Wintery Morning Login

Like a lot of people, my morning routine involves pouring a cup of coffee and getting on my computer to check my email while running the morning news on the TV in the background. But that changes a little bit on those blustery winter mornings when I have no work obligations (uh, which is 5 days a week lately). On those days I’m focused on getting into the mountains for some turns, so email and national news get put on the back burner. I still get that cup of coffee and I still sit down at the computer for a few minutes though. It takes less than 5 minutes to get yourself “in the know” if you keep a few things bookmarked for a quick check on mornings like these….

Colorado Avalanche Information Center (http://avalanche.state.co.us/index.php) – The CAIC is an invaluable resource for any backcountry or sidecountry skier or rider, snowmobiler, or other winter recreationist that will enter terrain that could be avalanche prone. The site is updated daily throughout the snow season and the home page features an easy-to-view map of the avalanche danger in different zones of the Colorado Rockies. Click on the zone you want to know more about to get a detailed weather discussion, weather forecast, snowpack discussion, breakdown on the avalanche danger, and avalanche danger roses for today and the last 5 days. (A danger rose is a breakdown of avy danger covering different elevations and aspects of slopes, condensed into a graph that resembles a pie chart.) I check this page every day in the winter. Observing these things on a daily basis has helped me learn more about the different factors that will affect our snowpack and the avalanche danger. If you aren’t into checking it daily then at least check it before you head into the mountains. Also check it when you are just killing time; The Accidents tab has detailed accounts of all fatal avalanche accidents, notable incidents, and interesting accounts, and the Education tab has online tutorials and information as well as a calendar for upcoming avalanche education events, in case you’re in the mood for hands-on learning. These guys are a non-profit and they are here for your safety, so if you can muster a little extra scratch after supporting UpaDowna then perhaps you could consider sending some their way.

cotrip.org – Ever wait around 15 minutes watching the morning news just to get a traffic report, only to have them ignore the mountain pass conditions that you wanted? Ever wonder why they run traffic reports on TV, even though none of us watch TV in our cars? These are things I used to think about during my several years as an airborne traffic reporter. You should cut out the waiting and the middle-man and just go straight to where they are pulling their info, which is often cotrip.org. This site is a service of CDOT (the Colorado Department of Transportation) so I guess it’s paid for with your gas taxes. Regardless of who pays for it, it is almost always accurate and it’s updated every 5 minutes. On the cotrip.org homepage there are a number of links. The one I go to is the first at the top-left, “Road Conditions”. This will generate a list of all of the major, or popularly used, sections of roadways in Colorado. (I-25 through Colo Springs, I-70 over Floyd Hill, both directions over Vail pass and through the Eisenhower Tunnel, Loveland Pass, Berthoud Pass, Ute Pass, Monarch Pass, Wolf Creek Pass, all of the passes on US550…..it’s all there.) If you live really close to your favorite ski hill then road conditions are often of very little concern to you, but for the many of us living along the Front Range we need to check these things before committing to a 1-2 hour drive that can easily become 3-5 hour drive when factoring in traffic and road conditions. Ever get all the way to Georgetown just to have them close I-70 on you? Ever get stranded in Vail because Vail Pass closed? I have…..but not since I started checking road conditions. Check your route on the way out the door, then check the route home from your phone. Of course there are days when weather just isn’t a factor, but this resource has plenty more for you. They also feature ongoing construction information, airport information, traffic cameras, and metro speed maps (although I have found that the traffic congestion info on Google Maps is easier to look at and more detailed). Know those light-up overhead signs they installed on all of the highways all over the state? You can even look and see what every single one of them says right now.

Snow Report – I didn’t hyperlink that one because I don’t have a specific page I regularly visit, but I do have something to say about snow reports. If you are skiing on a whim or you like to keep things flexible in order to find the best snow, then it’s in your best interest to check a snow report on the way out the door. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a website that provides an accurate snow report for all of the resorts in Colorado. There are a few that make a fine attempt at it, but they often fail to update some of the smaller mountains and gems. Additionally, they have to wait until each mountain posts their snow report, then obtain it from them, and post it to their own site, which creates a delay in the dispursion of information. Snow reports are normally posted by 6am, and the most accurate snow report will come directly from the ski hill in question so bookmark all of your favorite ski mountains. Almost every slope in the state posts their daily snow total on their website, and most also offer a snow report “hotline” that you can call (plug that in your celly). Some resorts will even email you or text message your phone when they receive more than a few inches. How handy is that; they will now call you and wake you up if there is anything worth getting out of bed for!

We aren’t paying $4/gal for gas anymore (for now), but that doesn’t make it alright to start wasting fuel again, whether it be sitting in traffic or looking around for good snow. 5 minutes worth of research while drinking your morning coffee before heading out for the slopes can safeguard you from traffic- and avalanche-related woes and possibly save you a gallon of gas. What’s the worst that could happen; you find out everything is all-clear and you are twice as stoked about hitting the hill for a day? Sounds good to me!