Area ski resorts remain optimistic
Delayed, partial openings not a major concern for DMR, Telluride

A light layer of snow blankets the newly relocated beginners area at the base of Durango Mountain Resort. Warm temperatures have prevented the ski area from opening on time and caused other Southwest ski areas to open with limited terrain. However, the National Weather Service is calling for a change in the pattern./Photo by Todd Newcomer.

by Missy Votel

The current weather forecast may call for sunshine, but Southwest Colorado ski resorts say it isn’t clouding their outlook for another excellent season.

Despite delayed or scaled-back openings, both Telluride and Durango Mountain Resort are reporting reservations that are on par or above those of last season, one of the snowiest in recent memory.

“Bookings are up,” said Katie Singer, communications manager for Telluride Ski Resort. “Hotel reservations are up 10 percent over last year, and our Christmas bookings are up 15 percent over Christmas last year.”

Singer said nights have been cold enough in Telluride, sitting at a base elevation of 8,750 feet, to allow for snow making. The resort kicked off the season with its annual donation day on Wednesday with three runs open. Singer said more terrain will open as weather permits.

On the eastern side of the San Juans, Wolf Creek Ski Area garnered enough natural snow to open in mid-November with an 18-inch summit base depth. The area now has 40 percent of the mountain open.

However, Durango Mountain Resort has not been as fortunate. This week’s opening was delayed as resort officials patiently watch the weather, awaiting snow-making conditions.

“We’re operating on a week-to-week basis and making snow as temperatures allow,” said Loryn Kasten, DMR’s communications manager. Although nighttime temperatures have been cold enough to4 make snow, daytime temps are reaching the 40s and 50s, too hot to maintain much of a snowpack.

“What we need is sustained cold temperatures over a 24-hour period,” she said. “What would be ideal is a combination of natural snow and sustained cold temperatures for snow-making. Then we could build up the base and get things rolling.”

Despite the delayed opening, Kasten said reservations are not suffering.

“Reservations are on par with last year, and we’re seeing a big increase in our group bookings,” she said.

The trend is one being experienced throughout Colorado, according to Ashley Boyden, with Colorado Ski Country USA.

“I don’t have specific numbers yet, but it sounds like the phones have been ringing off the hook,” she said. “People are also booking farther out, which is a change over previous years. Some properties are already sold out for Christmas.”

The biggest trend recently, Boyden said, is the increase in international visitors. Last season, international travelers were up 28 percent over the 2003-04 season. Kasten and Singer cited similar increases, which they hope will continue.

“Our international business increased substantially last year, and we’re looking forward to that again this year,” said Singer.

In addition, Boyden said season pass sales have been up across the state, compared to last season.

With such strong early season indicators, Boyden said Colorado resorts are poised to best last season’s skier days of 11.8 million, the third-best season on record. “We’re looking to surpass that with 12 million skier visits this year,” she said.

And buoyed by good early season conditions in the central mountains and last year’s great snowfall, she is confident that number is within reach. A series of storms left more than 3 feet of snow last week at resorts in Summit County and along the I-70 corridor, making for the best opening-day conditions in a decade. “I skied Keystone last Friday, and I couldn’t believe how good it was,” Boyden said. “It was more like skiing in January or February.”

And while the San Juan Mountains are currently sporting more brown than white, long-range forecasts predict winter will return eventually.

“The 30-to-60 day outlook for the San Juans is near normal as far as precipitation,” said Dave Nadler, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. On average, the San Juans receive between 200 and 400 inches of snow a year, he said. And although November has been dry, he noted that October was a wet month and urged local powder hounds not to lose heart.

“We’re just in a pattern of tranquil weather right now,” Nadler said. “In December, we could be in a pattern of three weeks of snow, and no one will even think about this. In the end, it’ll all average out.”

Like Nadler, Kasten said she isn’t particularly worried about the lack of snow right now. “The monsoons came late this year, and Indian summer came a little late, so it makes sense that the snow will be a little late, too.”

Over the past 10 years, the resort has delayed opening day twice, opened early twice and opened on time all the other years, lending credence to the adage that the only thing predictable about the mountain weather is its unpredictability.

“We’re used to snowstorms showing up at the 11th hour,” she said. “Right now, we’re just waiting for the snow to show up. And it will.”