CO mountains bracing for snowy holiday weekend

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. — Multiple rounds of mountain snow mean it will likely be a crowded holiday weekend for skiers and boarders on the slopes, and for those driving up into the high country.

By Monday, a foot of snow is possible along the Interstate 70 drive. The area around Steamboat Springs and Rabbit Ears Pass is under a Winter Storm Warning and could see even more.

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Shops like Blue Valley Ski and Board Rentals in Silverthorne were packed on Friday.

“Today, we sent out our biggest day of the season so far,” said owner Mo Esch. “We were sold out for a while [today].”

Esch said that only happens a couple of times a season.

This holiday weekend between Christmas and New Year’s has led people to his business from as far as the Southern U.S., and even the Southern Hemisphere.

“Lot of Alabama, a lot of Louisiana,” Esch said of Friday’s customers. “Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Jersey, New York, Argentina, Mexico, lots of places.”

Still, there are many more who will be making the drive up this weekend. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is warning them to plan ahead.

“What we are hearing is that there are going to be waves of snow this weekend, fairly moderate snow that we’re expecting,” said Lisa Schwantes, regional communications manager for CDOT.

“Travel during the daylight hours, if you can, because the cold temperatures will definitely impact and affect the roadway. So it could freeze up, get slick out there,” she advised. “So if you can avoid travel at night, I would do that.”

CDOT advises everyone to take extra time and extra emergency items with them, like food, water, a blanket, a snow shovel and a flashlight.

The department also urges everyone, especially commercial drivers, to obey chain laws. Drivers who do not are often involved in slide-offs and pile-ups that can snarl traffic and prevent plows from getting through, according to Schwantes.

The extra precautions are worth it to safely enjoy spending the holidays in the Colorado mountains.

“I hardly remember any of the Christmas presents I got, but I remember every single ski vacation my family ever took,” Esch recalled. “It was really just something I hold near and dear to my heart. So that’s one of the reasons why I just, I like to share that with other people.”

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) is warning backcountry travelers to be careful, as this weekend’s heavy snow and high winds will bring high avalanche danger.