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Vail Conditions Updates

April 19th, 2013
Day 1 of our extended season held prime conditions in the Back Bowls. With 54″ of snow in the last 7 days and more in the forecast tonight into tomorrow, it’s hard to believe that this is late April!

Sun Down Bowl this morning with skier MacKenzie Hanna:

April 16th, 2013

A great closing day and Spring Back to Vail! 13 inches to end the season on Sunday! But wait… we got so much snow that we’re reopening the mountain for this Friday through Sunday! Another 2 feet! Stay tuned for details…

Picture from Sunday, April 14th

April 13th, 2013:

It was a perfect spring day this morning with blue skies and a nice layer of snow from the storms over the last 2 days. With more snow and chillier temps in the forecast for tomorrow, many skiers and riders were treating today like closing day. The costumes were pretty amazing. By 1pm the front of the storm was making itself felt with wind and a dip in temperatures. Forecasts are calling for 6-12″ tonight so get ready for a Closing Day powder day tomorrow!

Skier Palmer Hoyt on the Front Side of Vail. Photo by Connor Walberg.

Skier Palmer Hoyt on Ptarmigan Ridge. Photo by Connor Walberg.

April 12th, 2013:
We might be heading into closing weekend at Vail but the snow just keeps on getting better and better for Spring Back to Vail. We measured 7″ of snow this morning with 3″ falling overnight. Fresh lines abounded across the mountain. Even runs on the Front Side at lower elevation like Cady’s Cafe were riding soft and smooth! But don’t just go by our photos – look at these shots from Instagram and Twitter that skiers and riders are uploading right now.

April 11th, 2013: Snow for Spring Back to Vail!!
The snow just keeps on coming today, making for incredible riding across the mountain but particularly in Blue Sky Basin. We had 3″ at this morning’s 5am report and expect to see some pretty big accumulation numbers by tomorrow morning. Here’s our videographer, Andrew Taylor, enjoy a nice, powdery run at 11am this morning:

April 10th, 2013:
We measured 5″ at the 24 hour 5am report with 3″ of snow falling overnight. This really freshened up the mountain, making for nice, fast groomers on the Front Side. Northwoods is sheltering the best snow on the mountain right now – check out this nice powder line we found!

Snowboarder Scott Mohr

Spring conditions do exist so you’re likely to find some hard pack under the new snow in more sun exposed areas of the mountain like Sun Up Bowl. Head for the more shaded areas like Big Rock Park in Blue Sky Basin for the best conditions.

April 9th, 2013:
A late spring storm is slowly making its way across Colorado. At the 5am report it had brought 1″ of snow and then another round of steady snow fell between 8 and 9am. We’re expecting to see snow off and on through to midnight.

Snowboarder Brooke Macke

April 5th, 2013:

End of season terrain update!

Due to great spring conditions, we will keep more terrain open than originally planned for the final week of our 50th anniversary ski and snowboard season! More than 4,600 acres of skiable terrain will remain available, including Blue Sky Basin as well as China, Tea Cup, Sun Down, Sun Up and Game Creek bowls and virtually the entire front-side of Vail Mountain through Sunday, April 14. “After the conditions we experienced last season and the first half of this one, we felt it would be a shame to close down terrain as we typically would with the great snow we still have on the mountain,” said Chris Jarnot, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain. “Keeping virtually the entire mountain open is an enormous thank you to our passholders for a great season.”

