Vail nearly 100 percent open as huge storm heads toward Colorado

Vail Mountain is nearly 100 percent open after more than 2 feet of new snow fell in the last week, bringing the seasonal snow totals to more than 100 inches and counting.

Powder in the Back Bowls of Vail on Friday morning (Vail Resorts photo).

Vail now has more open ski terrain than any other resort in the country at 5,000-plus acres, and forecasters are calling for huge snow totals over the next week.

“With plenty of new snow and nearly the entire mountain open at Vail, it’s going to be a truly unforgettable holiday season at the resort this year,” said Chris Jarnot, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain.

“Vail’s entire mountain operations team has been working incredibly hard to open the mountain as new snow has fallen on the slopes. Our guests have a lot to look forward to when they visit Vail during the holidays and throughout the 2014-2015 winter season.”

Vail’s mountain ops team anticipates opening the remainder of the resort’s lifts and terrain very soon, conditions permitting.

Following the holidays, the celebration continues at Vail when the resort’s Blue Sky Basin turns 15 in January. Since its opening in January 2000, Blue Sky Basin has offered locals and guests a distinct backcountry feel with glades, cliffs, steeps, and often plenty of powder and fresh tracks.

For more information about Vail Mountain visit www.vail.com, stop by the Mountain Information Center, or call (970) SKI-VAIL (754-8245).

Opensnow.com is calling for up to 2 feet of new snow Sunday through Tuesday morning:

“Let the games begin!” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote. “A moist flow from the northwest will drop moderate to heavy snow along and north of I-70. The central mountains around Aspen, Monarch, and Irwin (west of Crested Butte) should do OK, as should the northern San Juans around Telluride and Silverton.

“Total accumulations during this time could be 1-2 FEET (or more) for I-70 and north and perhaps 5-10 inches in the central/southern mountains that I just listed.”