Skiers and snowboarders in 1990s neon fashion and other colorful regalia danced on a restaurant deck atop Aspen Mountain while elsewhere on the mountain people ate and drank at a picnic table with a view of the imposing snowcapped Maroon Bells, Colorado’s famous peaks.
It was closing day on Sunday at Aspen Mountain, a celebrated but bittersweet tradition that signified the end of the winter season and the transition from skis and snowboards to mountain bikes and hiking boots.
“Everyone’s hooting and hollering and having the best day they can, celebrating that we did make it to our end of closing day,” Katrina Marmor, 36, said after a day spent on the slopes with her husband and friends.
But the last chair lift of the season was a moving target for ski resorts in the West. A record-warm winter for many states, including a heat wave in March, came with a devastating snow drought.
The conditions not only affected the ski slopes but also wiped out the snowpack and intensified fears about water shortages and the threat of wildfires in the coming months.
Colorado recorded some of its warmest winter months on record in March, which was more than 4 degrees warmer than any previous March in more than 132 years of data, according to Russ S. Schumacher, director of the Colorado Climate Center and a professor at Colorado State University.
Since 1896, Colorado winters have warmed at a rate of 0.3 degrees Fahrenheit per decade, in line with a rise in global temperatures resulting from the industrial use of fossil fuels. As winter temperatures rise, precipitation is more likely to fall as rain than as snow.
Many resorts in Colorado closed early this spring, and many closed much of their terrain..
Aspen Mountain’s anticipated closing date was April 19, said Geoff Buchheister, the chief executive of Aspen Skiing Company, which owns Aspen Mountain and three other ski areas. (Aspen Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk closed earlier than planned this season.)
“We’re excited that we made it here,” Mr. Buchheister said.
While spirits were high across the mountain on Sunday, signs of a warm, dry winter were evident.
Skiing from the top of the mountain to the base ended last week. The Ajax Express, a four-person chairlift, was the only lift running on Sunday. The runs around the Bell Mountain area, home to some of the most famous terrain on the mountain, had already closed.
Some skiers used poles to propel themselves across stretches of rock, mud and grass that were closed to the public, their skis probably on their last legs and ready to be turned into chairs or fences. Snowboarders unbuckled from their boards and carried them across the grass on foot.
Still, as many powder hounds said with gratitude and pride on Sunday: They made it. Safely. Another ski season in the books, ending on its scheduled closing day. That called for a party with the community that helped get you there.
People filled Aspen Mountain’s Sundeck restaurant at the top of the Silver Queen Gondola, drinking and dancing as D.J.s helped close out the season. Skiers dressed in dinosaur and banana costumes, and started playful snowball fights to pass the time in the lift lines.
Aleda Deuble and her friends snagged a red gondola to the top and played their own music, watching as skiers in glittering outfits zigzagged below them.
Ms. Deuble wore her grandmother’s tracksuit to celebrate closing day, though she sat out most of the season as she recovered from ankle surgery.
“It’s community coming together, trying to figure out how do we make this day fun and special, which, no doubt, we were able to do,” Ms. Deuble said.
Becca Hughes, 34, and her friends had a picnic on the side of the mountain. Grass and rocky terrain surrounded much of their table. It looked more like mid-May than mid-April on many parts of the mountain, Ms. Hughes said.
But the sky was blue and the sun was warm, and despite subpar conditions, everyone was outside and having fun, she said.
“Closing day is a celebration of the hard work the entire town has put into an unpredictable snow condition season,” Ms. Hughes said.
Shortly after 4 p.m., Sarah Boak stepped off the gondola at the base of the mountain.
She looked uphill and saw nearly 30 skiers walking down the slopes across the grass and dirt, many with skis hoisted over their shoulders.
Many people went to an après-ski party, while others put their gear away and some said goodbye to friends.
Until next year.
Harry Stevens contributed reporting.
The post A Rocky (and Muddy) Ski Season Concludes in Colorado appeared first on New York Times.
