Heavy snow blankets Colorado peaks

A strong storm dropped up to 2 feet of snow in the Colorado high country Tuesday, replenishing ski resorts but making mountain travel treacherous and forcing some of the world’s top downhill skiers off the slopes.

“It’s a big one, a really big one today,” said Hanzi Arnold, a food and beverage manager at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen, where the National Weather Service said 2 feet had fallen by Tuesday evening.

World Cup organizers canceled a men’s downhill practice at the Beaver Creek resort near Vail, saying the racers -- who can exceed 70 mph -- couldn’t see far enough ahead through the heavy snowfall. They also cited the threat of avalanches.

The snow, which moved into the heavily populated Front Range on Tuesday afternoon, was expected to continue falling overnight and isolated spots in the mountains could get up to 3 feet, said National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Avery. Temperatures may drop as low as 20 below in the mountains, he said.