Red Mountain closed through weekend

Rock and debris continues to rain down on U.S. Highway 550 south of Ouray, forcing continued closure of the stretch of road at least through the weekend.

There is no estimate for when the pass, which has been closed intermittently since Sunday, will re-open. Colorado Department of Transportation officials hope to get a better grasp on the situation Thursday and Friday when crews will arrive for mitigation work.

“We do not have easy alternate routes here in Southwest Colorado and there is a hardship any time we close this pass,” CDOT Region 5 Transportation Director Kerrie Neet said. “It’s important for travelers and surrounding communities to know we don’t make these decisions lightly; we base them on the safety of the traveling public, as well as our workers.”

CDOT crews and rockfall contractor Yenter Companies assessed the situation on Tuesday, from land and helicopter, and made the decision to keep the highway closed until loose rock can be removed.

Rocks, some as large as 2 feet in diameter, began tumbling onto the road about two miles south of Ouray on Sunday, taking out a power line. The road was closed for a few hours that evening as crews cleared a debris pile as deep as 8 feet in places.

The rubble began coming down again Monday afternoon, at which time the pass was closed again, this time indefinitely. Rocks up to 6 inches in diameter covered the road for a 200-foot stretch, tumbling from about 900 feet above the roadway.

On Wednesday, San Miguel Power Co. crews removed the downed power pole as well as loose wire on the mountainside.

Meanwhile, motorist are advised to take alternate routes over Lizard Head or Wolf Creek Pass.

For more information, call 511 or log onto CDOT’s traveler information web site at www.cotrip.org. Or, sign up to receive email or text messages at www.coloradodot.info.

Ski season starts with a bang

Colorado Ski Country USA confirmed this week what those who’ve been to the slopes may already know: business is up. For the first part of the 2013-14 season – opening day through Dec. 31 – CSCUSA’s 21 resorts saw a 22 percent increase in skier visits as compared to the same period last year. In fact, this year is the strongest season opener in years, beating the five-year average by 6.7 percent.

“Riding momentum from last spring and buoyed by early season snow this fall, the season got off to a very positive start,” Melanie Mills, CSCUSA president and CEO, said. “While we’ve set a brisk pace there is still a lot of ski season left. With such wonderful conditions, we’re optimistic that the momentum will continue.”

A deluge of early season snow across much of the state allowed several resorts to open early and open more terrain and lifts than is typically available in the beginning of the season. The heavy snow helped get the word out about ski conditions in Colorado and drove visitation around the holidays, according to CSCUSA.

Occupancy at lodging properties also got a boost from early season skiers. CSCUSA, in partnership with Denver-based tourism tracking company DestiMetrics, reported that occupancy at Colorado resort lodging properties increased 11.6 percent October through December compared to the same time last season. Additionally, the booking pace for January - February is ahead of last year by 1.8 percent.

“Excitement surrounding the early snow, combined with positive economic news, has prompted strong early season bookings in Colorado,” Ralf Garrison, DestiMetrics’ director, said. “A favorable holiday experience along with forthcoming Olympic coverage could help sustain positive momentum.”

And in an effort to keep that momentum positive on the slopes, January is National Ski Safety Month in Colorado. Skiers and boarders are encouraged to “Know the Code” of skier and snowboarder safety on the slopes. Several resorts throughout the state will be hosting safety month events. To refresh yourself on the code or for more information on safety events near you, go to www.coloradoski.com

LPEA ups renewable energy credits

The incentive for installing those solar panels on the roof just got a little more attractive. La Plata Electric Association announced this week that is has increased the amount it pays to members who install renewable energy systems from $300/kilowatts to $350. Known as Renewable Energy Credits, they are available for owners of systems up to 10 kilowatts.

Renewable generation systems covered by LPEA include solar photovoltaic, wind and hydropower generating facilities. To qualify, systems must be net metered, inspected and approved by LPEA.

The extra $50 per kW will be granted from LPEA’s Local Renewable Generation Fund, which members have the option of supporting. LPEA recoups the rest of the cost of the RECs from its wholesale supplier, Tri-State Generation.

However, LPEA CEO Greg Munro said the amount Tri-State has been able to pay members for the RECs has been dropping over the years, due to the market for RECs declining. He praised Tri-State for offering the RECs when most other markets in the country are drying up. “The LPEA Board has a commitment to more local, distributed generation, so increasing the amount per kW for the RECs is hoped to encourage more LPEA members to look into installing renewable systems,” said Munro.

All grid-tied installations located within LPEA’s service territory are eligible for the REC payments. The LPEA contract for purchasing the renewable attributes spans 10 years, but at this juncture, members receive a one-time REC payment up front.

So far this year, LPEA has already received paperwork for more than 20 new, net-metered, solar installations. Last year, 95 systems were installed, bringing the total to 475 net-metered solar systems in its territory.

For information, go to www.lpea.coop or call 970.247.5786.

– Missy Votel