It is a bummer to hear Hesperus Ski Area west of Durango, Colorado will not be able to open for skiing and riding this season.

As reported by our fellow outdoor reporter Seth Boster at the Gazette, “Hesperus Ski Area was preparing to kick off its season in recent weeks when operators identified a failing gearbox. A news release described the gearbox as “crucial,” acting as the transmission between the lift’s motor and bullwheel.”

“It’s an old part, and as with a lot of these lifts, there’s not a replacement for it,” Theresa Graven, speaking for the ski area’s owning company Mountain Capital Partners said. “It has to be completely re-manufactured.”

The resort looks to bounce back next season.

Colorado is back to being between storms after the multi-day Christmas weekend storm.

The area of low pressure churned and churned as it slowly drifted eastward into Tuesday before finally clearing out skies on Wednesday night.

Beginning today, not much weather will happen through Sunday. Luckily the air temperatures will remain low with highs in the 20s more or less and continued low sun angle.

The ECMWF model has trickles of snow possible on Sunday and New Years Day, Monday for the central mountains, but low accumulation amounts of less than 2 inches total by New Years Day sunset are about it.

The dry weather is forecast to stick around until Jan. 5 when a storm might graze southern Colorado’s mountains, but drop the majority of precipitation in Arizona and New Mexico.

Ten days out, the forecast however appears to favor Colorado once again. From Jan. 8 to 12, a storminess period should bring snow back in a couple of waves. More details to come as the forecast models align themselves.

Of note: Colorado’s snowpack is at 72% of average as of Thursday, and winter 2023/24’s median line has been eerily following winter 2001/02’s median line, a line that saw snow pack peak in late-March 2002.

Winter 2001/02 was an ENSO neutral winter and only produced 10 inches of water equivalent for the season.

Today’s 24 hour snow total from Colorado resorts:

Arapahoe Basin – 0″

Aspen Mountain – 0″

Aspen Highlands – 0″

Beaver Creek – 0″

Breckenridge – 0″

Buttermilk – 0″

Cooper – 0″

Copper Mountain – 0″

Crested Butte – 0″

Echo Mountain – 0″

Eldora Mountain – 0″

Granby Ranch – 0″

Hesperus – Closed for season

Howelsen Hill – 0″

Kendall Mountain – 0″, open weekends

Keystone – 0″

Loveland – 0″

Monarch – 0″

Powderhorn – 0″

Purgatory – 0

Silverton – 0″

Snowmass – 0″

Steamboat – 0″

Sunlight – 0″

Telluride – 0″

Vail – 0″

Winter Park – 0″

Wolf Creek – 0″