By: Christopher Dawkins
The skier and snow-boarder’s love for the mountain is slowly dissipating this disappointing season. The pump-up, motivating preseason videos have only left more people sad in Colorado. Showing people videos on professionals hitting some of the greatest powder days all over the world, makes people sad that they can’t experience the same thing on their own mountain. Really people only expect about half the amount of snow the professionals experience, having to ride a helicopter to fly to the top of an uncharted mountain. This year in Colorado just an eighth of the snow heli-skiing mountains have would be appreciated.
There are only theories answering people’s concerns. One theory many people believe is the El Niño, which is the warming of the Pacific Ocean affecting air currents globally. Much of the snow storms were stolen by the more southern mountain resorts, dumping more snow than the more common resorts in Northern Colorado.
Winter Park and Steamboat Springs are almost in exactly the same boat. Recorded on January 8, 2012 both Winter Park and Steamboat Springs have a disappointing 29 in. base depth, and Steamboat accumulated 47 in. total snow close to Winter Park’s 45 in. of snow. Much of this base is only because of the hard working mountain workers, who have been carving and spreading the man-made snow all over the mountain. The year prior to that date Steamboat had a 65 in. base and 174 in. total snow fall. Last year Steamboat had five times the amount of accumulated snow compared to this year’s total snow fall. Winter Park, having less snow, still had twice the amount of snow compared to this season.
I am not the only concerned skier. Many students have noticed the same atrocious ski and snowboard season. Most students such as Dillon Hinchley, Kyli Newby, and Trey Stephens all had the same response, “It sucks,” which is all that really needs to be said about the uneventful season. Adam Mossberg said, “I used to want a week, but now all I want is a day.” Hopefully as the season continues snow can change the tide and allow us to want to ski or snowboard for a week once more.
Finally, to answer many peoples prayers for new snow, on Monday the 16th of January, Steamboat accumulated 11 inches. To many people 11 inches may seem a lot, but in the current circumstances about four times that amount is needed to catch up with last year’s snow fall. The newly acquired 11 inches could be the true beginning and relief of the horrifying ski and snowboard season.