Blue Sky Basin, China Bowl part of a swath of terrain closures on Vail Mountain

Vail Mountain continued closing terrain this week as part of a mountain-wide ramp down, closing China Bowl and Blue Sky Basin for the season, as well as parts of the lower mountain.

Access to Lionshead Village is only available via the Born Free run, as lower Simba, Safari and Bwana have all closed for the season below Post Road, and the Preserve is also closed underneath the Eagle Bahn Gondola and the Born Free Express lift (No. 8).

“We have seen unprecedented temperatures out there and as a result we closed access to Blue Sky Basin, China Bowl and select terrain,” Vail Mountain wrote in a Facebook post. “There’s still plenty of great skiing and riding this spring, so be sure to check the My Epic app for the most up-to-date terrain and real-time updates.”

Low snowpack contributed to the latest-ever opening for Blue Sky Basin this season, and Thursday’s final day of operation for Blue Sky Basin marks the shortest season in history for remote, north-facing terrain on the outskirts of Vail, which opened during the 1999-2000 season.

Vail’s snowpack is currently 51% of the 30-year-average, making it the lowest snowpack in Vail Mountain’s official USDA recorded history on Vail Mountain, which began during the 1978-79 season.

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Meteorologist Joel Gratz with opensnow.com, on Friday, said temperatures in the Vail area will be “incredibly warm” throughout the remainder of the month.

“Highs will cool a few degrees on Sunday/Monday and next Friday/Saturday, but readings will still be in the 40s on those days,” Gratz said, saying that the long-term forecast doesn’t show a chance of precipitation until the beginning of April.