Vermont skiers might have visions of great backcountry skiing this weekend as a winter storm prepares to hit the area tomorrow. But they’re being warned to skip it for now due to dangerous conditions.
In a post on their Facebook page Thursday, Stowe Mountain Rescue, a group that specializes in backcountry, swiftwater and wilderness rescue in the Stowe area, warned Stowe residents and visitors to “think again” if they were considering backcountry skiing this weekend.
“With the recent warm weather, Mother Nature has absolutely devastated the back-country snowpack, reducing it to ‘November levels’ with bare ground showing, exposing debris that just a few weeks ago was covered,” read the statement from Stowe Mountain Rescue. “Furthermore, the gullies have been flush with raging water, eliminating or severely impacting the ice/snow covering – and where snow still stands, runoff continues to flow under a severely undercut protective layer. The consequences of breaking through would be ugly (or potentially deadly, if we’re going to be graphic).”
Read the full statement below:
