Vail, Beaver Creek set to welcome new year with lots of new snow

Vail is closing out 2024 on a bit of a snow bender, recording 17 inches of new snow in the last week as it gears up for the busy New Year’s holiday (see press release below for celebration details).

After enjoying more than seven feet of new snow by late November, Colorado skies turned sunny and dry for the first three weeks of December, but starting Dec. 23 a series of small storms significantly softened conditions and allowed crews to get additional terrain open for the holidays.

Vail went over 100 inches for the season last week (112 as of Monday) and now has a 40-inch settled base. Twenty-seven of its 33 lifts are running, and 245 of its 277 trails are now open.

Nearby Beaver Creek also saw new snowfall, with 13 inches in the last week, a 34-inch settled base and just under 100 inches for the season. All 25 of its lifts are running, and 162 of its 176 trails are open. More snow is in the forecast.

“Snow will continue on Monday, take a break on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then additional storms will arrive on Thursday and again around January 4-6,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz reported Monday morning.

Of course, all that new snow has the Colorado Avalanche Information Center warning of a “significant increase in avalanche danger across the Colorado mountains … through New Year’s Day.” See press release below for more details.

Here’s the Town of Vail press release on upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations:

New Year’s Eve in Vail will again include bus service adjustments and the presence of police and fire personnel to ensure a safe and fun atmosphere is provided for all residents and guests. Additional foot patrols in the pedestrian areas will be used to maintain a family-friendly environment during the holiday. 

Vail Transit and Core Transit will suspend inbound bus service at midnight. To accommodate late-night revelers returning home, outbound service will run uninterrupted throughout the evening, with the last Core Transit bus leaving the Vail Transportation Center at approximately 2 a.m. and the last Vail Transit bus leaving at 2:10 a.m.  

Also, between midnight and 2 a.m., service on Vail’s in-town route will be reduced due to anticipated crowds along Meadow Drive. Regular in-town service will resume at 6:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Visit https://ride.vail.gov for Vail Transit schedules and real-time bus information. Visit www.coretransit.org for regional transit information. 

For exceptional circumstances, vehicles entering after 3 p.m. may be left overnight in the Vail Village or Lionshead parking structures, compliments of the Town of Vail. Please do not drink and drive. Vehicles must be retrieved by 11 a.m. the next day. Parkers should see the booth attendant at exit to utilize this program. Note that overnight top-deck parking is not allowed at either structure due to snow removal operations. 

The town’s New Year’s Eve celebration will once again include a torchlight parade and fireworks at Golden Peak. A Vail tradition, ski and snowboard instructors form a glowing train as they ski down Golden Peak starting at approximately 6:15 p.m. Viewing will take place at the base of Golden Peak. Fireworks will light up the sky directly after the parade and will be visible from all base areas as well as across I-70. Visit https://discovervail.com/event/new-years-eve-torchlight-parade-fireworks/ for more information and a viewing map.

Here’s the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) press release on backcountry conditions:

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) is warning backcountry travelers of a significant increase in avalanche danger across the Colorado mountains this weekend and through New Year’s Day. A series of snow storms will bring heavy snowfall and strong winds to the mountains. This combination will overload the very weak snowpack, making it easy to trigger dangerous avalanches this weekend and through New Year’s Day. The avalanche danger will reach HIGH (Level 4 of 5) in different places over the next three days. Backcountry travel is not recommended in avalanche terrain at HIGH avalanche danger.

“We’re particularly worried because we haven’t seen much new snow in a few weeks, and our snowpack is now exceptionally weak. People will be excited about the new snow, have time off to enjoy the mountains, and at the same time, the avalanche danger will be the highest we’ve seen in a month,” said CAIC Director Ethan Greene.

The Northern and Central Mountains will see the most new snow and the highest avalanche danger. The mountains around Steamboat Springs will reach HIGH Friday evening. Dangerous areas will increase as snowfall continues through the weekend. By Monday afternoon, the skies will clear, but it will still be easy for people to trigger avalanches large enough to kill them.  

“We’ll see natural avalanche activity this weekend, and people will be able to trigger avalanches large enough to seriously injure or kill them through the middle of next week,” said Greene. 

CAIC issues avalanche danger ratings based on the North American Public Avalanche Danger Scale from LOW danger (Level 1) to EXTREME danger (Level 5). During certain avalanche conditions, CAIC also issues Avalanche Watches and Warnings when the avalanche hazard will be or is HIGH (Level 4) or EXTREME (Level 5). Special Avalanche Advisories are issued to alert the public of an increased safety risk due to potentially dangerous conditions for many people, such as a big storm occurring during a holiday weekend. 

For the latest avalanche conditions, always visit CAIC’s website at Colorado.gov/avalanche. The CAIC strongly advises all backcountry travelers to check the avalanche forecast regularly and adjust their plans accordingly. Always carry proper avalanche safety gear, including a transceiver, probe, and shovel, and know how to use them. Avoid avalanche-prone terrain during periods of heightened danger.