March 22, 2007 - It is official - 450 inches in one season - New Record!
As I wrote on Thursday, this was likely our last big chance to break the record. The snow gods had teased us for a week and a half with a 1/4 of an inch here and a 1/2 of an inch there. All of the locals were still holding out hope of breaking the record and we did that indeed with a four inch storm on Thursday afternoon! There was much celebration to be had around town and the paper even wrote an entire “Ode to 450 inches” expose in the Saturday paper. In this write up there was a history of when we got snow and how much we got. I thought it was perfect as it reminded me of all the times Clint and I woke to blow the snow but also how many times we got up on the mountain to get the goods.
The paper listed out some of this year’s snow stats and I have some of my favorites here…
8,400,000 - Pounds of scoria spread on local roadways by city snowplows
1,300 - Overtime hours logged by city snowplow drivers
0 - Days of school cancelled because of snow by the Steamboat Springs School District
Powder points
- It snowed more than 6 feet in the first ten days of February 2008
- It snowed 7 feet in seven days at the summit from Jan. 8 to 14
- The ski area hit the 100-inch mark for summit-base depth March 6
- Longest Streak of Snow: 26 days (Jan. 16 to Feb. 10) with 137.5 inches (11.5 feet) at mid-mountain
March 20, 2008 - It’s Snowing - Need 2 Inches to break the record!
It’s snowing this afternoon in Steamboat and every local knows we only need 2 inches to break the all time record of 447.5 inches set during the winter of 1996-1997. Keep your fingers crossed for us. The mountain has been recording snow fall in 1/2 inch increments trying to break this record. I’d like to see a good 4-6 inch storm to blow the record out of the water once and for all. Clint and I have been joking that if we miss the record, we are going to make bumper stickers that say “446 - I demand a recount”.
March 2, 2008 - From 52 to 15 Inches New!
Yesterday Clint and I went skiing and it was warm, almost hot. The news reported a high in Steamboat yesterday of 52 degrees. There was a free concert at the base and all of the locals and tourists had come out of the woodwork to enjoy a healthy day of spring skiing. We also heard yesterday that there was a storm headed this way, but no one would have believed it based on yesterday’s blue bird weather. But around 10 pm, in it rolled and after dumping 15 inches of new snow by mid-day Sunday, we knew for sure that March was here. Known for it’s epic spring skiing days and awsome winter storms, it doesn’t get much better than this. We have officially broken the 400 inch mark, and now all locals are crossing their fingers and hoping that we break the all-time record. After a winter like this one, you want it to go down in the record books, so that all those early mornings and late nights shoveling were worth it!
February 9, 2008 - 70 inches in 7 days
Just one week ago, I cut out the front page of the Steamboat Today newspaper - excited because they were proclaiming that the Steamboat Ski Area had surpassed the 300 inch mark by just early February. I am not sure I could have predicted that just one week later, the ski area would be reporting 370 inches. Yes folks, you heard it right, 70 inches in 7 days.
Its getting deeper every day!
If any of you have been following our antics, then you know that last Friday we broke the snow blower. Thank goodness for Precision that we got her back on Monday morning at 8 am, since there is NO way we could have been able to keep up with the snow if all we had were shovels.
Even the porch needs snowblowing in a year like this.
In one week, the amount of snow in town has gone from comical to absurd. I was pretty sure that they wouldn’t need to truck in any snow on Lincoln Ave. for Winter Carnival, but rather just choose not to truck it out for one night.
Careful out there, its bottomless!
Our guests are certainly enjoying the snow. Some have even been challenged to get out and into the Yampa Valley because of it. But everyone made it safely and are enjoying this epic year.
February 4, 2008 - Powder Not Chowder
Steamboat reported 4 inches this morning. But that was a lie. There was really about 18 inches on the ground by 9AM. The storm hit right at 5AM and dumped silly amounts in a short time.
No camera today. No matter, I was on a solo mission anyway. Rode the snowboard today on Pumphouse from the Steamboat Pirate Map for 5 creamy, delightful laps. It was the first time I have hit this stash on a true powder day. Its good on a chowder day, for sure. But on a powder day? Bliss. Especially fun on my short, responsive 156cm board.
Also hit an unnamed shot that we discovered recently. It’s a gem because nobody, and I mean nobody, knows its there. I got the only tracks on this one today. I might just go back tomorrow for some more in this same area. Its GOOD over here right now.
Will this ever end? I hope not.
January 23, 2008 - Beautiful Powder Days Continue in Steamboat
We had a weather miracle here in Steamboat last night. Despite radar and forecasts calling for only flurries, we ended up getting 10 inches of fresh. Its bluebird out there right now, and I can only imagine what a great day it must be to spend on the mountain. Sadly, work calls, so I am in my office only able to fantasize about the champagne powder that skiers must be enjoying today. Steamboat Powdercats is probably incredible today!
