A Tale of Two Decembers
(Last Updated On: December 28, 2014)
December 2014 has been an interesting one in our area. The first two weeks were bone dry, with no new snow to speak of. The upside of the dry spell was a fairly stable snowpack, even if the surface conditions weren’t anything to write home about. Looking back, I wish we’d been able to get out more, given the generally green light conditions. Here’s a couple of photos from the upper Slate River valley from that time:
The second half of December marked the return of winter. Some areas near us have had five feet of fresh snow, plus wind and colder temperatures. Best of all, more snow is in the forecast. The backcountry conditions have become far more tricky, and we’re back to the normal Colorado situation of treading lightly, probably until springtime conditions return. Here’s a couple of storm shots from the start of the current storm cycle:
The rapid changes we’ve experienced in the past month are what keeps backcountry skiing so interesting. It’s never the same- week to week, day to day, and even hour to hour. What will January bring?
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