Will There be Enough Snow for the Early December Clinic?

Our 2015/16 season kicks off with two mogul skiing clinics in December: December 11-14 and December 15-18. One of our most frequently asked questions is “will there be enough snow for the early December clinic?”. After all the years of running in clinics in early December we feel confident enough to say ‘yes’. But, always with the qualifier that if we could predict the weather and snow conditions we would have a different career!

There are several factors that work in our favor.  First, the altitude of Aspen Mountain. We teach the program on runs that are at the top of Aspen Mountain at an elevation of 11,212 feet. Put into perspective, the top of the mountain is more than a half-mile higher than the altitude in the town of Aspen. Snow starts falling up there in late October forming the base for Winter conditions. The best ski season conditions start with wet heavy snow that blankets the high mountain tops in late October and early November. The wet snow freezes and forms that all important base for the light powder that will fall from the sky in December through April.

Secondly, Aspen Mountain opens on Thanksgiving Day or earlier if conditions warrant it. So who is around to ski those early conditions? Just the Aspen/Snowmass locals who tend to be powder hounds skiing fresh tracks off-piste forming the early bumps. Early season moguls tend to be a little more ‘user friendly’ than the small Volkswagen size bumps you’ll find on the Face of Bell in April.

Now in our 13th season, we have only had to cancel an early December clinic once due to lack of snow. We hope that doesn’t happen this year. Weather forecasters are already talking about a strong El Nino Winter but we respect Mother Nature and can only go on our years of experience.

If you have more questions about our December mogul skiing clinics, or any of our clinics, please give us a call at 970-989-2529 and we’d be happy to address your concerns.