Colorado
Busy slopes and messy roads: Colorado mountains bracing for snowy holiday weekend
SILVERTHORNE, Colo. — Multiple rounds of mountain snow mean it will likely be a crowded holiday weekend for skiers and boarders on the slopes, and for those driving up into the high country.
By Monday, a foot of snow is possible along the Interstate 70 drive. The area around Steamboat Springs and Rabbit Ears Pass is under a Winter Storm Warning and could see even more.
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Shops like Blue Valley Ski and Board Rentals in Silverthorne were packed on Friday.
“Today, we sent out our biggest day of the season so far,” said owner Mo Esch. “We were sold out for a while [today].”
Esch said that only happens a couple of times a season.
This holiday weekend between Christmas and New Year’s has led people to his business from as far as the Southern U.S., and even the Southern Hemisphere.
“Lot of Alabama, a lot of Louisiana,” Esch said of Friday’s customers. “Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Jersey, New York, Argentina, Mexico, lots of places.”
Still, there are many more who will be making the drive up this weekend. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is warning them to plan ahead.
“What we are hearing is that there are going to be waves of snow this weekend, fairly moderate snow that we’re expecting,” said Lisa Schwantes, regional communications manager for CDOT.
“Travel during the daylight hours, if you can, because the cold temperatures will definitely impact and affect the roadway. So it could freeze up, get slick out there,” she advised. “So if you can avoid travel at night, I would do that.”
CDOT advises everyone to take extra time and extra emergency items with them, like food, water, a blanket, a snow shovel and a flashlight.
The department also urges everyone, especially commercial drivers, to obey chain laws. Drivers who do not are often involved in slide-offs and pile-ups that can snarl traffic and prevent plows from getting through, according to Schwantes.
The extra precautions are worth it to safely enjoy spending the holidays in the Colorado mountains.
“I hardly remember any of the Christmas presents I got, but I remember every single ski vacation my family ever took,” Esch recalled. “It was really just something I hold near and dear to my heart. So that’s one of the reasons why I just, I like to share that with other people.”
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) is warning backcountry travelers to be careful, as this weekend’s heavy snow and high winds will bring high avalanche danger.
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Colorado
Julian Lewis Says Deion Sanders’ Colorado ‘Wasn’t Really Looking at Defenses Much’ Last Season
Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis made a stunning admission that could explain the team’s 3-9 finish to the 2025 season.
While speaking to ESPNU at Big 12 media days, Lewis was asked what the biggest difference was between last year and this year, and he revealed that the Deion Sanders-coached Buffaloes typically didn’t watch film during his first season with the team.
“My play, I’m actually looking at the defenses now,” Lewis said. “Last year, we wasn’t really looking at defenses much, just kind of high school free-balling, just out there playing football. But it’s a lot bigger than that now, so it should be fun.”
Before taking a redshirt year, Lewis played in four games as a true freshman with two starts and threw for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 55.3 percent of his passes. He should fare even better this season with the benefit of film study.
Lewis will enter the 2026 campaign as Colorado’s starting quarterback, so he will have the opportunity to show his improvements when the Buffaloes open the year against Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.
State and federal agencies are starting to reopen public lands, state wildlife areas and a segment of the Colorado River that were closed in light of the Snyder Fire in Mesa County.
Stage 2 fire restrictions — banning all open fire or flames, including charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves — remain in effect as extreme fire danger, spurred on by hot and dry conditions, persists across the region.
The Snyder Fire started on Friday, June 26, when several smaller fires burning on the Colorado-Utah border combined. As of July 7, the fire was 98% contained after burning over 30,200 acres and killing three wildland firefighters.
With fire activity decreasing and containment increasing, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management shared their plans Tuesday to reopen lands impacted by the wildfire.
Parks and Wildlife said in a news release that it, alongside the Bureau of Land Management, had lifted the closure for public access and downstream recreation on the Colorado River, starting at the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Fruita and extending to the Utah state line. It also reopened the boat ramp at the Fruita section of the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Fruita to downstream traffic.
The state agency’s Horsethief State Wildlife Area in Fruita and the Loma Boat Launch State Wildlife Area also reopened.
The BLM said in a news release that all lands within the perimeter of the Snyder Fire burn area remain closed to ensure public and firefighter safety.
“The burned landscape — including vegetation — remains dynamic and unpredictable as it naturally recovers from the fire impacts. This order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until the order is rescinded,” the BLM said.
Both agencies also warned that fire danger remains extremely elevated and Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place.
A map of current federal and state fire restrictions is available on the Rocky Mountain Area Interagency Fire Restriction Dashboard or by visiting DFPC.Colorado.Gov/sections/wildfire-information-center. The Colorado Trails Explorer (or COTREX) app also has wildfire closure alerts.
Under current conditions, Parks and Wildlife advised the following actions to prevent sparking wildfires:
- Use established rings: Where permitted, only build campfires inside permanent metal fire rings in designated campgrounds.
- Clear nearby debris: Remove all dry grass, leaves and pine needles within a 10-foot radius of any flame.
- Drown and stir: Extinguish fires completely with water, stir the ashes, and ensure the debris is cold to the touch.
- Watch campfires constantly: Never leave a fire or portable stove unattended. If you see an unattended fire, call 911.
- Keep vehicles off brush: Avoid parking or idling cars on tall, dry grass where hot exhaust systems can ignite a fire.
- Secure towing equipment: Ensure trailer safety chains do not drag and spark against asphalt. Check them at every stop.
The BLM added that under its Stage 2 restrictions, smoking is prohibited except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
Gas-powered stoves or grills with a shut-off valve are still allowed in cleared areas under this stage.
Violating Stage 2 fire restrictions by lighting a campfire is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Violators face an immediate citation, a mandatory court appearance, steep fines and potential jail time. Additionally, you can be held financially liable for all fire suppression costs and property damage if the campfire sparks a wildfire.
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