Copper Mountain and Vail face poor snow conditions ahead of IPC Nor-Am Cup

December 5, 2012

With the Australian team set to arrive in  today (Wednesday) for the start of the  Nor-Am Cup to be held on  this coming Sunday, both areas are dealing with unseasonably warm weather that adversely effects skiing conditions.

An inch of snow fell on Copper Mountain and Vail Sunday night, one–two inches less than forecast. The weather conditions are not expected to improve to bring snow bearing conditions for a while as the area experiences day time temperatures in the 50s /10s.

The lack of snow delayed the opening of a number of ski resorts in the area, with only six open by November 16. Copper Mountain required use of snow machines to keep snow on their ski runs. The lack of quality snow was a factor in a downturn by about 12% in visitors to Colorado's ski resorts. Currently, the snow is machine groomed and the majority of ski lifts and trails are not open.