Aspen Mountain may not receive the biggest snow totals in the West, but it’s nevertheless one of the heaviest-weight ski spots. On powder days, you can find those in the know — probably not the politicians, celebrities, and corporate executives who flew in on Gulfstream G150s — riding the FIS chairlift up to a region known as the Dumps. There, snow covers old mine debris, the environmental destruction having created steep slopes now covered in the mountain’s namesake trees that black-diamonders slalom through on their way to blindingly white fields of fluff. This area of Aspen Snowmass, a conglomerate resort that encompasses four mountains, gets some of the best snow during big winter storms. But when that snow comes, and how much drops, is changing. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, April snowpack measured at monitoring sites across Colorado has dropped by 20 to 60 percent since the 1950s. The state is, on average, two degrees balmier than it was 30 years ago, according to a 2014 report. In March 2017, the Audi FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup finals happened at Aspen Snowmass. It was 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Intrepid organizers poured heavy salt on the runs to keep them runnable. To view the full article visit the Bitterroot.
