out of state. Of our owners who were planning to come, all of them are still coming.”
Steamboat Resorts plans to welcome its first college ski group of the season Dec. 3. That group is likely to be more sensitive to snow conditions, Milne said.
Changing course
Dedicated local skier Kevin Olsen, who typically logs 100 days a winter, said he’ll continue to make the most of his Intrawest Rocky Mountain Ultimate Pass by skiing Copper Mountain until Steamboat opens.
“I think about skiing every day of the year,” Olsen said. “It’s always a bummer (when Steamboat’s opening is delayed), but I’ve put down five days at Copper already. If the rides are open, I’m there.”
Chris Smith, who has operated Powder Pursuits snowboard shop in Ski Time Square for 22 years, said his hope is that Steamboat’s holiday visitors will spend more time shopping with the lifts closed.
“I usually stress out until the day it starts snowing,” Smith said. “This year, I’m not going to stress out.”
He had booked snowboard rentals for a group of students from the University of Colorado and spoke with them this week. They plan on coming to Steamboat despite the lack of snow, and Smith will host an equipment-buying event for them.
Wirth said like Steamboat Resorts, Ski Corp. is actively communicating with its clientele and about the snow situation. The resort has reached a crucial point in the annual vacation reservations calendar, as skiers and riders continue to book December and January trips while others begin to book deeper into February and March.
“The next 45 days represents a very important period when we experience a confluence of demand,” Wirth said.
If the weather cooperates in historical fashion, he hopes to have a brighter snow message to relay to Steamboat visitors.
“It is what it is,” Wirth said. “We have a savvy customer base and we’ve all seen it turn around fast in Steamboat in the past. We’ll continue to be forthright with our guests.”
