A Getaway to Snowy Snowmass

First the good news. This has been an epic December for skiers in Colorado. With 118 inches, the Aspen/Snowmass area, where we just spent five days, has broken the all-time record for the most snowfall in the month of December, according to the Aspen Skiing Company, which released this photo taken on December 30. In fact, the mountain company nicknamed December "DEEPcember" -- and so it was.

The bad news was how all that snow affected travel to or in Colorado this past week. It was a crap shoot. We won! We left Boulder for Snowmass on December 26 (blue skies, sunshine, dry roads, gorgeous snowy scenery, only heavy traffic and slow going on I-70 from Golden/Morrison to west of the Empire/US 40 exit). We returned on January 2 (blue skies, sunshine, dry roads, gorgeous snowy scenery, only heavy traffic and slow going from Summit County to about Downieville). In between, we skied on truly great snow that fell intermittently, the only downside being the continous and relentless cold. The outdoor thermometer never rose above 10 degrees, and for a while, I thought it might be broken or stuck.

Here's what else happened in Colorado while we were happily alternately skiing and warming up. On December 27, United Airlines canceled 145 of its 840 it operates daily at Denver International Airport. The snow at DIA was not extreme, but United was still trying to clear up the mess from an earlier storm in Chicago that gummed up its route system for days, sometimes because aircraft and crews were not where they needed to be to maintain a reasonable schedule. Frontier canceled only seven flights, but many carriers experienced delays. Both carriers reportedly waived some fees for flight changes, but that was a small consolation to travelers whose ski vacation plans were messed up.

Drivers heading into the mountains on Interstate 70 didn't fare much better. Also on Thursday, the highwas was closed for more than three hours after a Greyhound bus and an SUV collided near the Genesse exit. But the worst was yet to come.

On Sunday afternoon, the 30th, officials closed 75 miles of I-70 westbound (Floyd Hill to Vail) and 60 miles eastbound (Vail to Georgetown) due to blowing, drifting snow and concern about avalanches. Wind in the Eisenhower Tunnel itself was reported at 70 mph -- literally a wind tunnel. The highway reopened on Monday afternoon, but US 6 over Loveland Pass (which the Eisenhower Tunnel was built to bypass) and US 550 over Red Mountain Pass between Ouray and Silverton remained closed. For a time on Sunday, US 40 over Berthoud and Rabbit Ears Passes, as well as sections of other secondary highways were closed as well.

More than 2,000 travelers, perhaps as many as 2,900 -- were stranded, mostly in Summit and Eagle Counties. Emergency shelters were opened on Sunday night, and generous residents opened their homes as well. Some people just hunkered down in the cars, while truckers stayed put at chain-up areas along the highway.

And today (January 2) an early afternoon crash at the westbound approach into Glenwood Canyon closed that stretch of I-70. Travelwise, it was tough week indeed, but we dodged the bullets -- and the sking was oh-so sweet.