Seasonal Snow Record!

Well, it's official. We have now broken the record for the most snow in a ski season. The last record was 415 inches, recorded during the 1979-1980 winter season. This year so far we have now received 417 inches of snow and more is forecast, of course! Predictions are for "significant" snow amounts with the next storm system which is due to hit later today (Wednesday 9th) and last through Thursday...not quite sure what "significant" means when we had about 18 inches with the last one a few days ago!

But not to worry, spring is popping up here and there. Yesterday was gorgeous with blue skies, lots of sunshine and warm (relatively!) temps. The skiing was great and there was plenty of powder left for me to try to ski through! Today I am very sore and have a very tanned bottom half of my face where my goggles don't cover the skin! We have also had birds singing in the trees outside our windows for the last few days - they are a very welcome sight and sound, believe me! Amazing how much bird song can lift your mood and get you ready for summer months...yep, spring has arrived in the valley, even if just for short little bursts at this point...now it's time to get in shape for shorts!

319 inches of snow this season and still counting...!

Yep. It just continues to snow! Fortunately, last weekend, the clouds lifted and the weather was incredible. We had beautiful blue skies and temperatures around the high 20s/low 30s.
It was wonderful to finally feel the the sun coming back and warming your face (or back since my face is usually completely covered!). Everyone definitely has Spring Fever up here now!
This photo is at the top of the Silver Queen lift just after a storm last week.



But the skiing! Oh boy. It is amazing - especially since you don't have to go indoors every couple of hours to get warm again! I think I am hooked! Now watch winter give us a reminder that it is still around and blast all thoughts of spring out of my mind!



This photo was taken very close to the Ice bar where I am working part time this winter.







And here I am picking my way down one of the Black (advanced) runs - International.

These were taken on the Silver Queen lift last weekend.













Usually at this time of year I get really homesick for spring. Colorado is brown and dead often until May and I so miss the colours of the English springtime: all the snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils and trees just starting to put out feelers and unfurl the first of their blossoms...
This year has been different though. The skiing has definitely brightened up the winter. I guess you really can't live somewhere like this and not enjoy being outside doing some kind of winter activity or just being in the crisp air a lot of the time - you would go crazy sitting inside! (Round here they call it Cabin Fever!!!)

Here are some more photos taken from the Silver Queen lift which takes you way up the mountain towards the peak. Crested Butte is tiny down in the Valley but the camera really doesn't do justice to the views from up there. I think part of the problem is that everything is so white it's hard to distinguish distance or changes in the terrain unless you actually see them with the naked eye...












Send me photos of spring in England so I can enjoy the flowers here in frozen Crested Butte!

More ice photos!

The Crested Butte mountain resort just announced that we have officially seen 283" inches of snowfall this season - that's 23.6 feet or 7.2 meters! Unbelievable - and that's not including the snow we got today (it has been dumping all day) or the large amount of snow forecast for tomorrow...it's warming up though - this weekend we are expecting a heatwave at 33F! The majority of the snow fell in January, but here's hoping for more in February and March!


Here are the icicles hanging off the Ice Bar and Restaurant where I work a couple of days a week. The snow is pretty deep too!











Last week there was an ice carving competition - here is my favourite to date - a fish catching a dragonfly.

Early February in the Butte...it's still snowing!

The snow just keeps on coming here in Crested Butte! We received over 224 inches in January, and got at least an additional 19 inches over the last few days...I think we chose a good winter to be ski bums! The snow today was great and I am now knackered and trying to revive myself with a rather tasty North Face (hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps), my new drink of choice for those cold snowy days!



Nick finally had enough time to shovel off the deck here at the condo - we were getting a bit worried about the weight of the snow - as you can see, it was more than least waist high on Nick...I offered support by keeping the living room warm for him...and left him to it! he did a great job - but then we had more snow and now it needs doing again!!!




On Monday I got to work at The Avalanche after the latest round of snow and couldn't resist taking a photo of the kitchen entrance...makes me nervous to walk down there! There is so much snow there isn't anywhere to shovel it to anymore but they have to keep a clear path for the staff and the food deliveries! I just feel sorry for the delivery guys!







