VAIL — The powder in Vail was not quite knee deep.But the snow that fell all day Monday in the Vail area was a welcome sight for many skiers and snowboarders.Forecasts are calling for a winter storm to dump up to 16 inches on Vail and Beaver Creek mountains by midnight Tuesday — the first deluge the mountains have received since they opened late last month.Denver resident Chris Dieckow said he was “pretty pumped” when he woke up to see flakes falling on Vail Mountain Monday morning.After a few days of navigating “icy, choppy” conditions on the mountain, Dieckow described the snow on Monday as “nice and fluffy at the top.”“I hope the snow continues all through the night,” said the 24-year-old snowboarder, who was visiting Vail with his girlfriend. “I’d like to wake up early tomorrow to a foot of snow.”

Go here to see how much of Beaver Creek will open!

Photo by Carol Lawrence/The Gazette