Snow days coming for Summit County ski resorts

Copper Mountain/Courtesy photo
Tips up! Summit County is poised for a flurry of snow days — with an estimated 11 to 14 inches projected to accumulate at various resorts by Monday, Jan. 2.
According to a Dec. 29 report on OpenSnow, Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Resort could see 11 inches by Monday night — Breckenridge with 4 inches Saturday and 7 inches Monday and Keystone with 5 inches Saturday and 6 inches Monday.
Copper Mountain Resort could see 1 inch Friday, 5 inches Saturday, 1 inch Sunday and 6 inches Monday for a combined 13 inches. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area could see 5 inches Saturday, 1 inch Sunday and 8 inches Monday for a combined 14 inches.
“From Friday through Saturday, we’ll see more snow with warm temperatures, and from Sunday through Tuesday, another storm will bring significant snow,” wrote Boulder-based meteorologist Joe Gratz, who runs OpenSnow, in a Dec. 29 post. “Let the good times roll!”
According to Gratz, the incoming system on Friday and Saturday will bring what he calls “cream cheese” snow.
“It’s great for surfy, cruisy riding conditions and covering up anything that’s below,” Gratz wrote. “But it’s not blower powder, and if this snow comes to fruition, the additional weight on our snowpack will likely appreciably increase avalanche risk in backcountry areas.”
According to a Dec. 29 report from the National Weather Service, snow showers are likely to begin after 3 p.m. Friday with a high near 30 degrees. Saturday will have a high near 39, Sunday a high near 41 and Monday a high near 30.
Wind gusts could reach as high as 31 mph on Saturday, according to the weather service.

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