Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park was closed due to winter driving conditions on Monday and northern Colorado ski resorts were dusted with overnight snowfall, two days before the official arrival of fall.
Conditions on Trail Ridge included ice and snow drifts of 2 to 3 feet, according to a Rocky Mountain National Park tweet. Mountain snow stake cameras at Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park appeared to show less than an inch of snow. The upper half of Mount Werner at the Steamboat Resort received 3-4 inches, according to meteorologist Joel Gratz of OpenSnow, a mountain snow forecasting and reporting service.
“This might be the last widespread snow that we experience in September, though, as I do not see any cold storms in the 10-day forecast,” Gratz wrote in his report Monday morning. “In terms of precipitation, look for mostly dry weather through about September 26th with a higher chance for (rain) showers after that time.”
Still, for skiers and snowboarders, the sight of fresh snow meant the unofficial countdown to ski season can begin.
“It was nice showing up to work today and seeing the mountains covered,” said Loveland spokesman Dustin Schaefer. “We’re about 10 days out from turning on the snow guns.”
Loveland’s famous mascot, Parker the Snow Dog, had to take a look at the new snow for himself.
“He loves the cooler temps, and he enjoyed playing in the snow this morning,” Schaefer said. “It’s a reminder that ski season is right around the corner.”
Front Range rivals Loveland, Arapahoe Basin and Keystone will be vying to become the first Colorado resort to open for the season, although they could get upstaged by Wolf Creek in southern Colorado. All will be hoping to open sometime in October.
This content was originally published here.