Last ski season had a promising start with an early snow storm that hit Colorado in October of 2011, unfortunately there wasn’t that much snow after that and Rocky Mountain skiers suffered (see: Telluride Avg Snowfall: 309 inches. 2011-2012 Snowfall: 219 inches). AccuWeather just released their 2012 Fall Highlights preview for the Fall of 2012. The report projects colder air and early season snowfall for the Rockies this Fall with temperatures projected to be 1 to 2 degrees cooler than usual in the Northern Rockies.
Resorts in Colorado should have a good chance at building up a solid early season base, as snowfall projections are favorable from late September into November. The mountains in the four corners region (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona) should start to get snowfall during October.
The hope is that colder air from Canada will drop down into the Plains states and set up Colorado (and the rest of the Rockies) mountains for snow.
Jack Boston, meteorologist for Accuweather (from Scott Condon’s Aspen Times article): “You had that early-season wallop and then nothing much after that. This year is going to be different.”
Let’s hope he’s right, for the sake of Rocky Mountain skiing.
Accuweather 2012 Fall Forecast
Meteorologist forecasts good start to ski season (The Aspen Times)
