January 2017: One of the Snowiest on Record for Colorado

Spectacular Telluride Weather

Our Cold and Snowy Mountain Town

Cold and Snow Make for Great Skiing

Brrrrr

Into the Mist

Whoa! What a month it has been. With over eight feet of snow that fell in Telluride–as well as tons in other mountain towns of Colorado–the skiing and riding have been epic. It seems as though visitors and locals have been alternatively stoked and exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to plow through all that fresh powder whether it’s on the slopes, in your driveway, on your deck or on the snow-packed roads you travel on to go to work. (I’m an exceptional driver on our windy, mountain roads, especially with the help of my Arctic Claw snow tires, however, many aren’t, so it takes an infinite amount of patience to putz behind slow-moving vehicles when driving to work in such wintry conditions. That’s after the morning departure has already been greatly delayed by having to defrost and clean off the car. No, the start-of-the-day routine in the dead of winter in the Rockies is not for sissies.)

My Windshield

January: A Big Month for Ongoing Ski Instructor Training

Avalanche Control Work on Ajax Mountain

But we made it! The past few days have almost felt like spring. Sure, there will still be a lot of cold and snow left to this winter–let’s hope so at least–but I doubt we’ll see a string of days like the many we just endured in January. It must have been one of the greyest months on record, too. And as much as I like the cold and snow, there was many a morning when I felt a sense of dread about going out and freezing my butt off yet again. No matter how many layers I wore and despite electric boot warmers, boot gloves and hand warmers, it was hard most days to shake off the chill. When the sun doesn’t shine here in Colorado, it can feel mighty cold indeed.

The Crowd Gathers for the Ajax Bombing

Pouf!

Yet the rewards have been great! We have an abundance of snow that will carry us through the remainder of the season. There was so much snow that Ajax, the mountain at the end of our box canyon here in Telluride, had to be blasted last week in order to trigger controlled slides. Avalanche mitigation work only takes place here in the biggest snow years, an event that draws locals onto the street to stand and wait for the bombing for hours–despite frigid temperatures. Indeed, it’s a most impressive happening, so spectacular, in fact, that it was filmed by National Geographic and also aired on national news this year.

Happy Instructor:  Me Enjoying the Snow

View from My Ski Instructor Office

Boy, do I feel lucky to live in such a wondrous place.

Operation Snow Removal

Hauling the Snow Out of Town

Gotta Get Rid of It Somehow

Look Out for Those Boulders

These glorious snows have also served to enrich our snowpack, now making the word drought practically nonexistent in every corner of Colorado.

Lots of Snow Removal at Our House

My Snow Remover Extraordinaire

The Snow Pile in Front of Our House

Some people wait to see the weather forecast before making travel plans. Delay no more if you haven’t already planned your ski vacation because it doesn’t get much better than this.

Minus 20 at the House: A Good Day to Stay Home

My Freshly Stacked Wood

Of course we’ll have some fresh pow on our already deep base within the weeks to come but with all the fantastic grooming at Telluride and other Colorado ski resorts, there’s no longer any reason to sweat it. We have plenty of snow to go around.

Hearty Birds

Feeding My Birds

At this rate, we’ll still be digging ourselves out in May. And that’s just how we like it!

A Bright Smile on a Sunny Day: Me Just a Couple of Days Ago