My 6-year-old son and I are going to Loveland Valley Friday — the same place my dad took me back in 1985 when I was six — with intentions of passing the enjoyment of skiing on to him.

He’s debated between skiing and snowboarding, but has landed on the two plank motif, claiming it is looks faster and easier.

He’s partially right. Which part, however, I’m not 100% sure on yet.

For me, teaching him an outdoor activity — skiing or snowboarding or otherwise — has been best when I see his eyeballs gape wide open as he pizzas down next to the magic carpet, snow rooster tailing behind him.

But in order to see his eyes pop again, the adventure must come with a challenge.

Four Saturdays ago, he and I tried the I-70 excursion to Loveland only to be thwarted by traffic on Floyd Hill and the Colorado Department of Transportation message board at the Morrison exit reading: “106 minutes to Georgetown.” It was 7:45 a.m., but not a holiday weekend, so just maybe there was a chance.

We listened to our entire Marvel songs playlist before reaching Floyd Hill. Fourteen songs and 63 minutes later and done trying to fight traffic we turned around.

We found solace 20 minutes later back home in Lakewood on our neighborhood slope of Union Ridge Park. Rather than having him stare at the countless Subarus and Sprinter vans on I-70 for 106 minutes, instead it was 106 minutes of skiing on a sledding-hill with five inches of grassy snow; and we had the whole hill to ourselves.

Coloradans have come to live with I-70 traffic on weekends. From Thanksgiving to Easter, people still must have a drive that fulfills their desire to creep along the asphalt with everyone else for hours.

As President’s Day weekend looms, surely does the next 106 minutes to Georgetown. But it is still important to go skiing or riding.

Any parent knows, if you want to see your children’s eyes pop with excitement, take them skiing or riding this weekend. But make the excursion an experience. Whether you creep on the asphalt or turn around at Floyd Hill and ski in the city, your kids will thank you.

Perhaps their eyes will pop wide open too.

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SNOW REPORT:

The first of two storms delivered snow accumulations between 7 and 10 inches in the southern mountains of Colorado Monday and Monday night. Topping out the meter was Silverton (10″), then Purgatory (8″), Telluride (7″), and Wolf Creek (3″), but north of the San Juans only saw 1-to-2 inches fall every where else.

The second storm brought even more snow to Colorado’s southern mountains Tuesday and Wednesday. The forecast from weather.us showed water-equivalent accumulations in the eastern San Juans of Mineral and Archuleta counties of up to 2.2 inches — or approximately 22 inches of snow at a 10:1 — and Wolf Creek got 22 inches. The big winner, however, was Purgatory, recording 25″ of fresh snow.

As the storm moved east Wednesday, spots south of I-70 like Monarch (6″), Crested Butte (7″), Irwin (9″) and Powderhorn (10″) did well.

This weekend should certainly be busy being President’s Day weekend, however, skiing and riding south of I-70 should offer the best leftovers and softest conditions.

The next storm heading toward Colorado is likely to begin Sunday in the northern mountains, with a second storm ramping up Monday into as late as Wednesday, bringing snow to the northern and central mountains.

The European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) forecast for Monday at 6 a.m., shows water-equivalent precipitation across nearly all of Colorado. Resorts and backcountry spots on the Grand Mesa (Powederhorn), northern San Juans (Telluride and Silverton) and eastern San Juans (Wolf Creek) could see between 4-to-8 inches, with 2-to-4 inches at most other resorts.

Although it is still 10 days out, a storm toward the end of next week could be a real treat. The mountains around Gunnison and Pitkin counties (Crested Butte, Irwin and Aspen/Snowmass) have a potential for 30+ inches, along with the Park Range (Steamboat) getting in on the fun, too. Even the Front Range and resorts along I-70 could bode well.

Get the goods while it’s fresh out there.

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SNOEWS:

Ski Cooper, near Leadville, is celebrating its 10th Mountain Division heritage by hosting the resorts 10th Mountain Day, Friday, Feb. 24. Soldiers and descendants from the 10th Mountain Division will be on the slopes, with the parade of flags down Molly Mayfield trail starting at 1:30pm.

Vail Valley ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin is wrapping up races at the World Championships in Méribel, France after claiming a silver medal in women’s super-G Wednesday, Feb. 8. Shiffrin, who was 11 World Cup wins, and three second place finishes, is looking for another World Championship podium in giant slalom Thursday.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday Shiffrin unexpectedly parted with her longtime coach, Mike Day, during the middle of the world championships, informing him she planned to take a new direction with her staff at the end of the season.

Snowboarder and DJ Mix Master Mike from the hip hop group the Beastie Boys will be the headliner at the 2023 Winter Dew Tour at Copper Mountain on Saturday, Feb. 25.

Mike has performed at many winter sporting events, including the Vancouver Olympics. The concert is free and open to the public.

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Upcoming festivals:

February continues to celebrate winter with festivals across the state. From fat bike races to Skijoring, here are a few to check into:

• 20th Annual Leadville Loopet (Feb. 25)
• Copper Mountain Dew Tour 2023 (Feb. 24-26)
• Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series (Mineral Belt Mayhem, March 4 @6:15 pm)
• Helluva Weekend at Purgatory (March 2-5)

 

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SNOW LINKS:

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RESORT REPORT:

Below are conditions for all Colorado resorts as of Wednesday afternoon.