Vail’s Blue Sky Basin opens ahead of the next bone-chilling storm on Wednesday

Vail opened two of the three Blue Sky Basin chairlifts on Monday ahead of a snowstorm heading in Wednesday that should bring new snow but also bitter cold temperatures on Thursday.

While Vail’s Chairs 5 and 7 remain closed as crews work on the new Sun Down Express (Chair 17) and Game Creek Express lifts, Sun Up Bowl, Tea Cup Bowl, China Bowl and Siberia Bowl are all open for snow riding. And now Pete’s Express and Skyline Express are open in Blue Sky.

Vail is now 73% open with 23 of 33 lifts running ahead of our next midweek storm.

“From Tuesday into Wednesday, we could see light snow, then from Wednesday late afternoon through Thursday morning, we’ll see strong wind, intense snow, and rapidly cooling temperatures,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote Tuesday.

“Thursday morning will offer some wind-affected powder, and Thursday will be very cold in the northern half of Colorado. From Friday through early next week, temperatures will warm and there could be light snow,” Gratz added.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued the following Wind Chill Watch:

ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-
GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAIN VALLEYS-FLAT TOPS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF COLUMBINE, HAHNS PEAK, TOPONAS, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, ASPEN, VAIL, SNOWMASS, BUFORD, AND TRAPPERS LAKE

1145 AM MST MON DEC 19 2022

…WIND CHILL WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING…

* WHAT…DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS POSSIBLE. WIND CHILLS AS LOW AS 50 BELOW ZERO.

* WHERE…ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS, UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN, GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAIN VALLEYS AND FLAT TOPS.

* WHEN…FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS…THE DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS COULD CAUSE FROSTBITE ON EXPOSED SKIN IN AS LITTLE AS 10 MINUTES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
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