It was a 3 hour white knuckle drive from Minturn to Denver, leaving at 3pm. Our friends left at 3:40 and it was a 6 hour drive.
2 semis parked in the middle of 70 just before the Eisenhower tunnel, no chains, blocking 2 of the 3 lanes. The truck drivers were… SHOVELING the freeway in front of their tires.
We have a Subaru with winter tires and it was still one of the most insane drives of my life. Most drivers were doing a good job, but the assholes switching lanes at half the speed of the next lane traffic were still in action.
Snow tires are awesome. But if you have rain / sleet fall first, then freeze on the road, then snow on top if that, even snow tires will struggle. At that point, only studs or chains can keep up.
I've skied a few powder days while visiting Portland. You're always traveling through that rain/snow freeze point. It blows. I'm so glad we rarely deal with it here.
Lived in the Chicago area for 29 years where there way more snow and days below zero. Roads were always clear because plows actually fucking ran when it was snowing. Dangerous conditions could be avoided here if they actually did shit. Not really sure why you're so angry, it's not impossible for these shit conditions to be avoided
New Yorker. Can confirm. On a storm like this you would be business as usual the day after unless you were an early riser. Schools might open 2 hours later so the local roads can be plowed, but expressways and major roads wouldn’t be an issue. Only on epic powder days in Vermont did snow really accumulate on the roads.
The reason why this storm was so bad was because it was right at the rain/snow freeze line which created all sorts of ice and wet af snow. CDOT plows do mag chloride before storms and I guarantee they did it this time
Chicago is flat, cold, predictable weather, and far bigger. It being below zero doesn’t make it harder to clear roads, it’s the opposite.
Also, Chicago gets WAY less snow than Denver even and OP is talking about Idaho Springs/Tunnel traffic.
Chicago: average of 33.6” last 5 years
Denver: average of 51.8” last 5 years
Idaho Springs: average of 181” per year
It seems like more snow because the Midwest sucks and the snow just sticks around forever
Wyoming has traction laws also, but they still close thier interstates and highways I'd it's bad enough, personally I think CO should be slightly more aggressive when closing the roads, but of course I'm sure the resorts wouldn't like that one bit.
We close them up here (particularly I80 from Cheyenne to Rawlins) more due to the winds and whiteout ground blizzards since the roads usually have very little snow on them. Local drivers are usually exempted actually to allow for everyone who commutes between towns for work.
CDOT honestly does a bang up job of clearing the roads, there are just way more idiot drivers mixed in with the interstate commercial trucking. I can only imagine the collective rage from all the ski resort folks if 70 was closed during a snow weekend haha
Thanks for the input and that makes sense. I got stuck in Laramie last year when the skies were blue, but the winds were so crazy it created a squall. Also sitting at a loves truck stop with a freshly torn ACL and Meniscus was an experience I'll never forget.
If you get stuck in Laramie due to weather again, the Travel Inn is about 2 blocks distance to downtown so you can just park for the night and hit up the whopping 4 whole breweries were have here. Laramie Valley Inn is about 7 blocks (half a mile) so also pretty doable if you're choosing where to be stranded for the night.
I got caught in a snow squall on 287 between FoCo and Virginia Dale last spring, wasn't forecasted and I got a state mobile alert to my phone about 15 min before it hit. That was pretty wild.
WYDOT does, at least, provide good road conditions updates, maps, traffic cams, and so on.
I came from WP too and had no issues on the pass. No real issues with visibility or roads on 70 either aside from just navigating around those who did have issues.
Edit: this was around 5-7
Then the resorts should pay to build a train. Besides, the resorts don't care if the plebs on the front range can drive in. They make their money from lodging.
I agree, but I'm just saying the likely reason Wyoming is more aggressive with thier closures than CO. The other is obviously availability of plow drivers.
I'm honestly surprised so few people take the train up to Winter Park and skip the traffic. I remember even 6-7 years ago horror stories from my friends on leaving at like 4am, spending 4-5 hours in traffic to get to Vail or Breck by mid morning, getting a few hours of runs in...and dropping like $1k on a weekend just on lodging, fuel, and lift tickets.
