Wednesday, December 5, 2012
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With the Australian Para-alpine ski team set to arrive in Vail today (Wednesday) for the start of the IPC Nor-Am Cup to be held on Copper Mountain 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 °F/10s °C.
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.