(The lovely Mrs. Rappold finds herself some freshies Feb. 2 at Wolf Creek)
By R. Scott Rappold, funemployed journalist
Originally posted at funemployedcolorado.wordpress.com
Anyone who knows me knows I like skiing powder. A lot.
Obsessively.
So when my wife wanted to apply for a job here in Alamosa, I supported the move enthusiastically, with visions of endless powder days at ski area Wolf Creek, the king of Colorado powder. I had made many long pilgrimages here from Colorado Springs over the years, bypassing closer ski areas to get my ski tips in the legendary snow, 430 inches a year on average, which allows them to rightfully claim to have the most snow in Colorado.
And wouldnt you know it, my arrival here in the San Luis Valley ushered in a long, extended dry spell at Wolf Creek. From around the Christmas holidays through all of January, it seemed hardly a flake fell at the king of Colorado powder. Storms went north and I chased them, all the while pining for the steep fluffy chutes, remote tree runs and huge open slopes of Alberta Peak just an hour from home. It was so warm and sunny, many slopes on Wolf Creek Pass were rocky and bare of snow, an unprecedented situation that also made me fear for the upcoming fire season.
Scott Rappold, Wolf Creek Ski Area
Well, I can breathe easy, because Wolf Creek is back where it belongs, the Mecca of Powder. Snow began falling toward the end of January, and it kept falling. And falling. By the Superbowl, when Broncos fans were drowning their sorrows, I was still smiling about the waist-deep snow we found that morning off the Knife Ridge. You could sense the relief on the faces of the southwest Colorado skiers and snowboarders and hear the powder-day hollers echoing through the woods.
And the snow has not let up. As I write this, Wolf Creek is reporting another 12 inches of snow in the past 24 hours. Their mid-mountain base is now 102 inches, the deepest in Colorado.
All is right with the world. No calls, please. Ill be skiing.
