Steamboat Resort postpones Opening Day to Nov. 27
Steamboat Pilot & Today
Anthony Effinger/Courtesy photo
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Citing lackluster conditions, Steamboat Resort has opted to postpone its opening day from this weekend to Nov. 27.
“Anyone who has been in Steamboat, or has been anxiously watching our mountain cameras, knows that Mother Nature hasn’t been cooperating this preseason,” Dave Hunter, vice president of resort operations, said Monday in a news release.
Normally, the resort would have a 10- to 20-inch midmountain base and 200 hours of snowmaking at this time of year, according to Hunter. This season, that’s not the case as the resort has logged only eight hours of snowmaking.
“This year, we haven’t been able to capitalize on extended snowmaking temperatures and windows,” Hunter said in the release. “While our mountain crews have done an incredible job of pulling every magic trick out of the hat, reality is that our slopes are not ready to welcome skiers and riders.”
Loryn Duke, the resort’s director of communications, said the resort’s snowmaking equipment is ready to go when weather allows.
According to forecaster Mike Weissbluth, who owns and operates SnowAlarm.com, temperatures will go from above average to 5 to 10 degrees below average beginning Wednesday, Nov. 17. But that will be short-lived, as Thursday’s high temperature will return to near average.
Weissbluth indicated there is chance for a storm to bring lower temperatures and snowfall to the area Friday, Nov. 19, to Saturday, Nov. 20.
Erin Walter, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said the weather station northeast of downtown Steamboat has recorded only 8.4 inches of snow. By comparison, Walter said Steamboat normally has about 20 inches of snow by mid-November. In 2020, the city received just 12.4 inches, which Walter said was significantly below average.
Ideal snowmaking conditions are between 12 and 18 degrees, along with requisite low humidity. The resort’s snowmaking and grooming crews can make 18 to 24 inches of snow on over 30-plus acres within five days, Hunter said in the release.
This story is from SteamboatPilot.com.
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