Summit County just weathered the deepest snow cycle of the season and one of the deepest in over a decade.
Snow started falling overnight Thursday Feb. 13 and barely let up for seven days, hammering the I-70 mountain corridor with feet of snow and boosting our local snowpack by 20+ points, from 89% of average to more than 112% of average — the healthiest increase in the state.
16 inches… most snow in 24 hours at Vail Friday Feb. 14
52 inches… most snow in 7 days at Vail
18… extended closures on the I-70 mountain corridor
149… vehicle assists on I-70 from Feb. 14-17 (President’s Day weekend, courtesy of Summit Daily)
1… livestock trailer involved in a crash Monday Feb. 17 (photo above)
0… livestock injured in Monday’s crash
10… vehicles snarled in 3 separate crashes likely caused by sun glare Tuesday Feb. 18 (photo below)
5 hours… reported drive time from Denver to Silverthorne Friday Feb. 14 (71 miles)
2 hours… reported drive time from Keystone to Silverthorne Monday Feb. 17 (8 miles)
3.5 hours… longest unannounced tunnel closure, westbound Thursday Feb. 20
4 days… U.S. 6/Loveland Pass closed to all traffic, Feb. 17-20
1 truck… caught in an avalanche on Loveland Pass Friday Feb. 14 (the driver escaped with scrapes and bruises- photo below, courtesy CBS News4)
1 hour (!)… duration a snowmobiler was buried under 2 feet of snow by an avalanche on Vail Pass Saturday Feb. 15 (he was safely rescued -photo below courtesy of Summit County Sheriff’s Dept.)
9... avalanches triggered by CDOT and CAIC during I-70 mitigation Tuesday Feb. 18
6,000+ vehicles… estimated hourly traffic at the Eisenhower Johnson tunnels the afternoon of Friday Feb. 21, double the average peak
Thousands… headaches on the road…
Countless… smiles on the slopes (courtesy of a loyal FB follower).
Just about every I-70 ski resort from A-Basin to Beaver Creek is claiming at least 3 feet of snow in 7 days:
- Vail… 52 inches
- Loveland… 50 inches
- Arapahoe Basin… 44 inches
- Breckenridge… 47 inches
- Keystone… 47 inches
- Copper… 45 inches
- Beaver Creek… 35 inches