Beginning Monday, April 8, the following lifts are expected to operate for the remainder of the season:

• Gondola One
• Eagle Bahn Gondola
• Avanti Express Lift (#2)
• Wildwood Express Lift (# 3)
• Mountaintop Express Lift (# 4)
• High Noon Express Lift (#5)
• Riva Bahn Express Lift (# 6)
• Game Creek Express Lift (#7)
• Born Free Express Lift (# 8)
• Highline Express Lift (#10)
• Northwoods Express Lift (# 11)
• Gopher Hill Lift (# 12)
• Sourdough Express Lift (#14)
• Little Eagle Lift (# 15)
• Sun Up Lift (#17)
• Orient Express Lift (#21)
• Tea Cup Express Lift (#36)
• Skyline Express Lift (#37)
• Pete’s Express Lift (#39)

The Cascade Lift (#20) out of Cascade Village, the Pride Express Lift (#26) in Lionshead, the Mongolia Lift (#22) and the Earl’s Express (#38) will be closed beginning Monday, April 8.

Spring conditions exist and skiers and snowboarders must continue to obey posted closures.

April 3rd, 2013:

It’s been a gorgeous week here at Vail with sunny skies and a fresh 1-2″ of snow this morning. Low hanging clouds clung to the mountain in the early a.m. but lifted to bluebird skies by midday. Groomers like North Star, Yonder and Gandy Dancer were highlights this morning.

March 31st, 2013:
Skiers and riders were raving about the perfect spring skiing today. Local pro skier Chris Anthony even said via Twitter “Best day of Vail Backbowl Spring skiing in Years. At least for me pic.twitter.com/oOxMfTQj4p.” A special treat today: the iconic trail, Forever, in Sun Down Bowl was groomed:

March 30th, 2013:
Spring has come to Vail in the last few days with sunshine and temps in the mid-30s to 40s. Today’s weather had a little bit of everything: sunshine, clouds and snow flurries. It was warm enough for us to enjoy a picnic at Belle’s Camp in Blue Sky Basin but by the time we rode to the top of Tea Cup Express (#36) an hour later, snow flurries were laying down a little accumulation. In true High Rockies form, you just have to be prepared with some clothing layers and plenty of sunscreen.

With the warmer temps this time of year, many people choose to get out on the mountain a little later – around 10:30am – in order to let the snow soften up. We took that approach today and found soft, fun snow all over. Perhaps the best run of the day was dropping into Sun Up Bowl at 2:30pm, although Poppyfields and Blue Sky Basin were very fun earlier in the day. Busy catwalks do tend to firm up in this warmer weather and the base areas get pretty slushy by end of day. Just be aware of these conditions and you’ll have a great time out there.

Skiers and riders enjoying the picnic tables at Belle’s Camp in Blue Sky Basin

Snow flurries over China Bowl

March 25th, 2013:

The sunshine is back and the 20″ of snow that we received over the last week is riding like a dream. We tested the snow depth by heading to Skree Field in Blue Sky Basin today – a trail that needs a lot of snow to ride well. Sure enough, it was in great shape. With only 3 weeks left in the season, we’re making the most of every turn.

March 24th, 2013:
Another great day conditions-wise here in Vail though temps were on the chilly side for late March. The 4″ 24 hour report at 5am was followed with intermittent snowfall throughout the day. The highlight of our day: Mongolia Bowl in the brief half hour when the sun tried to peek out of the clouds.

March 22nd, 2013:
One of the best days of the season at Vail today. 11″ fell during the 24 hour report, measured at 5am, but it was all blue skies by the times lifts started to turn. The Back Bowls were in perfect shape with plenty of soft, fresh snow for the powder hounds and perfect runs down groomers like Northwoods.

Chris Anthony skiing China Bowl. Photo by Connor Walberg.

Palmer Hoyt. Photo by Connor Walberg.

Snowboarder Scott Mohr takes a moment to check out the view before dropping into Northwoods.

March 21st, 2013:

Amazing day on the mountain today. The strongest part of the storm moved in starting at 5am and dropped a few inches by the time lifts opened. After a brief break in snowfall around 10am, the second band of snow came through bringing more accumulation and some wind squalls. At 2:45pm the snow is still falling and looks like it should peter out by evening. It was a great day of refills today and should be another awesome day with partly sunny skies tomorrow!

