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Blizzard conditions, with winds reaching 100+ mph, closed lifts Saturday, but knee-deep powder awaited skiers in Summit County

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Staff report

A skier turns sharply through knee-deep powder on a run at Breckenridge Ski Resort Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. The resort accumulated double-digit snow totals by the time the lifts closed after clearing 4 inches off the snow stake earlier that morning.
Sarah McLear/Breckenridge Ski Resort

Wind gusts Saturday caused lift closures at all ski areas in Summit County Saturday, but warmer temperatures and calmer winds Sunday led to a powder day across the region.

A strong storm caused wind speeds to peak at 119 mph near Copper Mountain and 107 mph near Breckenridge, according to National Weather Service data captured Saturday. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Keystone Resort and Copper Mountain Resort all had to close lifts due to the gusty winds throughout the day.

Arapahoe Basin took to social media Saturday to warn guests of how the high winds would affect mountain operations, but the resort pointed to forecasts for Sunday calling for double-digit snow totals through the day Sunday.

“Saturday’s strong winds forced some mountains to close or limit lift operations,” OpenSnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in his daily forecast blog Sunday. “But that’s in the past because now on Sunday morning, most areas around the state have 4-10 inches of new snow as of 5 a.m.”

The predictions delivered, with many ski areas in Summit County recording more than a foot of snowfall by the time lifts closed Sunday.

While many ski resorts could only operate a few lifts out of the base areas on Saturday, guests were treated the almost every acre of open terrain Sunday. Earlier this week, daily snowfall helped open up new parts of the mountain at all ski areas in Summit County, like the The Beavers at A-Basin, Peak 6 and Six Chair at Breckenridge Ski Resort, all ski trails at The Outback at Keystone and Union Meadows at Copper.

From Wednesday to Sunday, A-Basin reported 19 inches, Breckenridge reported 15 inches, Copper reported 22 inches and Keystone reported 13 inches, but many resorts saw double-digit snowfall added to these totals by 4 p.m. after the snow stakes were cleared Sunday morning around 5 a.m.

Another storm is hitting Sunday night, causing the National Weather Service to issue a winter storm warning that expires around 5 p.m. Monday.

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