147 | The Pre-Halloween Snow Storm of 2009

"For those of you who don't habla espanol, El Nino is Spanish for The Nino."


The 2009/2010 winter season marks the return of El Nino which is English for bigger but more infrequent storms for Colorado. How big and how infrequent remains to be seen, but the eastern half of the Continental Divide got an early taste on October 27-29, 2009 when a powerful upslope storm dumped most areas with over 18" of snowfall and upwards of 3-4 feet west of Denver along the divide north of I-70 in Rocky Mountain National Park and towards the Never Summer Range south of Cameron Pass.



Here's the list of final snowfall totals with an accompanying map:







Even with work keeping my skis grounded, I found solace with a 28-week-old goldendoodle who thinks he's a 60-pound lap dog. Fortunately, Birmingham's love for snow is unmatched and will certainly rival that of mine for years to come.







Here's to many more snow-filled hot tub sessions throughout the next few months.

146 | Jones Pass, Colorado | 10 Oct 2009

This past Saturday on October 10th, I joined some familiar faces on a trip that provided the first turns of the 2009/2010 ski season. My last time on snow was back on June 20th at Mount Evans where a dense fog and low clouds made things a bit more difficult than normal. A similar story was painted all too brightly yesterday in the early morning hours all across the greater Denver area where an unexpected snow storm caught everyone by surprise resulting in automobile wrecks near every exit off I-70. Two hours later, Gary and I finally made it to the Henderson mine outside Empire where we met up with Chris and Forrest. Much to our surprise, the weather was almost non-existent along the continental divide in Arapaho National Forest.

Click here for the complete gallery.










Gary, myself, and Chris "earning" our turns after some gasoline-powered help



(photo by Forrest)



Into the thin air







Drop zone





(photo by Forrest)



To most people, I'm sure the skiing that was had doesn't appear to be all that appealing, but how can your really argue against the views we saw in favor of waiting in a lift line? With a few more storms, the Jones Pass area should have a bunch more zones opening up with Butler Gulch setting up after just one or two more.



Forrest finding some untouched goodness







Gary emulates







Me near the bottom of the run



(photo by Forrest)



Helmet camera footage

Jones Pass, CO (2009.10.10) from Thomas Armento

145 | Loveland Ski Area is FIRST to Open for 09/10 Season

As posted earlier, both Loveland and Arapahoe Basin opened for the season last year on October 15th. With snowmaking beginning three days sooner this year, I was realistically hopeful for a 10/10 start. Then mother nature intervened and added her own punch that allowed Loveland for the earliest North American opening in 40 years with lifts turning yesterday on October 7, 2009.