We’re back! After a brief hiatus from the column, we are back on track for our regularly scheduled content.
Sundown Mountain(Iowa)
Base snow depth around 41 inches which is above average for early February.
Surface snow conditions: machine groomed and packed powder.
Current resort status: open for snow sports with trails and lifts operating on regular schedule per posted hours. Nice Midwest skiing conditions with solid base depth and groomed runs. Sundown is great for a quick day trip this week.
Chestnut Mountain(Illinois)
Chestnut Mountain in Galena, Illinois has a fairly typical amount of snow for this season, with an average reported base around 35 inches total snowfall for the season so far. Chestnut features a typical terrain mix featuring beginner through advanced trails, plus night skiing. Chestnut, though a little bit of a farther drive than sundown, it is an exceptional resort this time of year.
Alpine Valley(Wisconsin)
Alpine Valley in Wisconsin is having a great year, with snow depth around 20-30 inches and full coverage for skiing. Alpine Valley has received around 11 inches of snowfall in the last week and they are expected to get more later this week. Alpine Valley reports all lifts and runs being open and is a great place for you and the family to spend a weekend.
Breckenridge(Colorado)
Snow depth is around 24 inches on the mountain with around 16 inches at base. About 116 of 187 runs open and 32 of 35 lifts running which is significantly better than earlier this season.
Breckenridge has good mid‑season coverage and a wide variety of terrain open, though snow depths aren’t super deep yet for a Colorado resort, but there is still plenty of skiing available on groomed and packed runs. Breckenridge hasn’t seen any significant snowfall since before the end of January.
Gear Picks of the week:
Jack- My gear pick for the week are the Oakley Flight Deck Goggles. These goggles have been so enjoyable to wear. They hardly ever fog over and feel super comfortable. What I also like is the different colors Oakley has to choose from making it easy to switch lenses depending on visibility. I would recommend these to anyone who skis more than a couple days a year and is looking for some quality goggles that will last a long time.
Ben- My gear pick is the ARCTERYX Satoro Merino Neck Gaiter. This gaiter is a reasonably priced, bang for your buck, high quality piece of gear that everyone should invest in. No other gaiter has kept me as warm. This gaiter is the highest quality, and will last you a very long time. I highly recommend it to all, as this will keep you warm in extreme weather conditions.
