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Glory days from last winter |
While last year's winter didn't produce best-ever conditions, it was long. Snow first hit the valley floor at the end of October, stuck around into the spring, and there were no real melt-downs. There was an epic in-town dump of snow in March and groomed in-town Nordic skiing held out into April.
This year the winter began on a promising note the last week in October with a storm and groomed in-town skiing at Lindley Park. Our good luck did not last and each month has produced bad news for avid skiers.
In November, the Rendezvous Trails in West Yellowstone canceled their annual ski
festival due to lack of snow. There were a few scrappy turns to be had at Big Sky but other than that, places to ski were hard to find. It pains me to say that I did not ski once in November.
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| Not this November |
January was a mix of deep cold and warm weather. A record setting cold spell hit the area for a few days around Martin Luther Day weekend but January ended with period of 50 weather in town. Bridger Bowl managed to hold on to a 23" base for most of the month.
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| Back in my tele days |
Mike and I toured up Little Ellis today and while we made it to Checkpoint Charlie, it felt more like mid-December than February 19. Lots of grass was poking out of the meadow as we skied towards Wild East. There we found some soft untracked snow. It was just enough to cover the logs and stumps, so we savored a few sweet turns before skinning back to Checkpoint Charlie. The front side clearcuts still have a long way to go.
The Steenburgh Winter comes to an end on February 24. This is the first day the sun rises to 35 above the horizon and each day it rises a bit higher in the sky. As this happen, there is more of a chance that the sun will have a negative impact on the snow and as time goes on, even north facing aspects will see crust if the sun comes out. There is still lots of skiing to be had but beyond this point, great powder conditions will become more fleeting.
With a low snowpack at the ski areas and continuously sketchy conditions in the backcountry, this year has been a challenging one for skiers requiring lots of patience and creativity. There is always the chance that big snow storms may come in March. The added snow will not be good news for our weak backcountry snowpack but will be good for the ski area. And let's face it, fresh snow always brightens one's outlook. Let's see what happens...
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Historic Snow Stats
A good winter is measured by an unknowable recipe of snow, temperature, sun, and wind. Stats at the ski areas don't tell the full story so click on the dates to read see what people were saying in previous years. Big Sky Bridger Bowl Alta Crested Butte
February 19, 2024 37" (NA) 37" (86") 142" (414") 65" (195")
February 24, 2023 66-70" (NA) 74" (177") 153" (536") 57" (216")
February 24, 2022 27"- 49" (NA) 43" (147") 89" (283") 61" (199")
February 18, 2021 56"- 63" (NA) 77" (171") 120" (332") 59" (150")
February 21, 2020 56"- 96" (NA) 78" (227") 125" (416") 51" (156")
February 17, 2019 48"- 89" (NA) 70" (192") 133" (386") 71" (186")
February 19, 2018 63"- 95" (NA) 77" (210") 76" (183") 48" (112")
February 14, 2017 48"- 72" (188") 45" (143")
February 12, 2016 43”- 65” (277") 56” (209")
February 17, 2015 42”- 63” (294") 56” (228")
February 12, 2014 57”- 85” (236") 76” (166")
Introducing the Steenburgh Winter
http://wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com/. The Steenbrugh Winter begins when the snow stake at Alta reached 100" and ends on February 10, the day the sun first reaches 35 degrees above the horizon. (Bozeman/Big Sky area, February 24;. Crested Butte, February 4; Salt Lake area, February 10)
More about Snow
- A classic post from 2012 - http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2012/11/types-of-snow-how-many-have-you-skied.html
- And a more recent favorite - https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2021/02/nothing-to-strava-about.html
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