Here are some more snowy Crested Butte photos. The first is a house on Elk Avenue - I think they may have a problem seeing onto the street though! The second is a Crested Butte walkway. The mounds are apparently something the Town prides itself on to maintain a "unique" feeling, but this year they are also a nesecity as there is no where else to put all that snow! The third photo is a house on Sopris Avenue. I assume it's a vacation rental property that isn't currently rented - I could see absolutely no way in or out and almost missed seeing the house completely as I walked by!













These are just general Crested Butte scenes. I especially like the first one as it gives an idea of the amount of snow in town where it hasn't all been cleared out (as a lot of it has on Elk avenue) and also the "bank" behind town. The second is a view of one of the churches with the mountains in the background.
















So for today at least the snow stopped and the sky was blue. The forecast does call for more snow tomorrow though and then a heatwave of 33 F for the weekend (right around 0C!) We are looking forward to stripping off a layer and geting some sun! The trusty old farmers Almanac predicts a quiet February but a lot of snow in March so stay posted - we may yet be buried in snow this year up here on the second floor! the "ground" is certainly getting closer with each storm!

I am sure mud season is going to be lovely! They are already stocking up on sandbags in town...

Brrr!

Temps in the Butte have taken a nose dive: the high today was 4 Fahrenheit: -16C for those of you who speak Euro temperatures. (The current update at 8.15 p.m. is -12F or -24.4C and lows forecast to be in the 10 to 20 below 0 degrees F range...) It's a little chilly - though I did still manage to get a handful of runs in today: a couple before I froze and had to go to work at the Ice Bar at 10 this morning, and then a few more when I got off this afternoon and the sun was shining a little...


The crowds seem to have dissipated and gone home after the holidays. I can't believe there isn't a single person skiing in this photo which was taken near the Prospector lift!
There are some British people around though on holiday. I met some people from Sheffield on Monday who were here with Thompsons, and then a Welsh couple who were back independently for their third year (they said it was cheaper that way!)

The good thing about this is that we finally have some time to ski...the bad news is that we aren't earning any money doing it because there aren't many people in town!!! Oh well, take the good with the bad - I can work more when it gets busy again!

Here are some photos from the weekend - I have now managed to ski three out of the last four days...though only a handful of runs today. If it's not too cold tomorrow, I will try and get a couple of hours in before work and then I get to ski most of the day again on Friday...fun, fun, fun...

We took a lesson on Sunday and it has certainly helped my skiing. Nick was already pretty proficient, so I don't think it was quite as useful for him though he still got some pointers. Before the lesson I had some speed and turning issues. i.e. I didn't turn very much and went downhill way too fast! I have now improved and can even comfortably get down some of the "Black" or advanced runs.



Somehow, I don't think I will be jumping off the Peak before the end of the year like some people do though! Yes - this the Peak, and yes, they ski off the top of it!!!


This is the top of Ruby Chief: a blue run from the top of the Paradise lift - it's the expanse of white to the left of the Peak on the other photo. The views are amazing from up here...




And this is me at the top of the Twister lift for the first time - notice I am hugging the edge!!! Most of the runs up here are labeled black, or advanced, and I managed to get down several of them in the last few days - in decent time too!!! And yes, the bottom is all the way down there! (But you know, these slopes still aren't as steep as the one Nick hauled me up when we climbed Whetstone this summer!!!)




These photos are of the Bank of Crested Butte building - they have so many icicles that I had to take a photo of them - I thought the juxtaposition of the real icicles and the leftover Christmas decoration light icicles was interesting, though I'm not sure you can see all the detail here.












And these are downtown Crested Butte. The snow banks aren't quite as impressive as they were just after the last storm - the snow tends to settle and then when the banks become unstable they move the snow and start again. I always wondered were all the snow went - then I tried to pull into the parking lot that I usually use when I go "down town" and found out - it was all piled up in an enormous heap that covered the entire lot!

Life is definitely more fun now that we aren't working so much and actually have a chance to see each other on occasion - so much for being semi retired!

I also had to include some photos Adele sent us. See - they have almost as much snow in Hull as we do here!!!



And this is Hollie and Thomas making snowballs...






And finally, a typical day at the English seaside! Lovely!!!