Powder Warnings - Colorado, Utah & Wyoming

Written by Powder Steve
Sunday, 04 April 2010 21:14
After record snowfalls for the past week including 3 feet in the Northwest, 35-42 inches at Squaw Valley and over 50 inches at Alta during the past 7 days we save perhaps the deepest for last as many resorts are gearing down for the season. Some have already closed such as Aspen Highlands and Telluride today who ended up having respectable snow totals after a very slow start to the year. The next storm is not only very moist but unusually cold for April so instead of classifying this as the Spring Monster how about "Mid Winter Blast". Squaw Valley who some think only gets "Sierra Cement" has the best kept secret of low snow levels at times and this storm is no exception as heavy snow is about to blast them Sunday night and Monday (20-28 inches and low density). A sharp cold front will blast through the Wasatch of Utah beginning around 1pm on Monday and continue to pound them with deep fluff through Tuesday. Moisture ahead of the front will begin early Monday with 4-8 inches likely before the front arrives later in the day. Brighton, Solitude, Park City,Canyons, Deer Valley and Snowbasin are favored early on Monday. By Tuesday evening expect storm totals to exceed 25-30 inches in some spots especially in the Cottonwood Canyons. The Tetons and Grand Targhee will have moderate snow Monday morning through Tuesday morning with 9-14 inches likely over the next few days. They have been getting consistent 9-12 inch dumps in the past several days with the Hobacks still closed on lower mountain due to low snowpack (What's up with that?). Colorado riders will see heavy snow on Monday night through Wednesday with storm totals in the 12-24 inch ranch in many areas. The winds in Colorado start out from the Southwest on Monday night and early Tuesday favoring areas such as Crested Butte, Aspen and in some cases Steamboat so I would be surprised to see high accumulations along I-70 until Tuesday afternoon. This might spell a deep day in the Aspen area Tuesday morning and a 2nd chance for a deep day at Vail , Steamboat or Beaver Creek late Tuesday or early Wednesday. All areas especially the Central and Northern mountains will do well over the next 3 days. Snow will continue lightly on Wednesday morning over the higher summits of the I-70 corridor as well as Berthod and Loveland Pass (Might do better Tuesday night). Spring has not sprung so yank the boards out this week and enjoy what may be our last chance for mid winter epic conditions. High pressure settles in Thursday-Saturday with a good chance of light or moderate snow by next Sunday. The Chase Monday: Any of the Tahoe area resorts (DEEP storm ski day with wind) Monday PM: Utah resorts favored by SW flow (Brighton, Solitude, Snowbasin) Tuesday: Snowbird, Alta, Canyons -Take your pick as they will all be deep. The chase should also include Aspen and Crested Butte on Tuesday AM Tuesday PM: Vail, Steamboat, (Storm ski day and getting deep) Wednesday: Leftovers in Aspen and perhaps new deep snow at Vail, Winter Park, and Loveland as the winds shift to the North or Northwest. Enjoy the POW and please post your powder on the forum page of the website. Powderchaser

EPIC ALERT!

Written by Powder Steve
Friday, 02 April 2010 06:11
Mid winter conditions prevail across most of the west with over 26 inches reported in the last 2 days at Squaw Valley, Snowbird, Alta and Crystal Mountain with unusually low snow levels. The Trifecta Powder chase (3 States in 3 days-same storm) came to a halt as the Wasatch continues to see light to moderate snow and some of the best conditions of the season. I was able to capture 24 inches at Crystal in the Northwest where the chase began, 12 inches at the Canyons in Utah on day 2 and another 18 inches at Snowbird on day 3. I declare the Exacta! My chance for the trifecta may come tonight as I head back to Washington State where up to 2 feet of fresh snow will fall by Saturday morning. Colorado is now seeing the tail end of the storm where both Vail and Aspen picked up over a foot of fresh snow in the past 24 hours. It took nearly 2 days for that system to get there as it stalled over Utah since Wednesday. Synopsis for the week ahead: Heavy snow and strong winds will pound the Northwest Coast today and tonight where 15-25 inches will fall by Saturday morning but expect lift closures today from winds making Saturday a sure bet for the snorkel. Moderate snow will break out after midnight Friday in the Tetons and the Wasatch (Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, Alta, Canyons) where 5-10 inches are likely by Saturday afternoon (Slightly less in Wyoming). Colorado will see light snow through the period (3-5 inches). The real dealmaker is going to slam into the West late Monday into Wednesday where a classic mid winter (Northwest Flow) storm should provide 1-3 feet of fresh powder for the Rockies by Wednesday morning. This could be epic! The Chase? Saturday: Crystal, Baker, Stevens Pass (18-20 inches), or storm ski in northern Utah or Wyoming (4-8). Monday PM-Tuesday: Northern Utah could be very deep especially Tuesday! Wednesday-Central and Northern Colorado perhaps deepest at Steamboat or Vail

