March can be a monster month for snow in Colorado, and some monster snows have fallen in Colorado’s mountains over the years.

On average, resorts in or near the Front Range mountains see ample snow in March — with Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Loveland, and Winter Park all having histories of being winners of big snow accumulations.

As those big March snows come in, big ski runs needing sought after do too.

Thinking back on ski days past, I recounted five big runs or combo runs from those five resorts worth skiing or riding.

So which ones made the hit list?

Arapahoe Basin: Narrow North Pole Chute. This East Wall run is widely known as a must-do at ‘the Basin’ and it truly is. The hike up Little Lenawee Peak alone is breathtaking. Narrow North Pole is exactly that, narrow, but holds snow well and skis even better, plus it makes for a classic ski resort run because the snow stays good into April and the slope is challenging.

Breckenridge: Wacky’s Chute in the Lake Chutes, Peak 8. This run is steep! After traversing the ridge line from the top of Peak 8, Wacky’s is the last rock band on skier’s left. In the summer, a nameless alpine lake sits at the bottom of Wacky’s, but in winter it is the flat spot at the bottom of this challenging but snow-filled chute. Once ridden, you can ski back to the Imperial Express SuperChair or continue down on another Chair 6 run in partial tree coverage — I suggest Hombre.

Copper Mountain: Matchless, up Three Bears lift, then down The Taco/Curecanti. Copper Bowl and Tucker Mountain in March are phenomenal. The snow is at its deepest, the air is still cold, but the snow is starting to soften up. Matchless is out 50 yards from the Mountain Chief lift. I like to ski down into the rock bands and zip a line through them before heading down the gully to the Three Bears lift. While on the lift, look right and you’ll see The Taco. At the top, ski out to the right about 50 yards again and you’ll be overlooking one of the best chutes of inbound skiing in Summit County.

Loveland: Sunburst Bowl to Sunburst Chute. The top of Chair 4 at Loveland offers a stellar view of the entire ski area, and the open bowl leading to the trees below is just as epic. Ski against the grain in Sunburst Bowl until the trees start, then straight into Sunburst Chute for softened snow and straight-up great glade skiing.

Winter Park: Larkspur in Parsenn Bowl. Although Parseen Bowl terrain is only rated blue and blue-black, Larkspur is wide open up top and holds solid snow due to its facing northeast a little where snow loads in off the ridge line. Once you ski into the trees the snow bunches up some for some bump turns before exiting onto Edelweiss. The views of James Peak to the east from the top are magnificent as well.

Which runs are on your March hit list?

SNOW REPORT:

Forecast:

If the old adage “in like a lion, out like a lamb” is true, then the first half of the saying is becoming true for March snows in winter 2023.

Watching the live web cam from Wolf Creek on Wednesday was a testament to how deep it was going to get. Simply put, Thursday is a powder day at the southern ski area; Purgatory too.

Friday’s forecast has a quick shot of snow for the northern mountains, 2-6 inches, after Wednesday’s storm left skiers and riders with ample powder. Saturday looks dry before the next round of snow begins its march into Colorado for the northern and central mountains mainly.

Recap:

Tuesday brought 4-8 inches to the west-central mountains with Aspen Highlands (5″), Aspen (4″) and Crested Butte (4″) reporting the most — Vail and Beaver Creek (1″) each also.

Further west for Wednesday morning, Powderhorn, Purgatory and Irwin all received 8 inches, while Crested Butte received 7 inches. Closer to Denver, Winter Park received 6 inches, Beaver Creek 5 inches and Loveland 4 inches.

The water-equivalent precipitation forecast from Monday’s European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts from Weather.us showed snow totals for the San Juan Mountains could produce approximately 20 inches by Thursday morning. The model’s Tuesday forecast showed between 1 and 1.6 water-equivalent precipitation or 10-16 inches of snow equivalent based on 10:1. Regardless of which forecast was most accurate, Wolf Creek, Purgatory and Silverton all received deep snow.

Weekend recommendation:

Wolf Creek and Purgatory in the southern mountains. Aspen, Powderhorn and Crested Butte in the central mountains. Loveland, Winter Park and Steamboat in the northern mountains.

SNOEWS:

• Eldora Ski Resort outside Nederland, Colorado posted on its Facebook page recently that the resort is asking want-to-be ski patrollers to come up to the mountain for tryouts Saturday, March 11, Sunday, March 19 and Saturday, March 25. Sorry snowboarders, Eldora is only testing skiers this time around.

“We are recruiting ski patrollers for the 2023/24 season—including full-time Pro Patrol, Volunteer Patrol, and Young Adult Patrol—sorry no Part-Time Pro Patrol at this time,” the resort said.

To attend a tryout sign up through the link on their Facebook page. Tests are limited to 15 participants and the resort will evaluate expert ski skills in all terrain and conditions.

Patrol candidates must obtain a State of Colorado EMT or Outdoor Emergency Care certificate prior to the 2023/24 season. Questions can be sent to: [email protected].

• On Monday, the Associated Press reported famed Swedish skier and current World Cup ski racing victories holder Ingemar Stenmark said he believes Mikaela Shiffrin ‘is already on another level’, with her push to over take his record — as early as March 11 in Are, Sweden.

Stenmark, 66, has 86 wins (46 giant slalom, 40 slalom) and 155 podiums while Shiffrin, 27, has 85 wins (52 slalom, 19 giant slalom, five super giant slalom, three downhill, one combined, two parallel slalom, and five parallel city event) and 134 podiums.

“She’s much better than I was. You cannot compare,” Stenmark said in an interview with The Associated Press. “She has everything. She has good physical strength, she has a good technique, strong head. I think it’s the combination of everything makes her so good.

• More skiing and riding in Pitkin County.

With above average snowfall every month since October and consistent cooler temperatures, Aspen Snowmass announced Wednesday two of its four resorts are extending their seasons — Aspen Highlands and Aspen Mountain, each extending by a week.

“This has been one of the best winters for consistent snow that we’ve seen in recent history,” Katie Ertl, senior vice president of Mountain Operations said in a release. “Every month since October has exceeded the monthly average snowfall, and temperatures have remained cool overall. With March and April snowfall still to come, it looks promising to be an outstanding spring.”

Aspen Highlands will stay open an extra week and will now close on April 16 along with Snowmass. Aspen Mountain will extend their season through April 23. Buttermilk will close as scheduled on April 9.

Upcoming festivals:

• Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series (Mineral Belt Mayhem, March 4 @ 6:15 p.m.)
• Helluva Weekend at Purgatory (March 2-5)
• 75th Leadville Ski Joring and Crystal Carnival (March 3-5)
• Audi FIS Ski World Cup (March 3-5)
• Steel City Terrain Park March Radness: Slope Style Comp, Monarch Mountain (March 5)

SNOW LINKS:

RESORT REPORT:

Below are conditions for all Colorado resorts as of Wednesday afternoon.