Southern Colorado resorts received staggering snowfall totals this week and many others picked up significant amounts — with more coming on Friday.
Wolf Creek led the way with 44 inches from the storm cycle that began Wednesday, , and another 12 inches is forecast to fall there on Friday. Purgatory received 30 inches with six more due Friday. Telluride picked up 21 inches with seven more in store.
Other impressive snow totals included 25 inches at Crested Butte and 20-22 at the Aspen Snowmass mountains. Resorts receiving more than a foot included Vail, Beaver Creek, Steamboat and Sunlight.
Areas closer to the Front Range received more modest totals of five to nine inches. The exception was Loveland, which received 12.
Most of the snowfall predicted for Friday falls in the single-digit range.
Most resorts still have base depths that are 40% below normal or worse.
"Following this week's snowfall, our snowpack should improve to be just a little better than the historically lowest snowpack, but we will still be far below average for this time of year," OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel . "And with just a modest (and warm) storm next week and then no strong systems into early March, it doesn't appear that we'll get anywhere close to average anytime soon. But at least there was powder to ride this week."
The is warning backcountry travelers that avalanche danger is the highest it has been this winter.
"Many slopes will be prime for human-triggered avalanches, and CAIC is very concerned about the potential for avalanche accidents this weekend," said CAIC spokeswoman Theresa Graven. "This week’s storm delivered up to three feet of snow in some areas, combined with wind gusts exceeding 70 mph. That new snow fell on top of a historically shallow snowpack.
"Weak layers formed during repeated dry spells are now failing under the added weight," she added. "We are now transitioning from an intense loading event into a weekend with fresh powder and strong pent-up demand from recreationists."
