We got wind that Telluride had opened up the first runs on the newly minted “Black Iron Bowl” up on Prospect Ridge, lookers’ left of Chair 12. So this morning, the Planet’s Patrick Healy trudged up there to check out the conditions.

Only the first two runs — Westlake and Lakeview — are open so far, and the ski patrol is doing a diligent job of avalanche control farther up towards Palmyra. But what’s open is pretty nice. The snow is thin and windblown on the Alta side of the ridge, but once you’ve dropped into Westlake, you’re in heaven. A little chunky here and there due to some previous control, but the turns are great, the pitches are marvelous, and there’s nothing like doing a little work for your turns.

Provided that we get some more snow, we’ll practically be living up there come February. How was your skiing up there? Good/bad/so-so? Let us know.

Our story about there being 2,000 fewer seats on flights in and out of Telluride is sparking some discussion online. So for the edification of all, here is the raw data from Great Lakes, detailing  how many planes will be cruising into Telluride, and when. Think of the baseline number as three planes, and each “wingtip” is an extra plane. We don’t do much flying here at the Planet, so let us know how your experiences are. Is it tough to make reservations? Are the planes empty or crowded? Are the flight times convenient for you?

TEX Wingtips:

20DEC – 23DEC:           2 Wingtips  5083/5084 and 5087/5088

26DEC – 28DEC:           3 Wingtips  5085/5086, 5083/5084 and 5087/5088

29DEC – 30DEC:           2 Wingtips  5083/5084 and 5087/5088

01JAN – 04JAN:            3 Wingtips  5085/5086, 5083/5084 and 5087/5088

05JAN – 06JAN:            2 Wingtips  5083/5084 and 5087/5088

07JAN – 19FEB:            1 Wingtip   5083/5084

Sugar Daddy, the man who claims to “influence” the weather, has promised more snow. He writes to the Planet regularly, and for awhile was going to withhold the gnar until Lift 9 opened. But now he’s promised not to be miserly. Here’re his emails:

Dec 18 thru Dec 24 - mark it.

SD
Thanks Sugar Daddy, whoever you are.

Good morning, class. It only sprinkled in town yesterday, but the Telluride Ski Resort is reporting 3 new inches of snow in the past 24 hours. And lo! As we write this posting at 11:21 a.m. MST, tiny little snowflakes are beginning to sift down through the sky. We don’t want to put too many chips on the table, but the forecast looks good. Here’s the latest from the folks at the National Weather Service:

..WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ALL MOUNTAINS TONIGHT THROUGH

SATURDAY...

...SNOW ADVISORY TODAY FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE FLAT TOPS

OF WESTERN COLORADO ABOVE 8000 FEET...

...SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY FOR STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

AREA...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT AND FRIDAY FOR LOWER ELEVATIONS OF

SOUTHEAST UTAH AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST COLORADO...THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN

COLORADO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

PATCHY MORNING FOG WILL CAUSE REDUCED VISIBILITY IN THE VALLEYS.

PERIODS OF SNOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS TODAY...

ESPECIALLY THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE FLAT TOPS OF WESTERN

COLORADO...WHERE 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED. SNOW WILL

BECOME WIDESPREAD ACROSS ALL THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT WITH ACCUMULATIONS

OF 3 TO 9 INCHES. HEAVY RAINFALL MAY DEVELOP ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS

OF SOUTHEAST UTAH AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST COLORADO TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

A VERY MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE

SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO BRING ABUNDANT MOISTURE TO THE AREA THROUGH

SATURDAY. HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS OF

SOUTHEAST UTAH AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST COLORADO FRIDAY.

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 FEET ARE ANTICIPATED IN THE MOUNTAINS

THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. BLOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE REDUCED

VISIBILITY ON SOME MOUNTAIN ROADWAYS. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS CAN BE

EXPECTED ACROSS SOME OF THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...MAINLY NORTH OF

INTERSTATE 70...PARTICULARLY THE STEAMBOAT SPRINGS AREA WHERE 6 TO

13 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

Silverton Mountain, the expert terrain two hours from Telluride, opened Monday after receiving some 4 feet of snow. Thirty to 40 people showed up to spend the day laying new lines down the sheer, gladed north face of the mountain, for the grand price of $40.

A slide show of Telluride Daily Planet cover photos arranged for the 2005 Telluride Mountainfilm festival.

Photos by Ben Knight

So, who’s up for renting a house in Jackson Hole or Bend, Oregon? Because the National Weather Service is out with its long-term winter forecast today, and the news is not encouraging. Forecasters are expecting a moderate La Nina pattern, which will push the Pacific storm systems north, potentially robbing the San Juans of much-needed snow. The best we can hope for, say meteorologists, is an average year. And after a November that’s seen 60-degree afternoons and a delayed season, to us, average sounds pretty sweet.

This morning, it hit me. This is wrong. This is perverse. And I’m to blame. I’ve been riding my little mountain bike all over the place, happy there was no snow. So blame it on me. I confess. It’s me. The Planeteers propose an offering to the Norse god Ullr. Burn old ski stuff. We want your thoughts. Location? Time? Legality? Incantation?