Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts are nestled in Eagle Valley of the Rocky Mountains and just near the Continental Divide. This area has been noted for many years and some of best skiing in Colorado with Vail receiving 348 inches of annual snowfall and Beaver Creek 310 inches. The snowiest two months are December and January with 65 inches of snow on the average each month. Temperatures averages are (high/low): Nov 37/15, Dec 28/10, Jan 31/9, Feb 34/12, Mar 42/17 and Apr 48/24. Late spring into early fall are beautiful in the Rockies of Colorado as the tress come out in the spring, summers are mild with cool nights and in the fall, leaves are very colorful with the reds, oranges and yellows. Temperatures averages are: May 61/31, Jun 72/35, Jul 78/41, Aug 76/40, Sep 68/33 and Oct 55/25. Showers and thunderstorms are most likely in the July and August and mainly in the afternoons and evenings. The summer heat is dry with low humidity but when the southern moisture is around it becomes somewhat more humid.
El Nino (ocean waters warmer than normal) and La Nina (ocean waters colder than normal) in the central Pacific Ocean influence storm track of winter storms. El Nino supports a southern latitude storm track and La Nina a northern-latitude storm track. Fortunately, Vail and Beaver Creek are in the southern latitudes which makes a long range weather forecast somewhat easier to predict. Some skiers feel the depth of the snow is important and but more importantly is the frequency of storms to keep the snow fresh. A storm every 5-7 days is an ideal scenario. However, during an active storm pattern several feet of snow can accumulate in just a short period of time.
The Rocky Mountains are prone to avalanches. However, the ski resorts perform avalanche control early in the morning which ensures that the slopes safe for skiing during the day. If you venture into the back-country staying on flat terrain or on slopes that are not too steep (15 degrees or less).
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