Wednesday was a chilly but beautiful day along the I-70 mountain corridor as we saw mixed periods of sun, clouds, and a few light snow showers. I was lucky enough to be able to ride Vail as they opened Gondola 1, along with chairs 2, 3, and 4. The coverage was thin in spots but there were plenty of fresh tracks, with 8-9 inches of cold smoke. 

I snapped this photo before cruising down "The Skipper" off of chair 4. 

There were rumors of additional terrain openings over the next few days so get out there if you can!

Moving onto the forecast, it's another chilly morning along the I-70 corridor on Thursday, with mid-mountain temperatures in the single digits to low teens. Berthoud Pass and Loveland Pass are still under an icy and snow-packed mix but all other road surfaces will be mostly clear and dry.

A weak system will move through the Intermountain West on Thursday and Friday. This storm will bring us periods of light snow showers but we are only looking at trace amounts to possibly a few inches through Friday evening. The road surfaces could become wet, icy, and possibly slushy over the mountain passes but travel speeds should remain close to normal. 

GO I-70 Travel Forecast: http://opsw.co/GOI70

Come Saturday and Sunday, we will transition to mostly dry weather. We should see temps climb into the 20s under partly to mostly sunny skies. Enjoy because BIG changes are in-store for early next week.

The fun will begin on Sunday night and into Monday as a strong storm blasts into Colorado and the Intermountain West. The finer details and exact timing still needs to be worked out but we should see periods of moderate to heavy snow kick off by Monday morning and continue through Wednesday. 

Here's a look at this beast of a storm by Tuesday evening. The light purple and green shows the deep area of storminess over Utah and Colorado. 

Besides a return to moderate to heavy snow, this storm will be accompanied by VERY cold temperatures. Daytime highs will struggle to climb out of the low single digits on Tuesday and Wednesday so bundle up if you plan to chase powder. 

This storm will also bring a return to icy and snow-packed road surfaces for much, if not all, of the corridor. Make sure your vehicle is prepared with snow/mud tires, all-wheel/4WD, or an alternative traction device from Sunday night through Wednesday. 

CDOT Passenger Traction Laws: http://opsw.co/2fdJDM1

Next Thursday and Friday should then feature mostly dry conditions ahead of another storm around Saturday, December 10th. Winter is here!

SAM COLLENTINE

1) Join Joel and I at the Boulder Topo Designs store at 9th and Pearl Street on Tuesday, December 6th for our Winter Launch party! Beers and snacks will start at 6pm, followed by a 30-minute presentation from Joel starting around 6:30pm.

2) Contest – Prepare for the upcoming season with the Gear Up For Winter Sweepstakes presented by Liftopia! Prizes include new DPS skis, limited edition SPY goggles, Yakima cargo box, and $1,500 worth of gift cards from Liftopia, EVO, and The Feed. Enter to win → http://opsw.co/2gdRiuy

3) Don't forget that we are writing Daily Snow posts specific to Copper Mountain (https://opensnow.com/dailysnow/copper), Vail (https://opensnow.com/dailysnow/vail), and Breckenridge (https://opensnow.com/dailysnow/breckenridge).