Colorado Ski Bums Are Stoked on the Dump of Fresh Snow
Winter isn't coming -- it's here.
It’s the question on every ski bum’s mind: What the heck is a “godzilla El Niño” and should I be excited or bummed?
Today, at least, the news is good. Some Colorado ski resorts have already opened their lifts, and all are celebrating a dump of fresh pow.
Is it a sign of good things to come? The frustrating-but-true answer is that it’s pretty effing hard to say. The thing about weather is that it’s a system of chaos — El Niño may push the odds one way or another, but ultimately it’s going to come down to a game of chance.
For example, El Niño is expected to bring higher-than-normal precipitation to drought-stricken California, but that doesn’t mean it necessarily will. In some past years California has seen drier-then-normal winters, even under strong El Niño conditions.
In Colorado, El Niño typically means above average snow in the southern Rockies, and below average snow to the south. What actually plays out this year is T.B.D.
What to do in the face of such uncertainty? Continue to pray to whichever weather gods you believe in, and get out there and enjoy some funky pow as soon and as often as possible.
