Valdez is living up to the hype this season. Epic, massive snowfall has smothered the town. The annual average snowfall is 305.8 inches. The record is from the 1989-90 season with 560.7 inches. This year Valdez has reached 300 inches today, and it’s still falling.
My brother was there in ’89 and he would tell stories of walking around the town like a rat in a maze.
6 foot high snowbanks lined the streets and walk ways
Valdez (new town) was designed to handle snow – the streets can be cleared easily because the main neighborhoods all back up to the ‘Park strip’. There is an army of snow removal folks. Bobcats, trucks with plows, guys with shovels climbing roofs.
Don’t forget to shovel your boat at the Valdez Small Boat harbor – My friend’s 34′ Chris Craft sank there in the winter of ’98. We found is hanging of the dock cleats.
Skiers and Snowsports folks are happy.
And, actually, it’s kinda nice to be hunkered down in snowy Valdez. All is quiet, except for the beeping of the snow removal equipment. People come together to do things and it’s a real experience.