“The powder frenzy’s insane.” Photo; Instagram/@gater_man
Colorado’s hurting for snow right now. Reports started floating around just over a week ago that the state’s snowpack was 62 percent of its average for this time of year. The Colorado Sun said this week that time has only made that situation even worse, with that number dropping to 58 percent.
“Last month marked Colorado’s warmest December since 1895,” the Sun’s Shannon Mullane wrote. “It was 10.1 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th century average, making it closer to Colorado’s normal conditions in March.” To make matters worse, there’s no signs that things will swing violently the other direction before the end of winter. And that leaves people going wild for the occasional dump here and there to get their powder on.
But who the hell cares about snowpack totals and season averages when you hear fresh snow is coming? Fresh snow is fresh snow, whether it’s sitting on top of an all-time worst snowpack, or you just spent your 40th morning digging your car out. And that’s why the mad dash following this rope drop at Eldora Mountain is all too relatable.
Just under half the resort’s trails are open so far — a sure sign that things have been as dry and warm as advertised this winter. And for inbounds skiers that’s meant a lot of laps on a lot of the same trails over and over and over. But when ski patrol dropped the rope under this chair to open more terrain for skiers and riders, a couple snowboarders couldn’t help but laugh. The clip starts off slow, with a few people bombing down the hill. But before you know it, there are probably two-dozen skiers and snowboarders in the frame.
More moments like this, please.
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