Tonight’s forecast is calling for temperatures to fall through the night. At around 3 am it falls below freezing. The forecasted rain then turns to sleet, becoming snow with 1 to 2 inches of accumulation possible. The temperature is going to fall 30 degrees between 1 am and 7 am. The existing snow will be pretty wet as the new snow falls on top. The new snow will insulate the wet snow as the temperature is falling rapidly. This will protect the wet snow from a flash freeze. Grooming wet snow is like stirring a cake mix. The stirring action brings the moisture to the top. If we groom tonight and tomorrow morning it will bring the moisture from the wet snow to the surface and it will flash freeze. If we leave it alone we believe that would provide the best skiing and riding experience on Friday.
Tomorrow we plan to have top to bottom skiing and riding on all 3 mountains with 6 lifts operating, including the Madonna I Lift. We plan to have 34 trails open with terrain for all ability levels. Surface conditions are variable and loose granular with average base depths of 14 to 46 inches. Currently, it is cloudy and 40 degrees at the summit of Sterling with winds of 15 to 30 mph. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for snow showers an inch of accumulation possible with a high of 13 degrees at the base and 7 degrees at the top. Temperatures will be falling throughout the day.
Uphill Travel
All 3 mountains are presently closed to uphill traffic. Stay tuned for updates.