Ok, I am in fact starting to run out of adjectives to describe the insanely good conditions in this season's groundhog day of stoke. 

Because of some wind and even denser quality snow, Wednesday’s snow is skiing a little more buffed than the more silky smooth quality on Tuesday. 

Here are the storm cycle totals as of 7:30 am on Wednesday, with the Monday + Tuesday broken out, and also overnight amounts in parenthesis where able:

• 17” Ski Santa Fe (9" + 8") 3" overnight
• 12” Taos (6" + 6") 3" overnight
• 8-10” Pajarito (estimate SNOTEL and webcams)
• 6” Sipapu (3" + 3") 1-2"overnight
• 6-8" Sandia Peak (estimate)
• 1" Ski Apache (estimate)

The conditions on Tuesday were ridiculous. Like surfing at 11,500 feet on glassy waves, drooling and yodeling each turn after creamy turn.

On Wednesday morning we are in a lull in the storm cycle. But we have one more period of snow coming with this storm cycle through Wednesday that should tee up Thursday for yet another powder day.

Here is our state of play.

A large Pacific storm is slowly churning eastward and this is creating a strong southwest flow into the Four Corners.

Two caveats remain with this setup. First, temperatures will remain very warm (just below freezing at 10,000 feet on Wednesday.

Second, we will see strong winds across the northern Sangres with gusts of 30 to 50 mph especially at Taos Ski Valley around midday into the afternoon.

But this southwest flow should fire up snow as well. We can see the southwest winds with snow cranking over southwestern Colorado and this should gradually start to produce snow around Taos as we move through the day.

I like Taos and the northern Sangres as favored for today's final phase of snow because of the more northern orientation and the southwest winds.

Bottomline

• Wednesday is another cream cheese powder day in the northern mountains.
• Another 3-10+" falls on Wednesday into Thursday for more powder and leftovers on Thursday.
• Snow quality will stay dense and surfy due to warm temperatures and wind.
• Winds could cause lift delays at Taos on Wednesday.
• We are looking good for the original snowfall forecasts in alphabetical order for Monday through Thursday morning:
  
  • 8-14" Pajarito (8-10" so far)
  • 3-7" Sandia Peak (6-8" so far)
  • 8-14" Sipapu (6" so far)
  • 3-9" Ski Apache (1" so far)
  • 12-18" Ski Santa Fe (17" so far)
  • 14-20" Taos (12" so far)

Colder air moves in on Thursday and Friday with light snow showers continuing into the weekend and keeping conditions soft.

Here is the snapshot looking further out. Light to moderate snow continues through Sunday. Then we will have our first dry break around March 28-30. The first few days of April are unclear but there are some signals of potential activity.

Thanks for reading and I will be back on Thursday with a storm cycle recap. Shoot me any photos if you make it out!

¡Viva la nieve!

JULIEN ROSS
[email protected]

Avalanche Warning is in Effect! Check Taos Avalanche Center for all of your backcountry forecasts

Always consult TAC for the latest avalanche forecasts!

New Mexico Geography Key

Northern Mountains
→ Red River, Taos Ski Valley (north side of northern mountains - Sangre de Cristos)
→ Angel Fire (northeast side of northern mountains - Sangre de Cristos)
→ Sipapu (middle of the northern mountains - Sangre de Cristos)
→ Ski Santa Fe (south side of the northern mountains - Sangre de Cristos)
→ Pajarito (southwest side of the northern mountains - Jemez)

Central Mountains
→ Sandia Peak (Sandias)
→ Mt. Taylor backcountry (San Mateos)

Southern Mountains
→ Ski Apache (Sacramentos)
→ Ski Cloudcroft (Sacramentos)