In recent years, the snow on Monarch has been decreasing by great amounts. In 2020, the biggest snowfall all winter was 11 inches. Recently, a snowstorm has been announced that will likely leave most areas near Chaffee County buried in snow all week. Many skiers have wondered these past few years why there has been such a decrease in snow levels. While Monarch only has a season total of 193 inches this year, last year was huge for Monarch as the season snow level hit a high at 243 inches.

El Ñino has affected most of the western United states with wet damp and cold weather while leaving Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona with the coldest temperatures. El Ñino is defined by wetter, snowier conditions, and cooler maximum temperatures during the winter. The last El Ñino winter was in 2019, 2016, and 2014. In those years the snow totals at Monarch were twice what they were in the years before and 50 inches more than the year after. With these statistics Monarch has a great chance of having a great winter this year.

What will this mean for the skiers? These wet cold temperatures will make getting up to the mountain more challenging, but once you are there you will be rewarded with some of the best snow of the year. In most years that El Nino has affected Monarch, the snow has thrived and surpassed the predicted amount of snow. 

Ethan Mcfarland is a local Salida High School student that goes to Monarch on most weekends. Ethan feels like the snow has been pretty good this past year. 

“This year has been better than most. The last good year I can think of where we got amazing snow was 2016. The conditions are amazing, I’ve never seen anything better” said freshman and avid skier Ethan Mcfarland.

It is recommended for skiers to get up to Monarch as soon as possible, before the weather gets warmer and the snow melts away. POW!