From the Summit County Citizens Voice (Bob Berwyn):
Snowpack totals around the state also climbed as reported by automated SNOTEL sites, with the deepest reading, 89 inches, at Schofield Pass, between Crested Butte and Aspen, which passed the Tower site (85 inches), northeast of Steamboat along the Continental Divide — that’s about eight feet of snow on the ground.
Interestingly, the Zirkel site, west of Walden, reported 65 inches of snow on the ground, even though it’s been generally dry east of the Divide. The Spud Mountain site, just south of Silverton, reported 75 inches. A little closer to home, the Grizzly Peak SNOTEL station, reported 53 inches, with 41 inches at Copper Mountain and 46 inches at Fremont Pass.
From The Telluride Daily Planet (Kathrine Warren):
The Telluride Ski Resort reported three inches of new snow between Monday morning and Tuesday morning, and 6 inches total between Sunday morning and Tuesday morning. Others have been in the path of the storm as well. Crested Butte had received more than two feet of snow by Tuesday. Wolf Creek Ski Area in Pagosa Springs reported 50 inches between Saturday and Tuesday with more snow on its way. Ramey blames the huge discrepancy on the characteristics of this unique weather pattern. The storm is bringing tropical moisture from the southwest, off the coast of Hawaii, a pattern that is known as “Pineapple Express.” “This is real unusual, to get this moisture right off the Pacific,” [Joe Ramey, a forecaster and meteorologist with the National Weather Service out of Grand Junction] said. “That deep tropical moisture that slowly gets cold as it approaches — that’s pretty unusual for a La Niña year.”
Therefore southwest facing slopes and valleys are receiving the brunt of this storm, whereas Telluride’s valley, which points due west, isn’t the ideal orientation to catch this storm’s wrath. The direction of the storm has left Telluride in a snow shadow while just on the other side of the mountains, on Coal Bank Pass, two feet of snow fell as of Tuesday afternoon.