Fresh snow for the weekend; mostly dry next week in Vail and Beaver Creek

Vail and Beaver Creek both picked up around 5 inches of new snow Wednesday through Friday, and after a few more flakes over the weekend, forecasters are saying things will be pretty dry next week.

“The best chances for light snow will transition to parts of the central and northern mountains from Friday night through Sunday (Jan. 8-10),” wrote meteorologist Joel Gratz of Opensnow.com. “Much of next week will be dry, then we’ll see chances for (weak?) storms around Friday 1/15, Monday 1/18, and Friday 1/22.”

Meanwhile, Vail this celebrating National Safety Awareness Month in January. Here’s the full press release:

VAIL, Colo. – Jan. 8, 2016 – Vail Mountain, one of the largest ski resorts in the world, is celebrating National Safety Awareness Month throughout the month of January with a variety of themed and participatory educational opportunities designed to promote slope safety amongst skiers and snowboarders of all ages.

“One of our core values at Vail is safety. The safety of our guests and employees impacts nearly every decision we make during the winter season,” said Elizabeth Howe, senior director of mountain operations for Vail. “We are excited to make safety fun and engaging throughout the month of January and we hope to be able to educate our guests about how to personalize safety, whether on the slopes or off.”

Vail will host its annual month-long “Know the Code GoPro Raffle.” Skiers and snowboarders of all ages and abilities are encouraged to approach any Mountain Safety employee anytime during the month of January and recite the seven steps of “Your Responsibility Code.” Those who can accurately list the seven steps will receive a small prize and be entered into a drawing for one of two GoPro HERO4 cameras. Guests are also welcome to stop in the Mountain Safety Center at Henry’s Hut on weekends during National Safety Awareness Month to share their knowledge with Vail Mountain Safety staff.

The recognition of National Safety Awareness Month will continue at Vail with the following events:

• Jan. 9-10 – Kids Safety Scavenger Hunt
  • Mountain Safety staff will be at the Chaos Canyon Kids Adventure Zone from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. facilitating the scavenger hunt and awarding valuable prizes to kids of all ages who know about slope safety.
• Jan. 16-17 – Helmet Safety
  • Representatives from the Vail Valley Medical Center’s ThinkFirst program will be at Mountain Plaza at the base of Gondola One from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. answering questions about proper helmet use and provide helmet demos for kids and adults.
  • Also from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., officers from the Vail Police Department will be at the Mountain Safety Center at Henry’s Hut registering skis and snowboards.
  • Hydrating while at elevation is important to avoid altitude sickness. Gatorade will be on-site at the base of Gondola One on Jan. 16 and 17 to provide samples and encourage hydration at elevation.
  • Sun safety is equally important, and Supergoop! will provide samples to guests on Jan. 16 and 17 to help prevent sunburns.
• Jan. 23-24 – Avalanche Awareness
  • A Flight for Life helicopter will demonstrate a landing in conjunction with Vail Ski Patrol near the top of the Tea Cup Express Lift (#36) on Jan. 23 or 24.
  • The Vail Ski Patrol will be at Beacon Basin between the top of the Sourdough Express Lift and Two Elk from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 23 assisting guests in learning to use an avalanche beacon.
  • Guests who wish to participate in a burial simulation with the Vail Ski Patrol and one of Vail’s trained avalanche dogs on Jan. 23 from between noon and 2 p.m. should come into the Mountain Safety Center at Henry’s Hut that day to sign up.

National Safety Awareness Month extends beyond the slopes and into the community through a local coloring contest amongst grade school students. Vail Mountain Safety and Ski Patrol visit local schools to share the slope safety message and encourage local students to illustrate what slope safety means to them. The top contestants’ illustrations will be submitted to the National Ski Areas Association to be entered in a national contest.

All event dates and times are subject to change. For details on any of these events, please contact Vail Mountain Safety at (970) 754-4668.

To learn more about Vail Mountain visit www.vail.com, stop by the Mountain Information Center, or call (970) SKI-VAIL (754-8245).