March 20th, 2013:
A fun, mostly sunny day today with firm packed snow. While today was good for cruising groomers, we’re looking forward to the storm that’s moving in tonight.

March 17th, 2013: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
The luck o’ the Irish brought us steady snow throughout the morning then a mix of snow and sun throughout the afternoon. Temps in the high 20s made for heavy snow which will make for a good base for the snow that’s in the forecast through to next weekend! The wind picked up in the afternoon but looks like it should be calmer tomorrow. We’re looking forward to skiing deep stashes in windblown areas over the next few days!

March 16th, 2013:
Overcast skies and chillier temps started our day as the storm made its way to north into the Vail Valley. The snowpack was firm this morning as the slushy spring conditions from the last few days hardened with temperatures in the 20s. Snow started falling lightly in the morning but really started coming down steadily around 2pm. As of 6pm, the time of this writing, it is still snowing! Needless to say, we’re looking forward to tomorrow morning.

March 15th, 2013:
It’s been a beautiful week of skiing with sunshine and highs in the 30s and low 40s. The spring-like weather makes for harder pack in the early morning that softens up in the late morning. As per usual this time of year, the temperatures will drop this weekend as a snow storm moves through. We’re expecting to see snowfall through Wednesday of next week.

MacKenzie Hanna looking over Mid-Vail. Photo by Andrew Bishop.

Sun Down Bowl below Wildwood Restaurant.

 

March 10th, 2013:
Yesterday’s storm brought a total of 7″ by the time the lifts closed making for a great day of refills yesterday and providing some fresh turns this morning. The sunshine throughout the week did make for some harder pack beneath the fresh snow in more sun exposed areas but that didn’t stop us from finding some amazing lines.

March 9th, 2013:
3″ at the 5am report and it’s been snowing all day here in Vail!

March 6th, 2013:
We started the week with powder and now have been seeing that gorgeous Colorado sunshine. Simply beautiful conditions today with sunny skies and temps in the high 30s and low 40s.

March 4th, 2013:

5″ of snow fell overnight with heavy snowfall throughout the day bringing the storm total to 10″ by the time lifts closed. So far it’s been a great start to March here in Vail!

 

March 1st, 2013:
11am update: Incredibly light, deep snow today with 6″ measured at the 5am report and the snow still falling steadily. We’re hearing reports of knee deep+ snow in Blue Sky but the turns have been great everywhere so far. While the accumulation is making the Burton US Open Slopestyle Finals challenging for riders, it’s hard to complain about fresh champagne powder.

February 27th, 2013:
6″ were reported at the 5am report with 2 of those inches falling overnight. The fresh snow in the Back Bowls was riding incredibly well this morning with deeper powder to be found in the trees. Groomed runs that don’t receive sun until mid-day like Gandy Dancer were very fun in the am but better once they had a chance to soften up a bit.

February 24th, 2013:
Noon update: While 3″ of snow was measured at the 5am report, the storm dropped its heaviest accumulation throughout the morning. Snowfall tapered off around 11am but we are stil seeing intermittent, light flakes.

A peek through trees in Northwoods. Photo by EpicMix photographer Joe Bigley.

February 22nd, 2013:
9″ of snow in the last 24-hours + blue skies today made for a perfect day at Vail. The snow was very light and fluffy and since most of the snow fell during the day yesterday, it was easy to mix up the knee-deep powder runs with smooth turns on the corduroy.

Here’s a video of how the Back Bowls were riding this morning:

February 21st, 2013:

It’s the start of a weekend of snow here at Vail. We measured 3″ at the 5am report this morning and it was riding between 3″ and 6″ by the time the lifts started turning. The super light, soft snow was skiing best in sheltered areas while the more sun exposed runs still had somewhat of a firm surface beneath the fresh powder. With snow forecast through Sunday night, we’re expecting these areas to ski soft all the way through in the next day or 2.

