STEAMBOAT FEAST: Record November gives locals plenty to be thankful for
Skiers in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, had plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving as a record storm system kept giving and giving.
In all, a nine-day system sweeping down from the Northwest dumped 89 inches of Steamboat’s trademarked champagne powder in nine days, making November the snowiest on record. With another big storm a few weeks earlier, a total of 83 inches fell during the month. The pounding kept on through early December, with an additional 51 inches falling through December 6.
November’s action started Nov. 27 and 28 while locals were still digesting their pot-luck holiday meals. Thirty-four inches in two days, combined with cold that kept the champagne bubbly, made for some of the best powder locals had seen in decades. “Monday was one of the top five days I’ve ever had here,” says former pro mogul skier Chris Ward. “And I’ve lived here for 25 years. It was as epic as it gets.”
The snow convinced Warren Miller Entertainment to send its production team—including cinematographer Tom Day and skiers Max Mancini, Arnie Backstrom and Dave Babic--to town early to get a jump on a segment for next year’s feature. “They completely rearranged their travel schedules to take advantage of it,” says Andy Wirth, Steamboat’s vice president of sales and marketing. “It should make for some great footage.”
Of course, shooting the record snowfall footage wasn’t easy--it never stopped dumping long enough. “It’s been almost 10 years since we’ve been able to shoot powder like this,” says photographer Larry Pierce. “All you could see was maybe a hand or piece of a pole sticking out. But it was really difficult to shoot because your auto-focus kept focusing on the snowflakes. No complaints at all, but I’d sure like to see some sun to shoot it better.”
Summit Snowfalls
12/6: 4 inches
12/5: 4 inches
12/4: 10
12/3: 20
12/2: 7
12/1: 0
11/30: 8
11/29: 6
11/28: 18
11/27: 16
Total: 89" at the summit in last 9 days.