Colorado 2020-2021 Colorado Weather and Stoke (and beer)

[mikel]

Not sure where @tball gets his, but you can get similar things from Weather Underground and customize them. Here's a page for Copper:

Frisco, CO 10-Day Weather Forecast | Weather Underground

Frisco Weather Forecasts. Weather Underground provides local & long-range weather forecasts, weatherreports, maps & tropical weather conditions for the Frisco area.

www.wunderground.com

The 10-day tab shows this... Monday precip chance is very low:

View attachment 109388

Watched 9News and the Weather Channel this morning along with checking NWS and the phone app. CRAZY A record breaking 98 degrees is possible in Denver this weekend. Some places may see 100 degrees. Fast forward to Tues and 37 degrees and snow.

 

[nay]

 

[jmeb]

If that verifies: RIP the trees of the entire front range.

 

[dbostedo]

If that verifies: RIP the trees of the entire front range.

Because?

 

[jmeb]

Because?

Because all our trees have leaves on them right now. We get lots of inches of snow that sits on them, it's going to break off a ton of big limbs.

 

[coskigirl]

If that verifies: RIP the trees of the entire front range.

Because all our trees have leaves on them right now. We get lots of inches of snow that sits on them, it's going to break off a ton of big limbs.

Yep. I usually try to go around with a broom and knock off what I can reach but that's not much. It's going to be interesting to see if it's cold enough for it to really stick.

 

[nay]

With wind it would be better as there wouldn’t be as much branch loading. I’m dubious this far out, but man that’s a good month early for a storm of any size.

 

[jmeb]

I believe Denver hasn't seen measurable snowfall in the last 20 years in September. Wild ride.

 

[Jtlange]

Copper announced reserved parking today vs reserved skiing. Smart on their part, incentive to stay slopeside.

 

[tball]

@tball , where do you create these graphs? I'm slightly concerned about the chance of rain starting Monday, the day I'm shuttling a car from Copper to Cooper and returning by MTB along the CT to Copper. Thanks.

Great opportunity to plug my favorite forecast tool from NOAA!

Just Google "noaa pinpoint forecast <location>" and you'll get to the page for most any location, as "noaa pinpoint forecast copper mountain" gets you here:

National Weather Service

forecast.weather.gov

Down on the bottom right, click on the "Hourly Weather Forecast" to see that cool time series forecast graph:



But wait, there's more! What I love about that tool is you can click on this map on the right to choose an arbitrary location:



So you can click on the top of Kokomo Pass to get the forecast for that exact location at 12,000ft!



Then click on the hourly weather forecast to see just what it's going to be like up there (per the model, of course):

Hourly Graphical Forecast for 39.43N 106.22W at Hour 58

It's going to be remarkably warm up there Monday. Looks like the wind could be rough and there's a very long stretch above tree line.

Have you done the ride? I've done Copper to Kokomo Pass out and back a number of times and it's pretty brutal between the altitude and the rocks. Very slow and takes me much longer than other similar length rides.

Also, are you sure you want to do it in that direction? I haven't done it that way. The climb up Kokomo Pass looks worse going west to east, but maybe it's smoother?

FATMAP: 3D Map & Guides for Skiing, Hiking and Biking

Plan your next route like a pro and find 1000s of routes from our community of guides, athletes and locals. With a free online route planner and GPX export.

fatmap.com

Have fun, and don't get stuck up there in the storm! Can't wait to see your photos!

 

[ski otter 2]

Copper announced reserved parking today vs reserved skiing. Smart on their part, incentive to stay slopeside.

Thanks for the heads up. Went to their website, and a lot of rather vague changes announced. They say that no one will have to ride with unrelated folks on the lower capacity lifts, for example (exceptions being gondolas, and high capacity lifts). They say they will get more detailed later, especially about a parking reservation system. They have lots of time: they also announced that opening day at Copper will be November 30. Late enough for much more capacity on the mountain.

 

[ski otter 2]

PS. I went hiking at Winter Park/Mary Jane today, up Lower Hughes, then Balsh, then past the lifts up the top ridge over summer hiking trails from WP to MJ top, and down Sleeper, in a loop. That makes at least one good hike this summer at four Colo areas I go to most, A Basin, Loveland, Copper and WP/MJ.

The WP part was open and very busy, though MJ seemed to be closed to the public, mostly. There was a long line of mountain bike folk at the Gondola to go up the mountain, all with face masks. But in that long line, very little social distancing, tightly packed. The employees were all masked up, social distanced themselves, but did nothing I could tell about how packed that line was, much longer than I've ever seen it in ski season - half a football field out the gates @ 10 a.m. Whew. Overhead, the gondola windows did not seem to be open, or at least not open mostly. (There may have been relatively small slit openings near the top, not sure; or just ventilation grit openings near the floor, as I recall seeing last winter.)

At least an hour and a half later, at the top of the gondola, man, it was like an Easter egg hunt up there, there were so many people getting off that lift, going inside the open lodge there, sitting at tables, milling around, getting their bikes ready. A crowd. Bikes and bike gear everywhere. I had no idea. Almost like a biker's Disneyland up there!! It took more than twenty minutes for me to get clear of all the folks and then all the bikes zooming around their paths, in all directions. Hikers had a few paths of their own, too. Thirty more minutes to get clear of those, for normal hiking, on up into MJ. (Not sure I was even allowed "on my own" up there, past the Disneyland ride trails......)

From all this I gather that in some way Winter Park will be highly organized, at least in some way, for Covid skiing also. They have a ways to go on social distancing, though, seemed like - at least in the lift line.

What a different atmosphere each ski area has in the summer!

 

[tball]

Copper Mountain state of the resort address is live now if anyone is interested:

 

[tball]

A few highlights of the Copper state of the resort address by Dustin Lyman, President, and GM:

• Confirmed that parking reservations will be the limiting factor to reduce the skiers to the state/county capacity restrictions that are still being worked out. There will be no lift reservation system. If you can get to the resort, you'll be able to get on the lift.
• Great news for homeowners and those renting a place at Copper. Make those reservations now!
• Indoor capacity will be limited to 50 people max regardless of the size of the facility. Bring a lunch!
• Opening up additional indoor space like the conference center, and adding picnic tables and other outdoor seating.
• Ski racers will be training prior to the Nov 30th opening.
• Still working with the state and county on details. The state was very focused on the reopening of schools and is now turning their efforts to the ski industry.

 

[tball]

See the recording here:

 

[Ken_R]

I believe Denver hasn't seen measurable snowfall in the last 20 years in September. Wild ride.

Yep. 96ºF at my house in Denver right now, it is nuts. The ground and buildings will be irradiating that heat for days. I will finish yard cleanup and pruning today.

 

[Core2]

So probably not a good idea to try to drive over Cinnamon Pass next Thursday? Is insane to go up there with the roads wet? The one week I want to go up there and it is threatening to snow

 

[Ken_R]

Currently in Denver: (Washington Park)

 

[Ron]

our weather for the Yampa valley

 

[jmeb]

@Ron -- any sign of color up there yet? Thinking next weekend of camping up your way. Maybe a lil overnight backpack in the Flattops.