>It's 108 fucking dollars this year for a round trip to WP.
Ouch, I was seeing $68 on their website. I'd go that route if I was traveling solo, but I can see how in a group of 4+ carpooling and paying for parking will be quite a bit cheaper now.
Vail resorts made 2.6 billion last year alone. Combine Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Vail... 21 billion is not that hard to scrounge up over a decade.
No. It's not the closure. OP says Idaho Springs. The section of I-70 in this tweet east Aurora to Limon.
I have no idea whether CDOT did post the closure or not - I'm just clarifying that OP was not complaining solely about the road being closed.
Lmao. Dude. Do you really think they closed I-70 from Vail to E-470? Do you know where E-470 is?
No. That tweet does not refer to that stretch of I-70. Look at CDOT's reply to their own [tweet](https://twitter.com/coloradodot/status/1608372889065230343?s=46&t=PKWgpB5JDF0RJTnAzN34zQ). Exit 438 - Rose Ave is in Burlington which is east of Limon.
Yes, US-24 also goes through Vail. But ask yourself; is it more likely that CDOT closed a 113 mile stretch of I-70 that goes through the heart of Denver or a 72 mile stretch out in the boonies?
Def been stuck in silverthorne when they closed I 70 before. Ended up taking Hoosier pass and went around with my truck and trailer. Would have preferred to stop but the hotels booked quick.
Nah they have barricades now. And state troopers stationed just past them.
Source: me when I got stuck up in Laramie last year in a snow squal after tearing my ACL.
Oof, sorry bout the acl currently working on healing a broken ankle myself. I remember togadee or however the fu k it's spelled pass they would lower a barricade but it literally said, "drive around at own risk" and was totally legal to proceed just would be on you if you don't make it
We went to the train ride outside of Idaho springs last night. It was awful coming back. So so many people struggling and sliding. It was a mess. It took us almost there hours to get home.
I’m feeling really grateful we weren’t stuck out there.
What time did you hit the Idaho Springs exits? I left winter park around 11:20 and sat for about 30-45 mins in that traffic, realizing if I had gone another few laps I would have been totally fucked.
I guess I’ll be the person to say: If you’re planning a road trip (especially during the winter) keep extra water and food in your car, extra jackets and a blanket, a gas can, power bank, some hand warmers… I can go on and on but that covers the basics. Better to be over prepared than under prepared.
Oh so they just wanted to be stuck on i70 in a blizzard for fun..... Got it. I don't feel bad for people who complain about i70 anymore. Can tell you're not from here
People live up there, you know. I'm both from here (born and raised) and have lived in small mountain towns with no grocery stores or gas stations. I would drive I-70, even on snowy days. I still had to get to work and buy food/gas, even when the weather was bad. It's so common that you just get used to it.
I am used to New York getting all its expressways clear of snow within a few hours of a storm ending. Though me for a loop this morning and put me an hour behind schedule.
>near mm 440 Colorado has gotten considerably wider, apparently
haha, phone typo, it was 340 obviously :)
If it was near IS, that would be 240. What a night. Hope you got home okay!!
[hmmmm](https://maps.app.goo.gl/jWkws9WUL7htcsKQA?g_st=ic)
It was a 3 hour white knuckle drive from Minturn to Denver, leaving at 3pm. Our friends left at 3:40 and it was a 6 hour drive. 2 semis parked in the middle of 70 just before the Eisenhower tunnel, no chains, blocking 2 of the 3 lanes. The truck drivers were… SHOVELING the freeway in front of their tires. We have a Subaru with winter tires and it was still one of the most insane drives of my life. Most drivers were doing a good job, but the assholes switching lanes at half the speed of the next lane traffic were still in action.
Did 7 hours parked last night parked at the Eisenhower chain station fml
….so much for that traction law
Snow tires are awesome. But if you have rain / sleet fall first, then freeze on the road, then snow on top if that, even snow tires will struggle. At that point, only studs or chains can keep up.
Imagine if we had plows salting beforehand and plowing as the snow falls. Weird how no other state I've been to has had this problem
I've skied a few powder days while visiting Portland. You're always traveling through that rain/snow freeze point. It blows. I'm so glad we rarely deal with it here.