Last night, when is started to really dump, I looked at the radar. Here is what I saw:
Outside, it looked like this:
Today it looks like this:
So I guess we have to conclude from this that Steamboat Champagne Powder is so light that it cannot be seen on radar or detected by the forecasters. I love this town!
January 20, 2008 - Too Much of a Good Thing?
You probably know this already, but its been snowing endlessly here in Steamboat. 253 inches so far. That’s a lot of snow.
Emily and I went out yesterday to hit one of our favorite secret backcountry powder stashes. Its a place reliable for good snow regardless of wind events, sun events, temperature events, or anything else that might screw up the snow on other aspects. This day was no different. We found awesome snow.
But we also found ourselves facing a problem that we had been warned about earlier this week. Too much snow. Bottomless, it seems, can be a bad thing if you aren’t on steep enough terrain. Over and over, we looked for shots that would provide enough gravitational pull to make the snow work.
We found some short shots that were fun, but nothing that would allow us to connect more than maybe 3 turns before we found ourselves stopped in the snow up to our waists. So, we ended up breaking trail all day in deep snow, skiing around in circles, and eventually, after a lot of optimism and energy, turning around and heading home before it got dark, tired but happy to have had a great day of ski touring.
When we finally got back inbounds, it was way past 4PM. We were at the top of Pony and it had been closed for almost an hour. The resort was completely deserted. So, we took our time skiing down, enjoying some rare solitude in an area that is usually swarming with people.
January 6, 2008 - Better Than Steamboat Powdercats?
Emily and I went out late yesterday to sneak in some skiing since we had about 10 inches of new snow. We started out at the resort, but quickly gave up on that since the lift lines were long and the crowds impossible. It was a rare day when Steamboat felt more like Vail.
Translation: crowded.
Once we gave up on the lifts, we made our way to some of our most secret and most coveted backcountry powder stashes. We did this carefully to make sure nobody saw us and so that nobody could follow us, at least not by sight. As we made our way down to the jewels, we saw another pair of skiers down in the trees. Emily turned and said to me, “Man, its getting crowded out here.”
As we came around the corner to see who was poaching the powder stash, we immediately recognized our two best backcountry ski pals, Mike and Sandy. Turns out they had the same response when they saw us approaching. This is especially funny since we have met at least a dozen times in the same fashion, bumping into one another in the middle of nowhere. I know them well enough to be able to recognize their freshly broken trail when we get started late and end up following them, which happens often.
Once we met up, Mike asked us how our day with Steamboat Powdercats had been. He knew well enough to know that the snow was not perfect that day. We chatted about that, as well as last Sunday when Mike had returned to another one of the great local stashes. He related the snow conditions and how nice they had been, and I complained that he had not called me. We agreed that we should plan soon to head up to Buff Pass and explore some of the beta that the Steamboat Powdercats guides had shared with me while riding on the cat.
Then we all skied. We skied marvelous powder, some of the best powder I have had in a long time. After the first run, Emily turned to me and said, “That was BETTER THAN POWDERCATS!” I immediately disagreed, and reminded her of the run we had done with Steamboat Powdercats called “Andy’s Aspens” which was honestly one of the best tree skiing runs I have ever enjoyed. Two laps later, I was forced to reverse my position. The skiing really WAS better than our day with Steamboat Powdercats. And less expensive. Sorry, Powdercats. I guess we will have to book another day, so that you have another chance. Yeah, that’s it. We need another day with Powdercats. Like soon.
January 1, 2008 - Steamboat Powder Cats
For Christmas, I got Emily (and myself of course) a day on Buff Pass with the Steamboat Powder Cats. For those of you who don’t already know, Steamboat Powder Cats runs a snowcat skiing operation by special permit just outside of Steamboat Springs. Buff Pass is one of the premier backcountry skiing destinations in Colorado, and Steamboat Powder Cats, while not the cheapest way to do it, is the best way to get out and experience skiing in this fantastic terrain.
Overall, we had a very good day on the pass, the first sunny day in over a month. Wind events over the past several days have affected the snow all over Colorado, so the skiing was not as perfect as it could have been. As experienced backcountry skiiers, we were not phased by this. We have skiied much, much worse, and were able to have a great time up on the pass, as you can see from these photos. The guides at Steamboat Powder Cats were awesome and worked very hard to ensure that we skiied the best snow that was available given the patchy conditions.
Thanks Steamboat Power Cats for a great day on Buff Pass. We will be back soon!
