Sunday’s snowstorm was a prelude, an apéritif, of the storm that entered Colorado Tuesday night and Wednesday. Monday riders in western and southern Colorado resorts celebrated with between 4 to 10 inches of fresh powder to surf through — Wolf Creek tallied 24″ between Sunday and Monday, and another 12″ for Tuesday morning.

More was to come Tuesday, and the entire state got freshies, particularly the San Juans, Elks and West Elks for Wednesday — (Purgatory 16″), (Telluride 12″), (Wolf Creek 10″), (Silverton and Irwin 9″), and (Crested Butte 7″). But closer to the Front Range, Keystone (10″) and Eldora (7″) got in on the goods too.

Skiing and riding Friday to Sunday — Friday and Sunday offering storm day riding each — should be soft along the Front Range and central mountains, with the best chances for powder or powder stashes in the southern mountains. Best bets appear to be Winter Park, Aspen and Irwin and the northern resorts of the San Juans — Telluride and Silverton.

Looking into next week, a storm system arrives in Colorado around Wednesday, Jan. 25, prepping end-of-week skiing and riding in an already snowy January. State-wide snowpack is at 134% of average

SNOEWS:

Winter X Games Aspen: The world’s best skiers and snowboarders will take over Buttermilk at Aspen Snowmass, January 27-29, 2023, for three days of ski and snowboard action.

Upcoming festivals: January is the season for winter festivals and some of the most popular are on tap in the coming weeks.

• Ouray Ice Festival (Jan. 19-22)
• Pagosa Springs’ Winterfest (Jan. 20-22)
• UllrGrass in Golden (Jan. 27-29)
• Rio Frio Ice Fest (Jan. 27-29)