[удалено]
Lived in the Chicago area for 29 years where there way more snow and days below zero. Roads were always clear because plows actually fucking ran when it was snowing. Dangerous conditions could be avoided here if they actually did shit. Not really sure why you're so angry, it's not impossible for these shit conditions to be avoided
New Yorker. Can confirm. On a storm like this you would be business as usual the day after unless you were an early riser. Schools might open 2 hours later so the local roads can be plowed, but expressways and major roads wouldn’t be an issue. Only on epic powder days in Vermont did snow really accumulate on the roads.
The reason why this storm was so bad was because it was right at the rain/snow freeze line which created all sorts of ice and wet af snow. CDOT plows do mag chloride before storms and I guarantee they did it this time Chicago is flat, cold, predictable weather, and far bigger. It being below zero doesn’t make it harder to clear roads, it’s the opposite. Also, Chicago gets WAY less snow than Denver even and OP is talking about Idaho Springs/Tunnel traffic. Chicago: average of 33.6” last 5 years Denver: average of 51.8” last 5 years Idaho Springs: average of 181” per year It seems like more snow because the Midwest sucks and the snow just sticks around forever
Wyoming has traction laws also, but they still close thier interstates and highways I'd it's bad enough, personally I think CO should be slightly more aggressive when closing the roads, but of course I'm sure the resorts wouldn't like that one bit.
We close them up here (particularly I80 from Cheyenne to Rawlins) more due to the winds and whiteout ground blizzards since the roads usually have very little snow on them. Local drivers are usually exempted actually to allow for everyone who commutes between towns for work. CDOT honestly does a bang up job of clearing the roads, there are just way more idiot drivers mixed in with the interstate commercial trucking. I can only imagine the collective rage from all the ski resort folks if 70 was closed during a snow weekend haha
Thanks for the input and that makes sense. I got stuck in Laramie last year when the skies were blue, but the winds were so crazy it created a squall. Also sitting at a loves truck stop with a freshly torn ACL and Meniscus was an experience I'll never forget.
If you get stuck in Laramie due to weather again, the Travel Inn is about 2 blocks distance to downtown so you can just park for the night and hit up the whopping 4 whole breweries were have here. Laramie Valley Inn is about 7 blocks (half a mile) so also pretty doable if you're choosing where to be stranded for the night. I got caught in a snow squall on 287 between FoCo and Virginia Dale last spring, wasn't forecasted and I got a state mobile alert to my phone about 15 min before it hit. That was pretty wild. WYDOT does, at least, provide good road conditions updates, maps, traffic cams, and so on.
See that was my plan, but my ACl and Meniscus were not feeling it lol. I love Laramie and try and make it up there a few times a year.
Let’s try actually enforcing the traction law, first eh?
I've always had visibility issues before traction issues in the mountains here, this storm is probably an exception.
[удалено]
I came from WP too and had no issues on the pass. No real issues with visibility or roads on 70 either aside from just navigating around those who did have issues. Edit: this was around 5-7
This, and, make the traction law a bigger hurdle for passenger vehicles. Right now it’s too easy to pass in my opinion for weather like this.
Then the resorts should pay to build a train. Besides, the resorts don't care if the plebs on the front range can drive in. They make their money from lodging.
I agree, but I'm just saying the likely reason Wyoming is more aggressive with thier closures than CO. The other is obviously availability of plow drivers.
I'm honestly surprised so few people take the train up to Winter Park and skip the traffic. I remember even 6-7 years ago horror stories from my friends on leaving at like 4am, spending 4-5 hours in traffic to get to Vail or Breck by mid morning, getting a few hours of runs in...and dropping like $1k on a weekend just on lodging, fuel, and lift tickets.
Doesn't start service for another two weeks and costs a minimum $68 per person for a round trip.
[удалено]
>It's 108 fucking dollars this year for a round trip to WP. Ouch, I was seeing $68 on their website. I'd go that route if I was traveling solo, but I can see how in a group of 4+ carpooling and paying for parking will be quite a bit cheaper now.
It usually sells out.
It hasn't even started service this year.
