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Most Colorado Front Range skiers and riders typically don't think much about hopping in the car and heading west. However, this season is different and will require a bit more prep before the ride up I-70, U.S. 24 or Highway 119.

March in Colorado ski country calls to mind shorts, shades, sunshine and ponds. Hard to imagine after a February that saw record snowfall.

We're saying goodbye to October’s tricks, and flipping the calendar to treats in November. The east will get a cool down, while the west benefits from an early start to the season.

A combination of persistent cold temps and better-than-expected early snowfall has prompted Eldora Mountain and Monarch Mountain to crank up the lifts several weeks before their announced opening date.

Here we go again! The second strong, early-winter storm has moved across the Rocky Mountain range in the western United States and Canada.

While you may not want to commit to the full ski bum lifestyle, plan your course schedule correctly and the student life can still accommodate plenty of slope time, especially if there’s a mountain resort nearby. While some just want to head to the mountains for spring break, living within easy reach of a resort means you can take full advantage of the many college-age season passes out there.

More and more Front Range skiers. Same number of coveted parking spots. That’s the dilemma local ski resorts face each year. And it’s getting worse.

The 2018/19 ski and snowboard season has officially arrived in Colorado with a number of ski resorts opening, taking advantage of the recent storms which dumped snow by the feet, not inches, on their slopes.

Upgrades abound for a quartet of Colorado ski and snowboard resorts that swing open their doors in mid-November, as the new season gets into full-bore boogie mode for the 2018-2019 season.

More steep and deep with new trails at Eldora Mountain this season (Eldora/Facebook)

Work is underway to clear three black-diamond runs at Eldora Mountain Resort that are slated to be open when the Colorado mountain opens in December.

The day-trip Front Range ski and snowboard area is undergoing its first major upgrades in several decades, thanks to infusion of capital by new owners Powdr Corp. after the U.S. Forest Service gave its OK to a master plan.

The trio of trails will run between Corona and Indians Peaks chairlifts, in what is called Brian’s Glades and Placer Glade areas in the Corona Bowl section of the mountain.

The longest run at 2,600 feet is named Alpen Horn. The steepest will be Wolf Tongue, while the third called Red Trail has an intermediate section at the top before plunging into black-diamond steeps.

Snowmaking will cover the entire 15 acres that the runs encompass, the resort says, to supplement what is often 300 inches of natural snowfall a years.

Now that Eldora has been cleared to build the new trails, ownership is setting sights on a new high-speed quad to replace the dual fixed-grip chairs Cannonball and Challenge on the front side. Completion is scheduled for the 2017-2018 season.

Eldora joins Copper Mountain in the Colorado portfolio of resort chain Powdr Corp., which has eight resorts total.

“Colorado’s Front Range is one of the best ski markets in the world,” said John Cumming, CEO and owner of Utah-based Powdr at the time of the purchase last June. “Expanding our footprint here with now two of the most accessible resorts to serve those passionate skiers is an enormous honor. Eldora is admired as a leading entry point and training ground for children and beginners."

The trail map at Eldora Mountain Resort will look familiar this season, as the Colorado day-trip mountain adjusts its future plans in response to an expansion denial decision by the U.S. Forest Service.

Eldora Mountain Resort has cleared a major hurdle in its plan to add more expert and intermediate terrain, new and revamped chairlifts, and an on-mountain eatery in the coming years.

In what has become a major ritual of spring, winter resorts have started rolling out discounts on season passes for next year – either to keep the current buzz going or give hope for a better season ahead.

Winter’s cold is loosening its grip on the Rockies as the sun stays in the sky longer, and skiers and snowboarders begin to shed a few layers of clothing. The coming of March also means it’s time to party in the out-of-doors at Colorado resorts.

Pacific storm systems appear to be fighting through a persistent high-pressure ridge in the Northwest and lining up for a productive latter part of February, especially for the southern Rockies.

Following a slow, dry start to the season, the Pacific moisture express has arrived in Colorado, dropping fresh inches of fluffy powder at locations across the state. 

An environmental impact statement process is underway that could pave the way for improvements at Eldora Mountain Resort, 21 miles west of Boulder, Colo.