Colorado ski resort closes because of too much snow

Cue all the truisms about having “too much of a good thing,” because a Colorado ski resort has received so much snow it’s been forced to close operations. Crested Butte—a picturesque ski town 4 hours from Denver—has received 2 feet of snow in 24 hours. That’s on top of the 4 feet of snow that fell last week and there is even more snow in the forecast.

While ski areas in California and the Pacific Northwest frequently close when they get tons of snow, it’s a rare occurrence in Colorado. Known for its high-elevation ski areas and fluffy, powder snow, the state just doesn’t see the same kind of big 24-hour snow totals that occur elsewhere.

That’s why when Crested Butte Mountain Resort announced mid-day on Monday, January 9 that they were closing lift operations due to safety concerns, it was a big deal. Locals are saying they’ve never seen so much snow in Crested Butte, and even the stop signs are buried. This is what 6 feet of snow in 7 days looks like.

All the moisture isn’t just pounding Colorado. Much of California is in flood watch thanks to an atmospheric river storm that will continue to drop heavy precipitation throughout the week.