February 16th, 2013:
The 11″ of snow that fell over the last 2 days made for incredible conditions both on natural and groomed terrain today. Couple deep, soft powder with bright blue skies and we had one of those idyllic Vail days that we don’t want to end.

February 15th, 2013:
Update 6:50pm: People are buzzing about the amazing conditions at Vail today. Another 6″ fell after the 5am report this morning, making for an amazing powder day.  Check out this video from Northwoods to get an idea of conditions:

While 5″ were reported in the 24 hour report at 5am this morning, the snow’s skiing much deeper in many parts of the mountain. Ski Patrol is even reporting 9-18″ on sheltered trails like Rasputin’s and Gotta love those surprise powder days!

February 10th, 2013:
In the final day of the Winter Mountain Games, we woke up to another 5″ of snow this morning on top of the 3″ that fell yesterday. There was a bit of wind in the mix so some sheltered areas were skiing 6-8″ while more exposed sections of the mountain had only a thin layer of fresh coverage. Comments from our Twitter community included: “@aebennett: Vail was amazing today. Perfect snow, perfect weather. It’s been an awesome day” and “@LauraLoPat: Powder, powder, POWDER! Having a great day! @vailmtn“

Here’s a shot of conditions from pro-skier Chris Anthony:

February 6th, 2013:
Sunshine’s been the name of the game since Saturday but snow started to fall around 2 this afternoon. Looks like snowy weather through the evening with more on the way this weekend.

February 2nd, 2013:
The sun came out today following a week of snow at Vail. Here’s what Northwoods trees looked like around 11am this morning:

January 31st, 2013:
Unbelievable powder day on the mountain today. With a reading of 9″ in 24 hours, 4 overnight, at the 5am Mid-Vail snow report, we were expecting a pretty fun day. When we dropped in to North Rim we were shocked to find snow like this:

Skier: Bruce Ruff. Photo: Connor Walberg

Reports were coming in from guests across the mountain of knee to thigh to waist deep snow! This sleeper powder day turned into one of the best ski days many of us have ever had.

Click here to see more pictures from today!

 

January 29th, 2013:
Amazing day here in Vail with 8″ of snow in the last 24 hours, 2 of those falling overnight. As many guests have noted, we do report snow totals at Mid-Vail so you very often find deeper snow than reported in sheltered areas around the mountain. Snow ranged from soft groomers like Ramshorn to knee deep turns on runs like Lover’s Leap.

Skier: Palmer Hoyt

Skier: David Velasco in Sun Down Bowl. Vail Ski Resort.

Skier: David Velasco on Lover’s Leap in Blue Sky Basin

January 28th, 2013:
This was the perfect day to ski from lift open to close. The first hour or so of the morning provided temps in the low 20s and perfect groomers – especially on Riva Ridge. By 10am the snow started and didn’t stop all day long. We received 6″ during the day, making increasingly improving conditions and amazing turns in places like Pete’s Bowl and across the Front Side. The snowfall made visibility in the wide-open Back Bowls tough but we’re pumped to ski back there tomorrow!

January 27th, 2013:
3″ of snowfall fell overnight making for wonderful, untracked turns throughout the morning at Vail Mountain. At 11am Seldom in Sun Down Bowl was still providing wonderful, fresh turns. The current forecast is calling for 9-20″ through Thursday – THINK SNOW.

January 25th, 2013:
The 2″ of snow this morning started off what looks to be a week of snowy weather at Vail Ski Resort. The dense snow that fell over night not only made for fun conditions but will help build a good base for the snowy days ahead.

Here are a few shots from this morning:

 

January 19th, 2013:
MLK weekend kicked off with sunny skies and temps in the 20s and low 30s – a welcome respite from last weekend’s chilly temps! Groomers were the name of the game today but small detours into the trees can turn up some fun lines. Here’s a picture of conditions today from Instagram user Mike Watrous:

We’re enjoying the sunshine but looking forward to a possible small storm January 24th and a larger system starting January 28th. Get more details on the long range forecast with OpenSnow’s Colorado Daily Snow.

