News
ENLARGE
It's gusty out there, to say it simply.
The weather station at Copper Mountain showed gusts reaching 60 mph at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, with average wind speeds around 35 mph for the past two days.
High winds from the west are expected to stick around for a few extra days, too, like an unwanted guest. The feeling of being blown away — literally — should ease by Thursday night.
Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin were largely unaffected by the extreme breezes Wednesday, with Keystone's gondola being the only lift closed from normal operation at either resort by midday. It closed at roughly 10:30 a.m.
At Breckenridge, it's often the Imperial Express Chair and the T-bar most affected by high winds, spokeswoman Kristen Petitt-Stewart said. These lifts have yet to open for the season.
“Our business is weather dependent, and the safety of our guests is our highest priority,” she said.
Keystone spokeswoman Laura Parquette said though the gondola closed, the resort's Summit Express chair opened to maintain an easy access point to the mountain from River Run Village for guests. The Summit Express chair generally remains closed during the week during nonholiday periods with lighter crowds.
“The gondola is more sensitive to wind than the lifts,” Parquette said, adding that since lifts can run when the gondola can't, the resort is still able to accommodate guests despite high winds.
Parquette encouraged guests to check Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date on closures and what to expect at the mountain, given high-wind forecasts with cold temperatures.
Summit winds at Arapahoe Basin averaged 20-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, spokeswoman Leigh Hierholzer said, but high-mountain Lenawee lift operations weren't affected Wednesday.
Copper Mountain's Excelerator lift was on a weather hold during the middle portion of the ski day. Perched high on the mountain in exposed areas, it and Sierra lift were closed for safety reasons. Sierra lift remained closed as of Wednesday afternoon. The Super Bee lift on the steeper eastern portion of the mountain remained operational throughout the day.
“There's also some great protected terrain off of the new Union Creek High-Speed Quad and Timberline Express,” Copper spokeswoman Nell Bailey said.
The northern and central mountains of Colorado are getting the brunt of the wind, according to the National Weather Service. As gusts whip through Summit County, the higher elevations are getting it worse than the valleys. In Dillon and Silverthorne, gusts were reaching 15 to 25 mph throughout Wednesday morning.
The weather station at Copper Mountain showed gusts reaching 60 mph at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, with average wind speeds around 35 mph for the past two days.
High winds from the west are expected to stick around for a few extra days, too, like an unwanted guest. The feeling of being blown away — literally — should ease by Thursday night.
Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin were largely unaffected by the extreme breezes Wednesday, with Keystone's gondola being the only lift closed from normal operation at either resort by midday. It closed at roughly 10:30 a.m.
At Breckenridge, it's often the Imperial Express Chair and the T-bar most affected by high winds, spokeswoman Kristen Petitt-Stewart said. These lifts have yet to open for the season.
“Our business is weather dependent, and the safety of our guests is our highest priority,” she said.
Keystone spokeswoman Laura Parquette said though the gondola closed, the resort's Summit Express chair opened to maintain an easy access point to the mountain from River Run Village for guests. The Summit Express chair generally remains closed during the week during nonholiday periods with lighter crowds.
“The gondola is more sensitive to wind than the lifts,” Parquette said, adding that since lifts can run when the gondola can't, the resort is still able to accommodate guests despite high winds.
Parquette encouraged guests to check Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date on closures and what to expect at the mountain, given high-wind forecasts with cold temperatures.
Summit winds at Arapahoe Basin averaged 20-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, spokeswoman Leigh Hierholzer said, but high-mountain Lenawee lift operations weren't affected Wednesday.
Copper Mountain's Excelerator lift was on a weather hold during the middle portion of the ski day. Perched high on the mountain in exposed areas, it and Sierra lift were closed for safety reasons. Sierra lift remained closed as of Wednesday afternoon. The Super Bee lift on the steeper eastern portion of the mountain remained operational throughout the day.
“There's also some great protected terrain off of the new Union Creek High-Speed Quad and Timberline Express,” Copper spokeswoman Nell Bailey said.
The northern and central mountains of Colorado are getting the brunt of the wind, according to the National Weather Service. As gusts whip through Summit County, the higher elevations are getting it worse than the valleys. In Dillon and Silverthorne, gusts were reaching 15 to 25 mph throughout Wednesday morning.
More info
Stay tuned to National Weather Service observations at http://bit.ly/xShuiOSeveral mountains post terrain status updates on their website while others use Facebook and Twitter. Learn about Copper, Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin at:
Copper Mountain's terrain status: http://bit.ly/6McrDR
Breckenridge's lift and terrain status: http://bit.ly/grq24B
Arapahoe Basin terrain status: http://bit.ly/7t1qKf
