Vail, Beaver Creek to ring in 2020 with fresh round of snowstorms

Other than a decent blast of fresh snow on Saturday, it’s been a relatively dry period for the Vail Valley since the last major snow cycle that deposited more than 2 feet in mid-December. That’s about to change with the rolling over of the calendar to 2020.

Forecasters are calling for up to a foot of new snow Wednesday through Friday, which is good news for post-holiday snow riders at Vail and Beaver Creek.

Following the opening of Blue Sky Basin just before Christmas, Vail is now nearly 100% open and 27 of 31 lifts are operating. At Beaver Creek, all 23 lifts are operating and 86% of the skiable terrain is open.

Vail got a little over 4 inches Friday night into Saturday and has received 118 inches so far this season. Beaver Creek is just slightly behind that pace at 115 inches for the season.

Look for more new snow starting Wednesday.

“Tuesday will be sunny and warmer with an afternoon high temperature of about 20°F. Wednesday will bring snow showers in the morning followed by intense snow starting between 2-4 pm and continuing overnight,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote Tuesday morning.

“Thursday morning should offer some fresh snow with more accumulating snow during the day,” Gratz added. “Thanks to continued snow on Thursday evening, Friday morning will also be soft. Total amounts should be 5-10 inches for many areas and 8-16 for a few favored spots. The next chances for storms will be January 5-6, January 9-10, and a stormy period after January 10.”

That’s a promising forecast for ringing in the New Year and a good way to start a new decade. Enjoy.