The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Winding up a warm January road-trip, focus returned to mid-winter in Crested Butte, such as it is. It looks like high 40s and sunny as we head into the first weekend of February and while some will argue with me and say that’s “normal,” I don’t think it really is.
This has been a warmer and drier winter than “normal” for a ski area. While some ski areas in the world are getting pounded — there is no shortage of CBers who found a storm in Japan this winter — the Rockies are droughting hard. If you think CB is lean, Park City is basically saying “hold my beer” on the low snow front. The shrinking, browning, manmade strips at the high-end Deer Valley expansion are meant to handle a lot more traffic than us (but aren’t) and ski shops are already putting on end-of-the-year type ski sales.
The Interwebs tell me this week that the Gunnison Basin is at less than 60% of median in terms of snowpack. That seems generous. There’s only an average of 5.3 inches of water equivalent in the snowpack statewide. There were six other winters in history with less than eight inches of snowpack to start February, and of those only one was able to make up ground and finish above average. On February 1, 2000, statewide snowpack was at 7.3 inches of water equivalent but after an impressive March and April, the season peaked on April 4 with 16.2 inches of snow/water equivalent. The statewide average peak is 15.4 inches. Something to shoot for at the halfway point.
Saw that Teo Bowl opened last weekend (sponsored by local ski tuners?) and had I been here and able to ski, I probably would have dug out the rock skis to check it out. I just enjoy the feel the back of the mountain provides. But even I would have hesitated after seeing some of the photos from the top of the bowl. While certainly steep, it didn’t exactly look that deep, unless you count deep rocks. But kudos to patrol for making that effort and trying to go all wall-to-wall for their upcoming party on Saturday, but Lord knows, this is an attitude adjustment type of season.
Also heard a couple of college snowboarders took the mighty move to separate from their group in the backcountry while looking for powder near Ruby. They lucked into stumbling across a local groomer who’s associated with the Gunnison County Sno Trackers club who picked their wet and cold butts up and connected them with local Search and Rescue team members on Kebler. That was a lucky mid-winter meeting for all involved.
A graph was shared this week indicating that since 1900 there are fewer days in the North Valley that hit below freezing. The analysis explained that the trend is showing fewer cold days in these parts and while precipitation isn’t always shrinking, the fact more is coming as rain instead of snow is not good for those who like to recreate in powder. It was said that while perhaps one bad winter out of 25 could be somewhat expected as a normal part of the cycle, we might now expect one bad ski season every 10 or 15 years. Start saving for Hokkaido.
I do have to say while general morale might be lagging given the slim snow situation, there have been times the spirit was pulling us all up. The Alley Loop seemed to bring out the color and joy of Crested Butte. I loved the Cam Smith skiers and the overall vibe of the event. The pond hockey tournament in CB South a few weeks ago had a similar feeling—filled with smiles and camaraderie and community. Of course, the fact both had spring break weather in the middle of winter probably helped with the mood. Heck, let’s accept what we can get when the weather gods are playing jokes on us.
And then there’s the new upcoming event that seems perfect for this less than stellar ski season. Kochevar’s will be hosting The Staring Contest Valentines Weekend (Thursday the 12th starting at 6:30 p.m.). You heard me right, The Staring Contest. What a great first date opportunity! This sounds like a Chad Reich thing, and apparently it is. This epic event is an homage to the late ‘70s Winter of Un (heard of it?) in Crested Butte–and to what may turn out to be another Winter of Un sequel. Chad organized it as a low-cost ($5 entry), highly organized, light-hearted, silly, 21+, and prize-heavy event for anyone looking to break the norm and get competitive. Not sure how well a live stream would do with this epic event so get there in person. What else do you have to do?
Whatever this winter is doing, we all know it might turn on a dime and set a record in the good way. The traditional snowiest months are yet to come. I also like a suggestion sent to the paper this week saying, “Every day at noon, when the town siren sounds…take a moment to pause, pray, visualize snow falling, feel gratitude for those epic pow days and ask for the waters to fall from the sky.”
In the meantime, be where you are, prepare for the future and maybe instead of working out your quads for a foot of heavy spring fresh, start working on those staring muscles.
—Mark Reaman
