Small Colorado ski area closed for six days to reopen after helping free people stuck in snowstorm
Echo Mountain Ski Area will open again Wednesday after more than six days closed in the March 14 snowstorm that hit the Colorado communities of Idaho Springs and Evergreen hard.
"It's a tough one for sure. It's one of the most critical periods of the year in spring break," said general manager Fredd Klaas.
The ski area helped clear Highway 103, which was a low priority for crews from the Colorado Department of Transportation focused on main arteries in the storm. Klaas said he contacted CODT which was glad for the help in the extenuating circumstances of the storm. The ski area measured 50 inches of snow.
"And it makes total sense that they're focused on the primary roads. I think our frustration and disappointment is that it's been sunny and warm the last few days and I know they're working super hard. It's just a lot of snow to clear but of course we're still frustrated, bummed that we haven't been able to operate," said Klaas.
Jefferson County and Clear Creek County plow the first miles of the road out of Evergreen, but CDOT is responsible for 23 miles from Little Bear Creek Road at Mestaaehehe Pass, up over the high point beyond 11,000 feet and then back down into Idaho Springs.
"Due to the tremendous amount of snow, crews are using motor graders and snowblowers to break a path and widen. This is a time consuming process, taking much longer than conventional plowing. Most of the road has been plowed with seven more miles to go," said CDOT spokeswoman Tamara Rollison in a message sent Tuesday evening.
It is now open to two lanes of traffic up to Echo Mountain Ski area. CDOT did not begin plowing in the area until early Monday. Rollison says crews had to use motor graders and snowblowers rather than conventional plows and that takes a lot more time.
Vehicles were abandoned along the road as the storm hit. Klaas and mountain manager Brian Ross borrowed a snowmobile to plow through the deep drifts to reach the ski area Friday.
"It felt like 36 hours of very hard work. A lot of shoveling. Certainly some hiking," said Klaas.
There were employees staying at the ski area cut off and since Echo Mountain generates its own electricity, they were concerned it would run out of fuel if Highway 103 wasn't clear enough to get a fuel truck through.
Klaas talked to CDOT about their situation.
"And so I asked, hey can we get out there and help out? And they said yes, we'll take all the help we can get at this point."
Down Highway 103 from the ski area is the last road, Sawmill Lane, with nearly a dozen homes. People were messaging CDOT on social media.
"All of our neighbors were commenting, when are you coming up here? How are you going to get us out?" said Tara Ramsey who moved in only last August. "We didn't leave. Couldn't leave. My boyfriend has a Tacoma all built up, couldn't get out."
But down the road late Friday, came a snowcat.
"And then Echo Moutain eventually came and rescued everybody," she said. The ski area sent a snowcat and loader out to start going after the snow, clearing miles of Highway 103 as well as Sawmill Lane, where things took on a party atmosphere.
"Everyone's got each other's backs and offering each other beers and glasses of wine and just kind of rallying to get us out of here," said Ramsey.
Echo Mountain opens at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
