Spring of this year brought us warm weather, and with that weather there came questions as to how the lack of snow would affect our summer rafting season. January gave us an incredible amount of snow, and as the season continued on, we counted on January’s gift to keep our mountains open. But a true Colorado spring has sprung, with cloudy days, surprising snow, and even the occasional hailstorm. The Aspen Daily News reported that our snowpack, as of May 2nd, was at 111 percent of normal. This is measured at the Grizzly Reservoir measuring station, located along Independence Pass.
This is great news for us, meaning that come May 15th when we start rafting, the water will be high and flowing swiftly, and hopefully will continue to do so as evening temperatures stay around freezing, preserving our base of snow. Even though it makes those weeks of waiting beforehand a little more dreary and drab for us locals (there’s too many clouds to not wear a sweater, the inclement weather can’t make up its mind) it provides an incredible supply of water to our rivers, boostinsdxg river health and the white-water rafting industry.
And there’s more than just rafting to look forward to in the coming months – as June hits and people settle into the valley for the summertime, there’s plenty of activities to entertain yourself with when you aren’t on the river. In early June, we’ll be seeing the Ragnar Trail Snowmass event returning to town. We blogged about this last June and you can read our post here. Teams of eight, or four, begin racing in Ragnar Village. They run relay style through three extremely difficult loops, only to be rewarded at the very top with a gorgeous view of Maroon Bells, and then a steep downhill descent. The hardest of the three loops includes gaining a thousand vertical feet over the course length. If you want to check out more information about the event itself, click here.
But if running isn’t for you, there’s plenty of other activities for those of us who aren’t in marathon shape. If you desperately want to get out of marathon shape, maybe consider attending the Snowmass Rendezvous Craft Beer Festival on June 10th. Over thirty Colorado craft breweries will be attending to provide their wares for you to taste. Tickets are available at https://www.snowmassbeer.com. But you won’t just get beer, there’s also a live show being presented by the Colorado Brewers Guild. Hot Buttered Rum will be playing slopeside during the event. Their genre is a west coast bluegrass that you won’t want to miss. The best part is the music is free! Regardless of how you like to spend your time, there’s a little bit of everything here in Aspen Snowmass. Here at Aspen White Water, we can’t wait to see you on the river.