Give Adventure

Powderhorn is your ingredient for winter adventure. What's the best thing you can give to a friend or family member? That's right, it's powder.

Here are some gift ideas for winter adventure:

Learn to Ride
This program is for first timers, new to the sport of skiing or snowboarding. Our fun and knowledgeable instructors will teach your friend or family member to ski or ride in three sessions. This way they're out there having fun learning something new, not struggling and frustrated. And you have a new ski buddy. By attending all three sessions they'll get a FREE season pass for the rest of the season! The gift that keeps giving.

Details:
Intensive Series- January 1, 2, 3
Weekend Series- January 8, 15, 22
Cost- $350 includes lessons, rental and lift ticket
Sign them up by calling the ski & ride center at 970-268-5700 ext. 2080

Deca Card
This is great for a couple or even a whole family. It's $150 for the card and allows them to purchase up to 10 half-price lift tickets. There are no blackouts and multiple people can use the card on the same day. Order online at http://www.powderhorn.com/

Stay & Play Package
Want some friends to come visit so you can show them your mountain? Get them our new Stay & Play package. For $209 they'll get a night stay at the Inn at Wildewood, dinner for two at the Skiers Union Cafe and lift tickets for two. Call 970-268-5170 for info and reservations.

Lift Tickets
Want to treat someone to a day on the slopes? Powderhorn lift tickets will be available by the end of this week to purchase at: Traz Snow & Skate, Sports Authority- Mesa Mall and Montrose, Board & Buckle, Gene Taylor's Sporting Goods, and Canyonland Outdoor Sports- Moab.

Alpine Trader
Our store has brands and styles you won't find in Grand Junction. There's something for every snow lover. The Alpine Trader will be open daily once the season begins.
or...

Call us for gift cards! We can load a Powderhorn gift card in any amount. Gift cards are valid for all Powderhorn goods & services. Call 970-268-5700 to order.

Forecasting for Powder Addicts

Yesterday's storm brought 15-18" of snow to the mountain. A very welcome site indeed! Unfortunately the forecast is now showing a warming trend coming our way with a high temp of 39 degrees on Friday. Not ideal at all.

The few weeks before opening, we're all checking the forecast rather obsessively. We watch the forecasted temperatures to help plan our snowmaking operations. Dew points are also extremely helpful in snowmaking. And of course, we're always looking for that 100% chance of snow prediction. The thing is, forecasting is not a perfect science. While the crew at NOAA are incredibly good at their jobs, the weather will just do what it will do.

If you, like many skiers & riders, enjoy picking through the forecast to spot the next powder day here are the sources we use:

National Weather Service- Grand Junction
This is the point forecast for our location on the Grand Mesa. Within this web page there is a great depth of useful information. Click on the satellite images on the lower right of the page. This is what we watch to see what's coming our way and what is building out in the Pacific.

The Forecast Discussion at the bottom of the page gives you a more detailed weekly outlook.

The Colorado Powder Forecast is written by a skiing meteorologist who tends to keep the terminology to a reasonably understandable level.

The gang at the Grand Junction NOAA office held a meeting recently providing interesting information. According to what they're seeing, this should be a La Nina year. They presented this map to help explain what that means for us.
(Click to enlarge)


Baker- National Weather Service, Boulder, CO


Looks favorable for our area!

Our team is working diligently to open this mountain as soon as possible. What's most important to us is that we open with a safe, quality product. While receiving 15" of snow is very helpful, once it's packed with the snow cats (as we did last night), it's compressed to a few inches. Another storm and continued cool temperatures would be ideal. We'll keep you posted!

Here Comes the Powder

The storm we've been looking for came overnight last night. At least a foot of wonderful soft powder has fallen at the base area. We'll be getting a reading from the snow stake on top later today but an educated guess would say 16" or more.

While nothing official can be determined at all yet, this will certainly help us push to open early!





Just one more good storm like this would be great!

Happy Thanksgiving

We're thankful for the recent snow and cold temperatures. And most of all, we're thankful for all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving from the entire Powderhorn family. We'll see you soon!

Contributing to Mother Nature

Our team of highly skilled snow scientists are busy these days. Temperatures have dropped below the magic number (25) allowing us to make snow beginning around 5pm each night.

Here's a little video our buddy Pablo of the Rental Shop put together

Training Day

Our Ski Patrol have been busy training and going through refresher courses in preparation for season. Yesterday I saw them repelling off the bridge at the lodge. Other days it's looked like a mini-triage center in the base lodge.

Today, patrol is meeting with the great folks of the St. Mary's Flight for Life crew. We hope of course, that this is the only time we see them.

The heli coming in this morning

There's the seat you don't ever want to occupy

Winter Sports Expo

The Powderhorn team will be at the Montrose Winter Sports Expo this Friday and Saturday. We're excited to visit you folks on the other side of the mesa.

Montrose County Fairgrounds
Friday: 12-8pm
Saturday: 9am-3pm

Stop by our booth for season passes and discount cards. Or just chat with us about how stoked you are for the season. We like to geek out about skiing and riding with everyone.

Busy Bees

Our whole team is busy preparing for season. We want to make sure that we're ready to open early on December 9th if we have the snow. Our snomaking crews begin making snow around the base area today. The terrain park crew is building new natural features. The Alpine Trader crew is unpacking a fortress of boxes full of new gear. And mother nature is doing her part dropping snow.

This past weekend, the Ski Patrol had their lift evacuation training. A reporter from KREX Channel 5 was here documenting and acting as a test dummy. He did a great job. Click here for the story.

Winter Weather Warning

Those words are like music to our ears. The word 'warning' is to be taken seriously as a caution for travelers and residents in the area. But a winter weather warning to us is just a warning to make sure your skis are waxed and ready!

Our first winter warning came yesterday and produced about 4" of snow on the mountain. We're looking for another round tonight and tomorrow. Here are a few pictures taken yesterday.

PRC Snow Ball 2010

The Powderhorn Racing Club is hosting a very cool event this Saturday. The Snow Ball 2010 will honor pioneers of Grand Mesa Skiing: Bill Foster, Bob Beverly, Shirley Woodard, Gene Taylor, Bob Sisac, Dort Spooner and Tom Garner. These folks have helped make your turns at Powderhorn possible!

Special guest is 5 time Olympian and Winter X Games Gold Medalist Casey Puckett!

It all begins at 6pm in the Mesa State College Center Ballroom this Saturday, November 13. Tickets are $40 adult, $15 ages 14 & under. Dinner is included. Get your tickets now at Gene Taylors or Board & Buckle. Charge by phone at 243-TIXS. Make sure you get your tickets by November 10th!

History Lesson

As we all wait as patiently as possible to ski the Grand Mesa, why not get a little education? Powderhorn has existed since 1966 but skiing on the Grand Mesa has been going on since the 1930s.

The story of those powder lovers before us is a great one. We wrote about it a few years back in honor of our 40th anniversary. Here are the posts again for your reading pleasure. There will be a test...

History of Skiing on the Grand Mesa
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3