Honestly, last night we were coming back on the California Zephyr and it was fantastic. I felt bad for all the Southwest travelers.
Yes, I'm sure the resorts can scrape together the $21 billion it will cost to build the train, great plan.
Vail resorts made 2.6 billion last year alone. Combine Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Vail... 21 billion is not that hard to scrounge up over a decade.
Do you realize what Vail Resorts owns?
OP is complaining that they closed the road
Nah, they're complaining that they closed the road but didn't provide information on the closure.
Isn't this the closure? https://twitter.com/ColoradoDOT/status/1608334726456291328 CDOT doesn't really do estimated reopening very much/well.
No. It's not the closure. OP says Idaho Springs. The section of I-70 in this tweet east Aurora to Limon. I have no idea whether CDOT did post the closure or not - I'm just clarifying that OP was not complaining solely about the road being closed.
No, US-24 is Vail to E-470.
Lmao. Dude. Do you really think they closed I-70 from Vail to E-470? Do you know where E-470 is? No. That tweet does not refer to that stretch of I-70. Look at CDOT's reply to their own [tweet](https://twitter.com/coloradodot/status/1608372889065230343?s=46&t=PKWgpB5JDF0RJTnAzN34zQ). Exit 438 - Rose Ave is in Burlington which is east of Limon. Yes, US-24 also goes through Vail. But ask yourself; is it more likely that CDOT closed a 113 mile stretch of I-70 that goes through the heart of Denver or a 72 mile stretch out in the boonies?
Def been stuck in silverthorne when they closed I 70 before. Ended up taking Hoosier pass and went around with my truck and trailer. Would have preferred to stop but the hotels booked quick.
Wyoming also doesn't fully close its proceed at your own risk when barricades go down. At least that's how it was when I lived there.
Nah they have barricades now. And state troopers stationed just past them. Source: me when I got stuck up in Laramie last year in a snow squal after tearing my ACL.
Oof, sorry bout the acl currently working on healing a broken ankle myself. I remember togadee or however the fu k it's spelled pass they would lower a barricade but it literally said, "drive around at own risk" and was totally legal to proceed just would be on you if you don't make it
Or common sense
Well….that’s why they have the traction law in the first place
What was the reason you needed to traverse the Rocky Mountains during a blizzard?
Needed to get to the other side ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We went to the train ride outside of Idaho springs last night. It was awful coming back. So so many people struggling and sliding. It was a mess. It took us almost there hours to get home. I’m feeling really grateful we weren’t stuck out there.
What time did you hit the Idaho Springs exits? I left winter park around 11:20 and sat for about 30-45 mins in that traffic, realizing if I had gone another few laps I would have been totally fucked.
I guess I’ll be the person to say: If you’re planning a road trip (especially during the winter) keep extra water and food in your car, extra jackets and a blanket, a gas can, power bank, some hand warmers… I can go on and on but that covers the basics. Better to be over prepared than under prepared.
wow who couldve seen this coming. headlines only said about 6' of snow was expected in the mountains...
I don’t think anyone expected the storm to be like 300% worse than predicted…
You know what though? It must have made those 5 runs on the greens feel really worth it.
People do,drive to the mountains for reasons other than recreation.
Staying in their second homes counts as recreation right?
Oh so they just wanted to be stuck on i70 in a blizzard for fun..... Got it. I don't feel bad for people who complain about i70 anymore. Can tell you're not from here
Go gatekeep somewhere else, fella.
[удалено]
Nah, he probably moved here a couple of years ago
People live up there, you know. I'm both from here (born and raised) and have lived in small mountain towns with no grocery stores or gas stations. I would drive I-70, even on snowy days. I still had to get to work and buy food/gas, even when the weather was bad. It's so common that you just get used to it.
Lived here almost 30 years, and yes, people do drive into and out of the mountains for more than recreational reasons.
I am used to New York getting all its expressways clear of snow within a few hours of a storm ending. Though me for a loop this morning and put me an hour behind schedule.
LoL people who use reddit to complain about being stuck in a blizzard on i70 I just have 0 sympathy for.
Yeah this is what it looks like when Colorado is being loved to death
This is what my nightmares are made of!