That White Stuff We Depend On

A dusting of snow on Wild Rose Trail, Emerald Mountain - October 2025

​It is a strange season here in Steamboat Springs. Following a November with warm days more reminiscent of September, Mother Nature eked out a few inches of snow the first week of December, and then daytime temps returned to the 40’s this week. The white stuff is melting away.

Having lived here in the early 90’s, my recollection is of cold and snowy Thanksgiving week ski area openings. I remember walking to work when the temp was -15’ and wondering if I would survive. (Not only did I live, I got so warm with the ridiculous amount of clothes I swaddled myself in I had to de-layer halfway there.) Since I moved back to Steamboat in 2013 some seasons were better than others, but never a start to the season this dry and warm. I’ve been thinking this is a first. Not so.

In December 1976, things were so bad at ski resorts in Colorado prayer services were being held for snow - daily. Locals in Steamboat headed to mid-mountain, shook snow off the trees onto plastic sheets and moved it to pack the runs. With only 29 inches of snow by early January 1977, the airlines cancelled the winter flights, lodging reservations were cancelled, and Colorado’s state senator was requesting emergency funding from President Ford. 

The Steamboat Ski Area closed that year on February 13. Hundreds of people were out of work. The closure and prior visitor cancellations had a huge impact on the entire town. When enough snow arrived to reopen in early March, even the schools closed to allow students and teachers to ski on what they dubbed “Steamboat Day.”

That 1976-1977 season was the impetus that eventually resulted in Colorado ski areas investing in snowmaking. Snowmaking allows for more consistent early season openings and a consistent base for later in the spring when warmer days begin to melt the snowpack.  

Clearly, this season, although the runs are few, snowmaking has provided the means for the area to open and remain so. The Wild Blue Gondola moves skiers to and from the colder and snowier south summit, avoiding the snowless lower slopes. 

We’ve come a long way since 1977. In both snowmaking and a fancy new gondola there’s a bit of an insurance policy, and with the generosity of this community, people out of work or working limited hours can get some help from LiftUp. 

In the face of our current snowless season, it feels encouraging to remember that we always have abundant years too. It is heartening to look at the story of the ‘76-’77 snow crisis and see how the locals pulled together and overcame the challenge. 

But I also can’t help wondering if these low-snow years will come more frequently than in the past. Something to think about.


Learn More/Source
Steamboat Pilot: Life Before Snowmaking