Powder Update-EPIC DUMP

Written by Powder Steve

Thursday, 01 April 2010 20:55

Just a quick update to keep light snow falling over the Wasatch tonight while periodic snow squalls continue to affect Colroado through Friday morning. Accululations in Aspen and Vail today were in the 5-9 inch range (Aspen had higher amounts) however Friday will still be a good day to get out with 3-7 additional inches likely. The Trifecta storm chase came to an end while I decided to hunker down 1 more day in Utah as it appears that the Great Salt Lake is now kicking in with cold lake effect snow squalls. The Canyons was epic yesterday (12 inches of fresh) while Snowbird was epic today with a storm total of over 26 inches. Mineral Basin and the Road to Provo were closed today so Friday will be another deep epic day if you catch the openings in the morning. I decided to camp out for a sure bet!

A very powerful storm will impact the Northwest beginning early Friday and continuing through Saturday morning (18-24 inches). This will be unusually cold for this time of year with snow levels dropping to 2,000 feet making for some of the best conditions for Crystal, Baker, ajd Stevens all year. This wil impact the northern Rockies on Saturday and Sunday. A even wetter but warmer storm is on tap for late Monday through Wednesday for the intermountain West. I will issue a statement on thsi storm by the end of the weekend.

Powderchaser

EPIC Dump update

Written by Powder Steve
Wednesday, 31 March 2010 06:52
The pattern continues to evolve into a major winter storm for the Rockies as everything is now coming together for an epic dump for Wednesday-Friday. I flew to Seattle on Monday night and was blessed with up to 26 inches of dry face shots at Crystal Mountain Tuesday which happens to be one of the best kept secrets in the powder world! Crystal is reminiscent of a smaller scale Snowbird with fewer crowds and a good array of long steeps giving lots of continues laps of freshies. the snow quality can be excellent as long as snow levels are below 2500 feet. It is so convenient to Seattle that one can easily ski in the morning and head for Dim Sum or Sushi in Seattle in the afternoon. This is exactly what I did as I pursue the powder trifecta (3 State powder chase on the same storm). I headed back to Utah late last night and am hunkered in as snow has just began in Park City. For those locals in Jackson they will be smiling as up to 16 inches fell yesterday with high winds and many lift closures keeping a good portion of the hill untracked. Get out today! Powder Scoop: The storm is evolving slowly so be patient as light snow over Park City and the Northern Wasatch will turn heavy by 3pm Wednesday and dump hard all through Thursday afternoon. I would expect 18-26 inches by late Thursday night in many of the Utah resorts. In Colorado snow will first be heavy in the southern mountains on Thursday morning before the winds shift to the northwest at night. On Friday snow will be tapering off in Utah and cranking hard in the central and northern mountains in Colorado where I expect 9-18 inches to fall in many spots. My best powder guess would be a bullseye right over I-70 so many areas will see good amounts and especially the Vail Valley and perhaps Aspen depending on the exact track of the storm. Both the southern and northern mountains will do well with this storm. The Chase: Wednesday PM- Park City, Solitude, Brighton (will see most during the late day) Thursday-Alta for the a deep storm ski day and Wolf Creek for heavy snow beginning Friday-Vail, Aspen, Copper, and most resorts along I-70 and North (Storm Ski Day) Saturday-Good chance light snow continuing over the Divide and Gore Range Long Term: The pattern continues to show some deep storms coming by late in the weekend into early next week. If you are jumping on a flight for powder this would be a great time to click and go! Early next week could be epic again. Enjoy the freshies! Powderchaser

Powder Alert

Written by Powder Steve
Monday, 29 March 2010 06:40
POW ALERT! Spring has sprung where temps are expected to reach the high 70's by Tuesday in Denver however don't put the boards away yet as a powerful storm is going to pound the Northwest Monday-Tuesday with lowering snow levels and 9-15 inches in many spots (Mount Baker could be deep by Tuesday morning). The Sierra will see 8-14 inches by mid week primarily up north. The low pressure tracks over Wyoming on Tuesday morning with very high winds from the Southwest favoring areas such as Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole with moderate snow likely during the day (3-6) and evening (4-8). The Wasatch will see light snow and very strong winds Tuesday night and Wednesday (3-7 inches) however a strong cold front will shift all of the action to a Northwesterly flow by evening setting up a favorable pattern for 9-18 inches by Thursday morning (Cottonwood Canyons-Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude). In Colorado moderate snow will fall over
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