January 16th, 2013:
The cold front that has been hanging out in the west for the last week is finally moving east, bringing us warmer temps and gorgeous bluebird skies! We received an inch of snow last night which is riding deeper in some parts of the mountain. While not a huge amount of accumulation, it made for soft, light groomer runs this morning.

The sunrise wasn’t bad either:

 

January 13th, 2013:
Temperatures hovered around 0 degrees Saturday and Sunday but the 4″ of snow that fell Friday morning offered a very welcome refresher to conditions. Temperatures are expect to climb to more moderate levels by midweek but in the mean time be sure to layer up out there!

Photo of Sun Down Bowl taken by Photo by Bryan Wilson on Saturday.

January 11th, 2013:
We were expecting snow throughout the day today but, to our surprise, the storm brought its initial round of accumulation right after our 5am snow report. That made for a quiet powder day for the lucky skiers and riders who got up on the mountain early this morning.

January 8th, 2013:
Blue skies and groomers have been the name of the game the last few days. Enjoy the sunny skies and mild temps while you can! Snow is forecast to return in a big way starting Friday night.

Here is Instagram user @birkness’s photo of the mountain from this morning:

January 4th, 2013:
After seemingly nonstop snowfall last week, we’ve seen the sunshine return for 2013. Another round of snow systems are forecast to start up again late next week so in the mean time we’re enjoying the gorgeous views on over 5,000 acres of open terrain. Some terrain highlights at the moment are Grand Review and The Star in Blue Sky Basin as well as the wide expanses of Poppyfields West and Chopstix in China Bowl. Lost Boy in Game Creek Bowl is also skiing great and the moguls on Wildcard into Showboat are great for practicing your bump skiing.

Here are a few early morning beauty shots from Two Elk Restaurant shot by the General Manager, Doug Wooldridge, this morning:

December 30th, 2012:
Ropes dropped on Lover’s Leap in Blue Sky Basin yesterday making for some very fun turns. Here’s a photo courtesy of SKI Magazine’s Instagram:

December 28th, 2012:
Light but consistent snowfall has brought us to 12″ of snow in the last 48 hours. The accumulation has helped to refresh runs during the day and brought untracked lines each morning. The highlight this morning was the opening of Champagne Glade in Blue Sky Basin with return access to Skyline Express Lift (#37) and Tea Cup Express Lift (#36) via Kelly’s Toll Road. Here are some shots of skier MacKenzie Hanna making the most of the powder:

China Bowl this morning:

 

December 25th, 2012: MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Our favorite Christmas present this year was 7″ of soft, fluffy powder. Here’s what Sun Down Bowl was skiing like this morning:

The first runs of the morning were made even more beautiful by a thin layer of low hanging clouds that made for some dramatic lighting:

For more photos see our “Christmas Powder Day!” album.

Epic Day for an Epic Cause:
On Christmas Day, a group of skiers and riders are attempting to ski 70,000 feet while raising money to support the Vail Valley Foundation. Similar in concept to a walk-a-thon, the event will redefine what it means to ski a full day at Vail. The group will ski Born Free run under the Eagle Bahn Gondola 32 times in a 7 hour window, for a grand total of 70,400 vertical feet.

Since 1981, the non-profit Vail Valley Foundation has been committed to providing leadership in athletic, cultural, educational and community-based endeavors to enhance and sustain the quality of life in the Vail Valley for its residents and guests. One hundred percent of our proceeds will be donated to help support this important, and beneficial local organization.

To support the cause, donate via the Fundly donation page.

 

December 24th, 2012
We had a BIG weekend of openings with Ski Patrol dropping rope on China Bowl Saturday and Blue Sky Basin on Sunday! First tracks were deep and soft and while there’s still stashes to be found, we’re looking forward to the 2 storms forecast to come our way tonight and Thursday. Tonight’s forecast of 4-9″ should make for a very Merry Christmas!

