Here are a few reader-submitted photos. April can be a wonderful time to try to find powder, ski bigger lines (standard caveats apply – get educated and know what you’re doing!) or both.

Back to the weather…early this week, it looked like we could see significant snow on Wednesday and Thursday, then all models abruptly shifted toward a mostly non-event with just a few showers on Wednesday and weak energy clipping the northern mountains on Wednesday night into Thursday.

And that’s what we have seen, with the only accumulations coming from the energy on Wednesday night, which produced 1-3 inches across the northern mountains as of Thursday morning. You’ll likely find that the few inches of new snow will ski well on the groomers, but it will be 'dust-on-crust' elsewhere. And for the rest of Thursday, the northern mountains could see clouds hang around though there shouldn’t be much additional snow accumulation.

Coming up, Friday and Saturday will be sunny and warm with high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 40s. Enjoy the classic spring skiing!

We’ll see increasing clouds on Sunday with maybe a few showers, and then the next storm will bring precipitation from Sunday night through Tuesday morning with the highest totals near and east of the northern continental divide.

In the map above, we’re looking at precipitation, NOT snowfall. Most of the lower-elevation areas (below 8,000 feet) should see rain, so this will not be a Denver snowstorm. In the foothills west of Denver, and areas near the continental divide (Indian Peaks, Berthoud Pass, Mary Jane, Loveland, Arapahoe Basin), there is a chance for at least a few inches of snow on Monday morning and again on Tuesday morning.

Thanks for reading!

My next update will be on Friday morning.

JOEL GRATZ

Monarch Closing Day (April 21) = Free tubing for everyone and free lift tickets for kids
Closing weekend events are always super fun. Monarch's latest press release caught my eye as they will offer free tubing to everyone on April 21st, kids 12 and under ski for free on April 21, and the 'Kayaks on Snow' event will be the day before on Saturday, April 20. More here: https://opsw.co/2XaF7nN

Bluebird Backcountry – another event!
Ever wanted to try backcountry skiing? Don't know where to start? Our friends over at Bluebird Backcountry have an awesome idea to open a backcountry ski area. Following a successful "first flight" at Mosquito Pass last month, Bluebird is now partnered with Winter Park Resort to offer "in-bounds backcountry" designed for learning and adventure. Take the Bluebird survey and sign up for a day of skiing at bluebirdbackcountry.com

Geography Key

Northern Mountains
Steamboat, Granby, Beaver Creek, Vail, Ski Cooper, Copper, Breckenridge, Keystone, Loveland, Abasin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass, Eldora, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cameron Pass

Along the Divide
Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass

East of the Divide
Eldora, Echo, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cameron Pass

Central Mountains
Aspen, Sunlight, Monarch, Crested Butte, Irwin, Powderhorn

Southern Mountains
Telluride, Silverton – north side of the southern mountains | Purgatory, Wolf Creek – south side of the southern mountains