EC compared to CO

[Odin]

Now granted this can't be taken as a whole considering that all of these areas are probably overstating their snow totals......

Innnnnteresting:

Jay Peak Total Snowfall:
364

Stowe:
335

Smugglers Notch
307

Vail:
246

Copper:
222

Winter Park:
261

I would have gotten more from CO areas but there aren't many reporting their total snowfall.

Soooo has this been a godawful year for NORTHERN CO or a great year for VT?

edit - I should have put northern co, since the san juans seem to have been on point this year.

[CaddyDaddy77]

Originally posted by Odin
Now granted this can't be taken as a whole considering that all of these areas are probably overstating their snow totals......

Innnnnteresting:

Jay Peak Total Snowfall:
364

Stowe:
335

Smugglers Notch
307

Vail:
246

Copper:
222

Winter Park:
261

I would have gotten more from CO areas but there aren't many reporting their total snowfall.

Soooo has this been a godawful year for NORTHERN CO or a great year for VT?

edit - I should have put northern co, since the san juans seem to have been on point this year.

Wolf Creek Ski Area is closed for the 2003-3004 season. End of the year figures include an all natural base of 109 inches at the summit and 101 inches at midway.

As of Sunday, April 4th (closing day) the year-to-date snowfall total was 375 inches.

[pointedem]

I call bull shit on all those east coast totals.
Jay is notoious for overstating their totals, and there is no way that they got 160" more then central Vermont this season. K cites 230" for the year, which i know is way too high because i lived 3 minutes from the base since the snow started falling. Try 200", absolute tops.

VSAA (vermont ski area association) gave resorts in vermont half a million beacuse skier visits were down 20% over last year.
Bumping up your snow total is a sure fire way to get more skiers at your resort.

[Vinman]

I'd say VT had a good year/above average, not the best I have seen but pretty good. If I had to speculate about the snowfall totals for Smuggs I would they are pretty close though.

[homerjay]

I would say yes, it has been a god awful year for N Co. resorts, Steamboat excluded, perhaps.

[noodles]

Totals seem legit. But they don't include the rain totals. Snow preservation should be considered too.

[glademaster]

Smuggs always gets more snow than Stowe, so those figures are a bit off. In fact, smuggs sometimes get 5+ feet more than Stowe in a season. Jay's is high but not much given two or three 5+ foot storms before January.

-Ben

[The AD]

Originally posted by Odin
I would have gotten more from CO areas but there aren't many reporting their total snowfall.

Steamboat: 292"

[KevinDineen]

I've had some kick ass powder days at Jay when the rest of VT got dustings, so I tend to believe them more so than say, Vail. One thing to remember about EC totals, though, is the annual thaw. They'll get 100 inches in Nov/Dec, then watch it all melt to 0 in Jan. (not a comment on this year, just a general observation).

[FigureEleven]

Regardless of the numbers... i think i might just rather spend my time in east vail. Even on a somewhat crappy year as this I have had many rediculously deep days back there. I have a vibe that there might be a few more this weekend. Here's to Vail's 246.

http://biglines.com/photos/blpic18113.jpg

[The AD]

After starting out like gangbusters, the Pacific Northwest has quietly settled into an average to even slightly below average year (at least in terms of snowpack). The NWAC snowpack data
http://www.seawfo.noaa.gov/products/CLISNO shows many places below average. Even Baker, with 159" on the ground on April 1st, was below their average of 175" Also kind of interesting that many places have less snow on the ground this year compared to last, which was considered to be a poor snow year. This year and last year were sort of mirror images: no snow early, lots late last year compared to lots of snow early, no snow late this season!

Total snowfall figures seem to be hard to come by, but W/B is reporting 374" (that's slightly above average for them), Baker is at 624" (probably close to average) and Stevens Pass is at 373" (below average). Everything from Crystal Mountain south seems to have faired slightly better than average.

[funkendrenchman]

One word - rain. I'll take 100 inches less snow if it means no rain.

[stump832]

Originally posted by KevinDineen
I've had some kick ass powder days at Jay when the rest of VT got dustings, so I tend to believe them more so than say, Vail. One thing to remember about EC totals, though, is the annual thaw. They'll get 100 inches in Nov/Dec, then watch it all melt to 0 in Jan. (not a comment on this year, just a general observation).

Happened this year too. Right around new years - watched all the big mid-december dumps get washed away by rain.