Here are some photos from yesterday afternoon. Sun Up Bowl:

Knee deep powder in some areas:

December 21st, 2012:
Ski Patrol was able to open Sun Up and Sun Down Bowls ahead of schedule with both High Noon Express (#5) and Sun Up (#17) turning today!

December 19th, 2012:
Measured another 5″ of snow at the 5am report and the snow is still coming down. Skiers flocked to Highline Express (#10) this morning and were rewarded with deep, soft powder. Here’s skier Lance Rose on Highline this morning:

 

December 18th, 2012

We received another 8″ of snow in the last 24 hours and will be opening Highline Express (#10) and Riva Bahn Express (#6) tomorrow!

Here are some of our favorite shots from today:

December 17th, 2012

We received another 6″ of snow in the last 24 hours, 3″ falling overnight. That brings us to a foot in the last three days with the biggest part of the storm still yet to come! The trails around Northwoods were a highlight this morning.

With the new snow, we’re aiming to open up terrain off of the Riva Bahn Express Lift (#6) and the Highline Express Lift (#10) by mid-week. Vail Ski Patrol has been in the Back Bowls assessing conditions and with a few more solid storms hope to open more terrain.

December 16th, 2012

There were 4 new inches of snow at the 5am report with 3 of those inches falling overnight. The flakes have been flying throughout the morning, making for great conditions on the mountain today. There is quite a lot of snow in the forecast for Tuesday night and we’ll be up there first thing on Wednesday morning to check conditions across the mountain. At the moment we have no new terrain announcements but Ski Patrol will have a better idea of openings once the snow has settled Wednesday afternoon.

December 15th, 2012: 50th Anniversary!!

It’s finally here – our 50th anniversary celebration! It’s been a great morning thus far with a nice 2″ dusting to freshen up the slopes:

Join us for our 50th Anniversary Celebration at Mountain Plaza in Vail Village. With special guests, fireworks and cupcakes, it’s sure to be a lot of fun.

December 13th, 2012: 

Lots of new openings set for tomorrow: Northwoods, Sourdough (#11, #14) and Game Creek Bowl (#7) will open and lifts will start turning at 8:30am. RESPECT ALL ROPES AND CLOSURES. THEY ARE THERE FOR YOUR SAFETY.

 

December 11th, 2012: 6″ new snow

We were treated with 3″ during the day yesterday and another 3″ of snowfall overnight making for another fun day on the mountain, this time with blue skies and slightly warmer temps than the last few days. The new snow made the opening of Mountaintop Express (#4) today even sweeter with access to Whistle Pig, Expresso, Cappuccino, Swingsville and Ramshorn.

Photo by Jon Kedrowski (via Twitter @DrJonKed):

Photo by Jon Roubik:

December 10th, 2012: Light, consistent snow throughout the day

A light snow fell throughout the day, refreshing the already soft conditions from yesterday and making for the best day so far this season. Empty lift lines and expanded terrain openings allowed for great riding from open to close. More runs opened off of Avanti Express (#2) including The Meadows, Overeasy, Cookshack, Pickeroon, Berries, and Lodgepole. Wildwood Express (#3) opened with access to Hunky Dory, Kangaroo Cornice and Look Ma. Other terrain expansion included Minnie’s and expanded sections of Ledges.

December 9th, 2012: 9″ new snow overnight

4:30pm: We had a blue sky powder day today and are back to a light snowfall this afternoon.

Cats were grooming and patrol was marking obstacles and installing closures all day, and we will be able to open more terrain tomorrow. There will be more trails off of Chair 2 tomorrow when we open at 9:00 am, plus Chair 3 will open during the morning.  Keep your fingers crossed for more snow and we’ll hope to get more soon. Please obey all closures—they are there to keep you safe.

6:40am: We woke up to 9″ of new snow this morning!! More pictures and a video to come.

