Weekend snow to disrupt travel in the West, offer boon to ski resorts

Disruptive winter weather is in store for the Colorado Rockies through Saturday, to the delight of cold-weather athletes and snow-starved ski resorts.

A portion of this storm blanketed the northern Rockies on Friday, with its umpteenth round of strong winds and plowable snow of the season.

Also accompanying this snow will be a fresh blast of cold air.

The system’s southward track will take it down the spine of the Rockies and into portions of the drought-ridden southwestern United States early this weekend.

Travel is likely to be impacted, as expansive stretches of interstates 25, 80 and 70 will be in the line of fire.

Airline delays should be anticipated as well, including ripple effect across the country due to disruptions at Denver International Airport.

However, the weekend-focused timing of this snowfall will be greatly appreciated by weekday commuters, ski bums and the resorts they visit.

“For those with weekend plans to the resorts in Colorado, the snow will start to make travel difficult on Saturday,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk said.

Snow-starved resorts in the southern Rockies will especially benefit from this influx of fresh powder, according to Houk.

“The Colorado Rockies stand to see the most snow from this storm with as much as a foot,” he said.

Winds may put a damper on the enthusiasm of skiers and snowboarders, since gusts could grow strong enough to force resorts to put lifts on hold or close entire mountain faces.

Anyone venturing into backcountry areas to camp, ski or hike will need to be prepared for extended periods of heavy snowfall; strong, cold winds; and low-visibility conditions.

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