25 degrees warmer up on the mountain
When I parked at Meadows Parking Lot this morning, my car showed -1 degrees, but if you need a reason to get out and ski, it is significantly warmer on top of Thunderhead.
On the way up the gondola, I could hear the ice on Heavenly Daze, so I decided to follow the sun for warmer temperatures and softer snow. I asked the temperature at the top of the gondola, and it was 26 degrees, which is borderline sunbathing weather for locals. An inversion is in full effect today.
The warm sun felt amazing and a nice escape from the zero to 15 degrees we’ve experienced in the valley the past couple of days. Good news is the cold temperatures have kept the mountain in nice shape. Based on the forecasts I’ve seen for this weekend, we should be getting snow Saturday night with some fresh turns to be had first chair Sunday.
I stayed exclusively on the groomers, which were sunny and soft with fast corduroy.
The views throughout the valley were crystal clear. From the top of Sundown and Sunshine lifts, you have panoramic views from left to right of the Never Summer Wilderness Area, Rocky Mountain National Park, Winter Park, the Gore Range and the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. It was a nice reminder of how blessed we are to live in Steamboat.
It’s a classic Colorado bluebird winter day today. Enjoy the sunshine, warmer temperatures and fresh corduroy on the upper half of the mountain!
Byron Carney, Alpine skier
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