December 6th, 2012

Snowflakes started to fall around 7:30 this morning and lasted until about 11am. While the accumulation wasn’t big, it certainly freshened up the hill for some fun turns.

Some shots from around the mountain today:

 

Adding to the natural snow:

December 4th, 2012

24 hr report this morning was 2 inches, but those 2 fell shortly after the 5am report from yesterday, so the storm total was 3 inches, but none of that 2 fell overnight. This is reflected on the new Overnight Total on the official Vail Snow Report.

There still is a potential for snow later this week and through the weekend according to Opensnow.com’s Vail forecast from Joel Gratz:

View the Vail Powder Forecast updated daily!
Colder temperatures and snow will both help open new terrain faster, so we hope he’s right!

December 3rd, 2012

There was an inch of snow measured at the 5am report with light flakes falling throughout the morning. There are a few more chances of snow in the forecast this week and the potential for a larger change in weather patterns starting later this weekend – get the full forecast on Open Snow’s Colorado Daily Snow report. Groomers and snowmakers are continuing to work to open more terrain while they maintain the quality of runs that are already open to skiers and riders. For more on their work, see the “Peek into the Life of Vail’s Snowmakers” blog post.

 

November 29th, 2012: Terrain update and a word from Vail snowmakers

Terrain Update
Open terrain is expanding today and tomorrow with openings on Ledges (Practice Parkway), terrain around One, our new gondola out of Vail Village, and the beginner slopes around Gopher Hill (#12). This brings us to 131 skiable acres.

Skiers and riders will be able to take the Gopher Hill lift up and ski over to One. From there you can access either the Village or Lionshead via Lions Way to Lodgepole to Columbine.

This terrain will add to what has already been accessible off of Born Free Express Lift (#8), the Little Eagle Lift (#15) and the Eagle Bahn Gondola.

Foot passenger access on both One and the Eagle Bahn Gondola will remain free through Sunday, Dec. 2.

From the snowmakers
Snowmakers continue work around the clock to make as much snow as possible. With thirty workers covering three shifts 24-hours a day, everyone is focused on getting as much snow on the ground as they can.

Veteran Vail snowmaker and Director of Snowmaking, David Tucholke, says that snowmakers are “getting creative” in how they make snow to get the most coverage and terrain possible.

While daytime temperatures have been in the 40s over the last week, the overnight temps have dipped down enough to be able to run the snow guns. “We really like to have it go below 20 degrees (to make snow), we’re just barely getting there (each night)”, says Tucholke. The temperatures typically drop far enough at night that crews are able to make snow from about 7pm to 11am. “We’d prefer for it to be 24 hours a day” Tucholke admits, but the crews make the most of the warmer temps in daylight hours by fixing issues and resetting equipment so that the guns can be turned on the minute temperatures drop below 30 degrees each night.

The crews are using all 51 hoses in their warehouse to get snow coverage across the mountain and were just approved to buy even more hoses. “We’re jumping on every opportunity” Tucholke says as he squints at the forecast for the days ahead, “when a storm moves through, cold temperatures follow”. With a chance of snow tomorrow night and Sunday night, he’s feeling positive about snowmaking opportunities moving forward.

 

November 11th, 2012: At the 5am reading, ski patrol measured 9″ in 24 hours at Mid-Vail. Since then the snow has continued to fall intermittently and chilly temperatures have allowed snowmakers to continue making snow throughout the day.

 

November 10th, 2012: We woke up to a fresh layer of snow and the flakes continued throughout the day.

 

October 26th, 2012: The last 48 hours have brought two rounds of snow storms to Vail. Here’s what we woke up to this morning:

Game Creek Bowl

Looking toward Highline Express Lift (#10)

 Powder near 2 Elk Restaurant

Special thanks to Vail employees Jeff Althage, General Manager of Adventure Ridge, and Doug Wooldridge, General Manager at 2 Elk Restaurant, who provided these pictures on their commutes to work.