It was a beacon of winter, the Hesperus Ski Area.
Travel down U.S. Highway 160 any time after dark and you couldn’t miss the lighted slope with its evening hours of late.
But with unseasonably warm temperatures in the area the last two weeks, and more of the same in the long-range forecast, owner Jim Pitcher has decided to turn out the lights for the season at Hesperus. Monday will be the ski area’s last day of operation.
“We try to stay open through the middle of March,” Pitcher said in an email to The Durango Herald. “But when it is this warm, not only does the snow disappear, but so do the customers.”
The ski area has offered a variety of hours this season, but mostly has been open from late afternoon to mid-evening recently to allow for skiing under the lights.
Monday – also Presidents’ Day – Hesperus will open at 9 a.m., then close for the season at 4 p.m. According to the forecast, although the coolest day in recent days, the high temperature still is expected to reach the mid-40s in the area Monday.
Meanwhile, on Vallecito Lake ...
So while an area slope will be closing for the season, the warm weather hasn’t deterred ice anglers on Vallecito Lake: The ice fishing tournament scheduled Saturday, Feb. 21 on the lake is still a go.
According to Jim Schank, president of the Vallecito Sporting and Conservation Association, despite the unseasonably warm weather in the area of late, there’s still 12 inches of ice on the north end of the lake – near the Vallecito Community Event Center, the tourney headquarters – and 4 to 6 inches near the dam and boat docks.
“We’re losing some ice (because of the warm weather), but it’s still getting down into the 20s at night,” Schank said Friday. “People are getting scared when they see the water on the ice, but that’s just melted snow.
“We’re expecting a cold front next week so we think we’ll be good to go. Granted, there are some spots that are iffy. But ice fishermen are supposed to know what they’re doing.
Cost of the tournament, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is $25. And payouts are substantial, with first place in each of the three divisions (pike, trout, heaviest stringer) worth $1,000 and second $500. Beaver Dam tip-up rods will be awarded for third place in each division. The final weigh-in is from 2-2:30 p.m.
Registration is from 9-11 a.m. the day of the tournament at the event center.
“I know they’re catching them,” Schank said of fishing success on the lake. “They (some tournament anglers) are trying to figure out where they’re at before the tournament.”
According to Schank, no food, beverages or vehicles will be allowed on the ice, but restaurants on the lake will be open before, during and after the event. Also, kids fish for free, unless they wish to compete for prizes. They also receive a fishing start-up kit.
For more information or to sign up for the tournament, call Schank at 970-884-0999. Should the ice become unsafe for the tourney, Schank said an announcement would be made by Thursday, and that information also would be available on the Vallecito Lake Chamber of Commerce website at www.vallecitolakechamber.com.
Try Hockey For Free Day
A recent story in The Herald touched on how Durango club hockey is, among other things, trying to grow the sport in the Durango area.
Along those lines, Saturday, Feb. 21 is being dubbed as Try Hockey For Free Day at the Chapman Hill ice rink.
The event – from 2-3 p.m. – is for kids ages 10 and under and will allow them to try on hockey gear and skate with Durango’s youth hockey coaches and players, who will provide pointers on how to skate and play hockey. The event is free and a hockey jersey and goodie bag will be given to the first 40 participants.
For more information, call Chapman Hill at 970-375-7395.
bpeterson@durangoherald.com
