Where to Ski This Weekend

After a healthy storm rolled through Colorado Monday and Tuesday, the state is on track to see more snow falling through the end of the weekend.

Snow is expected to arrive in three waves: Wednesday night into Thursday, Friday afternoon into Friday night and all day Sunday,  wrote OpenSnow forecaster Joel Gratz.

Wednesday night’s storm was forecast to drop 12+ inches on Wolf Creek, 3 to 6 inches in the southern mountains and 2 to 4 inches elsewhere.

Gratz expects 4 to 8 inches in the southern mountains and 3 to 6 inches everywhere else from Friday’s storm, and another 3 to 6 inches with Sunday’s storm. By the end of the day Sunday, most Colorado mountains should have double-digit totals from the week’s storms.

For the best powder and fewest crowds leftover from the President’s Day migration West, head to Wolf Creek, Monarch Pass and other areas in the Sawatch and San Juan mountain ranges.

Check out Gratz’s  forecast for more details on the upcoming storms.

Ikon Pass Going Green

More and more members of the outdoor recreation industry take on advocacy roles for public lands protection and climate change, among other issues, and Colorado’s newest ski resort giant, Alterra Mountain Company, is wasting no time on taking its own political stance.

Last week, Alterra announced a partnership with Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit that engages the outdoor sports community to lead the fight on climate change. As a Summit Level Partner, Alterra has pledged to give $25,000 to POW to establish the Ikon Pass Fund, which will be used toward “thoughtful, collaborative initiatives based in education and action.”

“It’s a natural partnership between the Ikon Pass and Protect Our Winters, and we are proud to collaborate on tackling climate change together, an issue that has a profound impact on our industry and community,” said Erik Forsell, chief marketing officer for Alterra Mountain Company.

Other Summit Level Partners include Patagonia and Burton.

Ikon Pass holders will receive a complimentary one-year membership to POW, 20 percent off POW merchandise and subscriptions to POW’s monthly and bi-weekly newsletter.

Alterra’s announcement came the day before the New York Times  published an opinion piece by POW founder and professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones about job and revenue loss at ski resorts during low snow years, which are projected to increase in frequency in the face of climate change.

Deal Finder

Didn’t buy a ski pass this year? Looking to find a deal on a ski pass for next year?

Buy your wings and fly with the  Monarch Wings Pass.

Now through April 8, Monarch Mountain is offering a $499 pass that guarantees unlimited skiing for the rest of this season and all of next season.

For more information, head to http://www.skimonarch.com/wings/.