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Winter storm triggers highway backups, avalanche warnings, ski resort rejoicing

Alli Langley
alangley@summitdaily.com
A snowboarder takes flight at Copper Mountain Resort on Monday, Dec. 22, 2014.
Tripp Fay / Copper Mountain Resort |

Traffic backed up on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor Monday as plows and avalanche control crews worked to clear the road and Front Rangers and out-of-staters drove west to enjoy fresh snow and the Christmas holiday in the High Country.

In Summit County, CDOT crews closed I-70 between Silverthorne and the Eisenhower Johnson Memorial Tunnel briefly Monday morning for avalanche control work after a winter storm dropped 1 to 2 feet or more Sunday and Monday.

Colorado Avalanche Information Center forecaster Scott Toepfer said the avalanche CDOT triggered sent snow and debris 3 feet deep into the middle of the interstate.



Slides along parts of I-70 have buried cars before, he said, “so it’s not something to be taken lightly by any, any stretch of the imagination.”

CDOT also closed Vail Pass for avalanche control work for a few hours Monday, and Montezuma Road east of Keystone closed for about 30 minutes late Sunday night after a power line fell into the road.



Elsewhere in Summit, Loveland Pass on Highway 6 closed Sunday afternoon, and Dillon Dam Road between Frisco and Dillon closed around 9 p.m. Sunday. As of presstime on Monday, neither road had reopened.

CDOT officials said up to 50 snow plows were working round-the-clock patrol shifts through the storm and encouraged motorists without four-wheel drive or unprepared for extreme winter conditions to avoid driving.

“Drivers need to make sure they have adequate snow tires or snow chains and ensure they do not drive too fast for conditions,” said Ryan Rice, CDOT operations director.

For the I-70 mountain corridor (Golden to Dotsero), an incident management team employs strategies including ramp management, snowplow escorts, quick clearance of traffic incidents and fast communication of road information to help motorists travel safely.

CDOT recommends drivers check CoTrip.org and the CDOT mobile for the most up-to-date road conditions and traffic information and coloradodot.info/travel/winter-driving for winter driving tips.

‘SPOOKY SNOW’

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued avalanche warnings for Summit County that will stay in effect through Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 4 p.m.

The center advised against all backcountry travel in or below possible avalanche terrain, calling conditions very dangerous. The storm brought gusts over 100 mph to some locations, and natural avalanches were reported early Monday with another 10 inches and strong winds forecasted throughout the day.

Higher temperatures earlier in the storm will contribute to the potential for natural and human-triggered avalanches into Tuesday, according to the center, and some avalanches may run long distances, possibly hitting valley floors.

An ice climber in Rocky Mountain National Park was caught in a slide Monday that knocked him off his perch, Toepfer said. The man was able to keep climbing.

Toepfer expects to see more avalanches through the week with the high amount of “spooky snow.”

The center’s daily reports describe the difference between a storm slab and a persistent slab, or avalanches that occur days after the snow has stopped.

Though storm slabs are just as dangerous, more people die in the lurking persistent slabs, he said, perhaps because they are lulled into a sense of complacency.

Persistent slabs have been a problem since this winter started because of weather patterns over the last few months. However, the center, which tracks Colorado avalanche fatalities, has yet to report any deaths this season.

“No fatalities, and I wish I had a piece of wood to knock on because I am very nervous that we’re not very far away from seeing one,” he said.

Colorado leads the U.S. in number of avalanche deaths, and since 1950 the state has averaged between six and seven a year.

Toepfer said that number has been creeping up as more people recreate near avalanche terrain.

FACE SHOTS

While the snow meant shoveling and stuck cars to many in Summit, powderhounds able to ski and ride received faces full of fresh fluff. Some resorts recorded close to 2 feet of new snow in the 48-hour period between Saturday morning and Monday morning.

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area reported the most 24-hour total early Monday with 19 inches, besting its early season rival, Loveland Ski Area, which recorded 14.5 inches at 5 a.m. and updated its 24-hour total three hours later to 21 inches.

Copper Mountain Resort followed with 17 inches early Monday, and Breckenridge Ski Resort saw 16. Keystone Resort recorded a paltry 4 in comparison.

In neighboring Eagle County, Vail Mountain received 12 inches and Beaver Creek saw 9.

The next storm should hit Summit Thursday and into Friday, with forecasters predicting a white Christmas and six to 12 inches of fresh over those two days. After that, another system could bring snow Sunday and Monday.


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