Wolf Creek ski area

Infobox ski area
name= Wolf Creek ski area

caption=
location= Colorado, U.S.
nearest_city= Pagosa Springs, Colorado
lat_degrees= 37
lat_minutes= 28
lat_seconds= 20
lat_direction= N
long_degrees= 106
long_minutes= 47
long_seconds= 36
long_direction= W
top_elevation= ft to m|11904|round=0
base_elevation= ft to m|10300|round=0
skiable_area= 1600 acres (6.47 km²)
number_trails= 77
20% Beginner
35% Intermediate
25% Advanced
20% Expert
longest_run= Navajo Trail - 2 miles (3.22 km)
liftsystem= 7 total (1 High-Speed Quad, 1 Quad chair, 2 Triple chairs, 1 Double chair, 1 High Speed Poma Lift, 1 Magic Carpet)
terrainparks=
snowfall= 465 in/year (11.81 m/year
external_link= http://www.wolfcreekski.com|

Wolf Creek Ski Area is a ski area in southwest Colorado, located on the Wolf Creek Pass between Pagosa Springs and South Fork. It is best known for receiving more average annual snowfall than any other resort in Colorado, at about 435 inches per year. cite web|url=http://outside.away.com/outside/magazine/1199/199911dest8.html|title=Enter the Snow Vault|accessdate=2007-12-10|author=Jeff Galbraith|month=November | year=1999|publisher=Outside Magazine] Wolf Creek has gained a reputation in the area as a ski resort for locals, as most of the tourist skiing traffic is directed at Telluride or more developed resorts in central Colorado, due to Wolf Creek's lack of catering to tourists with resort development.

Wolf Creek's future as a local's resort has become less certain recently with billionare developer Red McCombs' proposed development of a village of over 10,000 people within the boundaries of the ski resort. McCombs acquired the land in 1987, and has been accused of having undue influence over the process of gaining Forest Service approval for the development. It has been stated by opponents that the development would destroy a vital wildlife corridor between wilderness areas along the continental divide, adversely affect businesses in nearby towns due to lost business, harm the ski area due to its location within the boundaries of the resort (some of the development is actually on ski runs), and place great stress on the available water of the region. cite web|url=http://www.friendsofwolfcreek.org/index.html|title=Friends of Wolf Creek|accessdate=2007-12-10] cite web|url=http://www.friendsofwolfcreek.org/whitepaper/exhibit26.pdf|title=Wolf Creek development tangled with political ties|accessdate=2007-12-10|author=Mike Soraghan|month=February | year=2006|publisher=Denver Post|format=PDF]

Statistics

Elevation

*Base: 10,300 ft / 3140 m
*Summit: 11,904 ft / 3628 m
*Vertical Rise: 1,604 ft / 489 m

Trails

*Skiable Area: convert|1600|acre|km2
*Trails: 77 total (20% beginner, 35% intermediate, 45% advanced/expert)
*Longest Run: Navajo Trail - 2 miles / 3.2 km
*Average Annual Snowfall: 455 in / 1181 cm

Lifts

*7 total
**1 quad chair lift
**2 triple chair lift
**2 double chair lifts
**1 high-speed lift
**1 magic carpet (ski lift)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.wolfcreekski.com/ Wolf Creek Ski Area]
* [http://www.friendsofwolfcreek.org/ Friends of Wolf Creek]