Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

(This picture of the back bowls at Vail, posted to Vail Mountain's Facebook page, about sums up the ski season so far.)

After weeks of suffering through ski conditions that, let's face it, have been downright awful (the driest winter in at least 30 years for much of Colorado), good things are coming!

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the high country, in effect from 8 a.m. Saturday through 11 a.m. Sunday. The heaviest snow is expected to fall Saturday night, which means Sunday should be pretty good powder day.

It won't be the kind of "epic" storms we've gotten in years past, a max of 8 inches expected, but this year, we'll take it!

Boulder meteorologist Joel Gratz, who runs the ski-oriented weather site opensnow.com, expects Monarch (maybe you read this week's Out There story about the popular southern Colorado ski area....) to be the biggest beneficiary. Here's his forecast:

I feel like this is a Bud Light commercial, with someone coming on screen and saying "And here we go!" The next storm is 24 hours away and I have some good news! 

• The heaviest snow will fall from late afternoon Saturday (after 2pm) through about midnight Saturday night. This will be a little earlier for Steamboat, a little later for areas south of Aspen, and about right for most mountains within 50 miles north or south of I-70.
   
• If you want soft turns, ski late afternoon on Saturday or first thing on Sunday morning.
   
• The storm is coming in much like the previous storms as it will try to cut-off to the south and west of Colorado.
   
• However, it will stay close enough to us to provide a few hours of moderate or heavy snow centered around sunset on Saturday evening as the cold front moves through.
   
• The deepest totals should once again be in the foothills east of the divide (and Monarch), so if you're driving from Denver to the mountains Saturday night, it could be a little messy from Morrison up through Georgetown.
   
• By about midnight Saturday night, the storm shifts south and northeasterly winds overspread most of the state. This is good for snow east of the divide and at Monarch, and not so good everywhere else.

So DVR the Broncos game and get on up there!