Skiers, snowboarders determined to reach mountains despite major I-70 backups

GEORGETOWN, Colo. (KDVR) — The Presidents Day weekend is one of the busiest mountain travel holidays in Colorado but skiers and snowboarders are determined to reach the mountains despite some major I-70 backups.

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The Colorado Department of Transportation reports February is historically one of the most challenging months for motorists along the I-70 mountain corridor. Over a million vehicles passed through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel just in January, an average of 34,652 per day — and CDOT expects the same for February.

“This is typically one of the last big hurrahs for skiers and snowboarders heading to the mountains because it is a holiday weekend, because people have extra time and because mid to late February, we usually get hit with a pretty good storm most years and this year is no exception,” said Andrew Hogle of CDOT. “If we have people visiting, or who are not familiar with winter driving, they may just hop in their car and go. The mass of vehicles creating heavy traffic is one thing, vehicles that aren’t winter ready is a whole other issue.”

CDOT reported Friday night into Saturday morning being the busiest travel times on the way up to the mountains. With several events taking place at ski resorts, including a music festival in Vail, CDOT urges drivers to be patient.

“That’s our concern is making sure people have thought about what they’re doing before they go do it, they have a plan of where they’re going, they’ve checked the road conditions, their vehicle is ready, they’ve checked their tires, they are prepared in case things go haywire in case they have to wait in traffic,” said Hogle.

Drivers could be seen stopping at gas stations in Georgetown Friday afternoon when traffic really started to pick up.

“We left at like 1:30 and we got ten miles up the road and decided to turn around,” said James Keating as he was heading up to Copper. “Bumper to bumper, slow-moving. We haven’t been very far.”

Others enjoy Friday’s round of snow and are avoiding the traffic at all costs.

“It was great for skiing. I mean the driving was tough. Cold, windy, it was pretty bumpy coming out of the parking lot, otherwise, it’s been pretty good,” said Boulder residents Wolf Boone and Rowan Huck, who went skiing at Loveland Ski Area. “Coming up wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t terrible, but it was like stop-and-go at a certain point. We got up there at like 9:30 or 10. But, even early in the morning, people are still trying to get to the mountain, so it was pretty crowded.”

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CDOT recommended coming home from the mountains early Monday morning or Monday night.

“Our expectation for this particular weekend is it’s going to feel like two Sundays in a row probably. The regular Sunday traffic coming home probably, and then a lot of people do have Presidents Day off so coming back Monday afternoon will feel like a Sunday,” said Hogle. “We try not to have big projects over the weekends for these particular purposes. We want to make the roads are clear as possible knowing that this is a high-volume time for the regular person.”

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