A large, growing blanket of fresh mountain snow is beckoning to skiers — if only they can get there.
Another 2 to 3 feet of snow is expected in Colorado's central mountains today on top of 2 to 4 feet that has fallen on most areas there since Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
A winter-storm warning remains in effect for most of western Colorado until 5 p.m. Thursday, with wind gusts of more than 30 mph near the Continental Divide, forecasters warned Tuesday night.
Travelers are being told to stay home, if possible, until the latest round of Pacific storms passes.
The storm so far has generated avalanches, scores of fender-benders and long delays. Interstate 70 near the Eisenhower
Tunnel was closed for hours after a tow truck rear-ended a tanker, spilling 50 gallons of blasting gel.
The eastbound lanes were closed for about four hours, but the westbound lanes remained closed late into the night, with detours over Loveland Pass, which had been closed for several hours Tuesday for avalanche mitigation.
The spill closed the interstate from the Eisenhower Tunnel to the Dillon-Silverthorne exit, and cautious crews retreated about one-third of a mile from the spill because static electricity on the cold day could have sparked an explosion, even though the material was considered stable.
Hazardous-material experts from the Colorado State Patrol and Summit County cleaned up the spill.
The State Patrol said the tanker involved in the spill was using I-70 instead of Loveland Pass, the usual route for hazardous cargo, because the pass was closed at the time.
The tanker was carrying an estimated 40,000 pounds of the explosive gel, which is the consistency of applesauce, said Lake Dillon Fire Rescue spokesman Steve Lipsher.
State Trooper Nate Reid said both the tow-truck and tanker drivers were injured and taken to Summit Medical Center in Frisco.
remains in effect until noon today for much of high country. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the danger of slides is rated "high" in a swath from Pagosa Springs to the Wyoming state line.
Avalanche concerns closed Monarch Pass on Monday and for much of the day Tuesday, and Cameron Pass remained closed Tuesday night because of avalanche mitigation, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Highway officials are warning holiday travelers headed to the high country not to set out without emergency supplies, such as extra water and blankets, in case they get stuck.
Ski resorts, meanwhile, are reveling in the snow, despite the slow journey faced by travelers trying to reach the powder.
On Monday and Tuesday, Silverton Mountain ski area received 38 inches of snow; Wolf Creek, 34 inches; Crested Butte, 27 inches; Loveland, 19 inches; and Arapahoe Basin, 17 inches, according to Colorado Ski Country USA.
"The snow is great for the resorts," said Jennifer Rudolph, spokeswoman for the trade group. "Snow management is one of the things resorts know how to do very well, and they're equipped to do it."
In Mount Crested Butte, a town at 9,400 feet elevation at the base of Crested Butte Mountain Resort, 53 inches of snow has fallen since Friday.
"It's been snowing a lot, but we're hanging in there," said Joe Fitzpatrick, town manager. "The roads are getting a little narrower; we just have to keep up with the plowing now."
Fitzpatrick said the snow was very wet Friday and over the weekend, but it dried out about Monday.
"We're very, very happy to have it," Fitzpatrick said. "We're definitely a winter wonderland. It's like living in a snow globe. We are looking forward to a great Christmas."
Snow continues to elude the metro region, which has received less than 2 inches so far this season, most of it falling Nov. 15, according to weather data.
Highs are expected to stay in the 40s through Christmas, although Denver has a 20 percent chance of snow Thursday night, when temperature sink into the low 20s.
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