Snow stake cam takes mystery out of report at Snowmass

Skiers and riders sometimes wonder what kind of yardstick Aspen Skiing Co. uses to measure powder because the reports seem a little, ahh, creative.

Well, now we can see the snow pile up right before our very eyes, at least at Snowmass. One of the live snow cameras at Snowmass is pointed at the snow stake. There is an option on Skico’s website to view the stake in time lapse during storms. The video of Sunday night’s storm shows six inches of snow piling up overnight.

Skico posted a Tweet at about 9 a.m. to draw attention to it. “Believe the hype. 24-hour time lapse snow stake cam at Snowmass shows the goods.” The Tweet provided a link to the video that directed viewers to: https://www.aspensnowmass.com/our-mountains/snowmass/mountain-cams/snow-stake-time-lapse.

The short clip shows the bulk of the snow quickly accumulated around midnight.

Skico spokesman Jeff Hanle said the position of the snow stake at Snowmass makes it possible to video it easily. The stakes at the other ski areas aren’t as accessible, he said.

Skico tried to post videos earlier this season of the Snowmass stake, but experienced technical difficulties. It should be up for the season.