Monarch to close a week early
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- Created on Thursday, 29 March 2012 22:10
- Written by Scott Rappold
Monarch had its share of powder days this season, like this one back in January, but no snow in recent weeks.
BY R. SCOTT RAPPOLD
THE GAZETTE
Ski season has become another casualty of a dry winter and a spring marked by unseasonable warmth and a lack of snow.
Southern Colorado ski area Monarch Mountain, popular among Colorado Springs skiers, announced Thursday it will close for the season April 8, a week ahead of schedule.
“Due to snow conditions that are out of our control, we’ve had to make the tough decision to close a week early,” Monarch officials said on the ski area's website.
“The lack of Spring moisture coupled with relentless heat, has caused our snowpack to rapidly melt and force closure of several runs already. We are experiencing our 6th driest season in 70-plus years. Our local watershed is 70% of normal and high temperatures are forecast all next week. This decision is based on our commitment to guest satisfaction and overall experience. We sincerely appreciate all of your support and understanding.”
Closing weekend will feature the ski area’s famous Kayaks on Snow event, when contestants race head-to-head down a specially designed course featuring berms, banks and bumps, ending in an icy pond. That event will be April 7.
It’s not the only ski area to be impacted by the dry, warm spring. Ski Cooper, which like Monarch does not make snow, will close this weekend, a week ahead of schedule. Most other ski areas are closing terrain and scaling back operations as the dry spell persists.
Monarch has received 188 inches of snow this year, just over half of an average winter.
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