[Ireallyliketoski2]

The skiing on the east coast sucks when compared to skiing in Colorado.

[DaveTV]

Originally posted by Ireallyliketoski
The skiing on the east coast sucks when compared to skiing in Colorado.

I've lived in both and come compare - I would take CO in a sec but New England CAN be pretty good - so tell us, Ireallyliketoski, where have u skied in the East?

[CaddyDaddy77]

Originally posted by DaveTV
I've lived in both and come compare - I would take CO in a sec but New England CAN be pretty good - so tell us, Ireallyliketoski, where have u skied in the East?

The stuff that was up last week, mildbill, I think and others the vid from Stowe I believe looked pretty good, a bit bushy, but good.

Never been but would like to.

[Vinman]

Originally posted by glademaster
Smuggs always gets more snow than Stowe, so those figures are a bit off. In fact, smuggs sometimes get 5+ feet more than Stowe in a season.

Where are you getting that info from? The fact that these two resorts are actually withing about a mile of each other if you could walk in a strait line make this statement wrong IMHO. I ski both places and they get about the same snowfall. One might occasionall get a bit more than the other but 5 feet more is BS. I would be willing to be season totals for each resort are within 18-24 inches of each other.

[Woodsy]

never skied east of Loveland,
did not snow enuff in Colorado so I moved back to UT

seems a lot of people I meet here have moved from CO or the east coast.

[Flash]

This has been a relatively bad year in the East in my opinion. The best EC day I had was at Jay in December just before the rains.

It is not scientific, but my truly great days this year were all at Steamboat or Crystal, and every one of those days out West was much better in terms of snow than anything I saw here this year.

Even if the VT resorts are accurate in their totals (and I am skeptical), the rain kushed this season back east.....

[grrrr]

Originally posted by The AD
the Pacific Northwest has quietly settled into an average to even slightly below average year (at least in terms of snowpack). The NWAC snowpack data
http://www.seawfo.noaa.gov/products/CLISNO shows many places below average.

Yeah, it had gone to hell in a handbasket around here lately. One intersting note, The snowpack on April 1 is one of the forecvasting factors in the following fire season - Anything less than 110% of normal is an indicator of average or above average fire danger. This year we fell from 130% in February to an average of less than 70% by 4/1.

Snowfall totals will all end up low this year. Baker is at 624, but little snowfall is expected in the next month, meaning they likely won't break the average of 695.

14 day: warm and dry
30 day: equal chances
90 day: warm and normal


On the other hand, I'm thinking about using my REI dividend to get a new bike...

[glademaster]

Originally posted by Vinman
Where are you getting that info from? The fact that these two resorts are actually withing about a mile of each other if you could walk in a strait line make this statement wrong IMHO. I ski both places and they get about the same snowfall. One might occasionall get a bit more than the other but 5 feet more is BS. I would be willing to be season totals for each resort are within 18-24 inches of each other.

Those figures come from www.bestsnow.net arguably the best independent snowfall recordings(from resorts) in North America. Smuggs is on the favored side of mt. mansfield when it comes to snowfall. Yes they are close, but look at Alta/Snowbird. Same type of thing.

-Ben

[grrrr]

Yup. Smuggs faces west and picks up prevailing snow. Stowe faces more east, downwind of most storms.

[Ireallyliketoski2]

Originally posted by DaveTV
I've lived in both and come compare - I would take CO in a sec but New England CAN be pretty good - so tell us, Ireallyliketoski, where have u skied in the East?

here and there, a little of this and a little of that for 4 years or so in New England, so I'm in the know too. I guess my comment was a little harsh, I've had some great days back east, but you really can't compare the two. The terrain, snow quality, variety, backcountry opportunities, and weather are all better in CO. I can't think of one category that the east coast would be CO in, maybe rain, that's about it.

[Vinman]

While I understand wind patterns and exposure to storms and whatever, I am just telling you, from experience 5 feet is a lot of snow and I seriously doubt that the difference between the two places is that much.

[Duder]

I agree with "The AD". The EC and CO snow totals do not compare to the PNW snow totals.
Mt Baker being the best, Crystal, Stevens Pass and Alpy following.
While that our snow in these parts may be a bit heavy from an outsiders' point of view....I would much rather have the snow totals here than on the east coast.
PLUS!...our mountains out here are just that MOUNTAINS!!! not nob hills.