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Conditions Snapshot — Read This Before You Load the Car

Snowfall has hit pause, but Colorado isn’t closed. Coverage is holding, surfaces are firm-to-fast, and the winners right now are resorts that built deep early bases and don’t flinch without fresh snow. Wolf Creek is fully unlocked at 100% open, with Monarch Mountain close behind and quietly crushing it. Down south and central, terrain depth > snow totals is the theme, while the big-name destination resorts are mostly skiable but not firing.

Translation for strong skiers: expect chalk, cold smoke, and groomer speed, not hero pow. This is the window for high-vert days, technique work, and linking big terrain, not waiting around for refresh cycles.

🚴 Frisco Freeze Fat Bike Race — Feb 14, 2026 — Frisco
The Frisco Nordic Center doesn’t typically allow winter fat biking on its groomed trails, but Frisco Freeze is the exception! It’s your exclusive opportunity to ride the pristine course (9, 12 mile options)

🏃 Super Half Marathon & Game Day 5k — Feb 8, 2026 — Colorado Springs, CO
This is a CO Springs super Sunday tradition! The event has a flat and fast race course (urban trail and street) through central Colorado Springs, and a great post-race party and awards. Race medal and swag for all. Pikes Peak Ascent qualifier.

⛷ Epic Backcountry Ski Race — The Grand Traverse — March 29 — Crested Butte
This Crested Butte → Aspen point-to-point is on the calendar for March 29 — ~40 miles with >6,800′ climbing across Elk Mountains; partners and mandatory safety gear required.

(Pro tip: check the full Colorado run calendar and Run Guides for Feb–Mar options)

Big picture first: Colorado’s snowpack is well below normal for this time of year statewide, and dry, warm weather has continued with minimal new snowfall — you’re in a late January early spring vibe more than a dead-of-winter dump cycle. State snowpack is tracking at historically low levels — roughly 62% of median statewide, with southern basins even lower — and short-term forecasts show continued dry conditions.

Why now: Rocky Mountain National Park has some snow/ice, but at mid/upper elevations the snowpack is firm and varies from packed to deep enough for snowshoes.
Best for: Tough winter endurance day + terrain variety.
Expect: Ice, wind-packed snow, and sections needing traction or snowshoes. Microspikes + poles required; snowshoes become useful above tree line or in deeper drift pockets.
Watch-outs: Trail conditions are very variable; always check RMNP conditions

Why now: This is one of the cleanest “green-light” winter objectives in the state when conditions line up like they do now. CAIC showing green at all elevations.
Best for: Prime for strong, endurance-focused athletes looking for stable snowpack, steady aerobic climbing, wind-scoured upper slopes, and minimal avalanche complexity
Expect: Still a long day at altitude — weather can flip fast in the San Juans. Wind scouring near the summit can mean hardpack or exposed rock.

Where: Trails like Picture Rock/Wild Turkey Loop in Lyons and other south/south-east exposures.
Why now: Rapid melt and sun exposure means many south-aspect lines are mostly dry, runnable, and firm by midday — ideal for hard trail efforts.
Best for: Speed work, long aerobic runs, and spirited efforts on dirt with seasonal snow limited to north-facing bits.
Expect: Interspersed snow patches in shaded sections

Colorado awards $2.5M grant to kickstart long-term Ring the Peak trail and recreation improvements around Pikes Peak. A major new grant from Great Outdoors Colorado and Colorado Parks and Wildlife will fund multi-year work to complete the long-planned Ring the Peak Trail, develop campsites, expand on-the-ground stewardship and ambassador programs, and better manage booming outdoor use across El Paso, Teller, and Fremont counties — moving years of vision planning into action for one of the state’s premier recreation corridors.

Why this matters: This isn’t just superficial trail talk — it’s meaningful, funded progress on one of Colorado’s most ambitious multi-use trail networks, with boots on the ground slated for this summer, and serious implications for how athletes will access and experience the Pikes Peak area in the coming years.

The much anticipated NO NAME BASIN at Monarch is OPEN!!! I’ll be skiing and poking around the brand-new terrain. Exploring, scouting, and seeing how this zone flows now that it’s officially unlocked. Expect feedback next week if it lives up to the promise

View my Monarch video from last week on Youtube.

Forward this as an offering to the snow gods. Then go earn your turns.

Till next time,