Brains
The Mythology of billy barr
Long before OpenSnow’s “Daily Snow” reports, billy barr was meticulously recording snowfall at his home in Gothic, Colorado, located at 9,600 feet (2,926 meters) above sea level in the West Elk Mountains. Every day. Every winter. For 52 years.
Located in one of Colorado’s snowiest mountain valleys, barr’s Gothic weather station averages approximately 457 inches of snow per year — more than any ski resort in the state.
Living in the mountains requires patience, resilience, and a strong connection to the environment. Few people have developed that connection quite like barr, whose daily observations have created one of the longest-running independent mountain climate records in the United States.
In case you didn’t notice, he spells his name with lowercase letters. “Because I’m not that important,” he explains. Many would disagree.
billy barr has become a familiar figure in Colorado’s mountain community and beyond, recognized for his decades of weather observations, his unique lifestyle, and his contributions to climate research. He has been featured by National Geographic, The Atlantic, and The Denver Post and numerous other publications.
After more than half a century of carefully detailed observations, barr has been lauded as something of a hero in the climate science world. But he sees himself as a cog in the machine more than anything. As he explains in a recent interview with the Colorado Sun, “I just write down what I see. Now, I have my own personal opinions. But the data doesn’t back it up. The data gives me those opinions.”
An Escape From Conformity
barr first arrived in Gothic in the early 1970s as an undergraduate student spending a summer at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab (RMBL). He spent the first few months living in a tent, but later moved into an 8-by-10 miner’s shack, where he stayed for eight years. In 1980, some friends helped him build a cabin, where he remains to this day.
Although he doesn’t consider himself a true “hermit,” barr found a sense of belonging in mountain solitude. “It was so bad growing up as a male in the ’50s and ’60s in a culture I did not fit into, constantly hit with media telling you to be a certain way. Being out here on my own the first years was just a relief and enjoyable,” he explained in a 2019 Ski Magazine feature.
Despite living remotely, barr has always maintained a connection with others. Visitors, researchers, and curious skiers regularly stop by Gothic, and barr is known for his willingness to share stories and discuss his observations. Today, his cabin includes solar panels, a battery system, an office, and even a movie room. His daily routine remains remarkably consistent: taking observations, skiing, maintaining his property, cooking dinner, and recording data.
His profile grew significantly following The Snow Guardian, a 2016 National Geographic documentary about his life and work. “I’m a social person; I just live out here,” barr said. “In the summer I don’t shut up because I hardly talk to anyone all winter.”
“Citizen Science”
In his first summer in Gothic, barr studied headwaters at RMBL. The snow and weather observations came later, namely out of boredom, while surviving in a mining shack during the Gothic winter.
Initially, barr recorded everything into journals, but transitioned to a computer decades ago. You can now find all his observations on his website, gothicwx.org, as well as live webcams and other local updates. His measurements predate the federal system of telemetric snow measurement stations, known as SNOTEL. They also provide a valuable human chaperone on occasions when station readings become skewed or when outages occur, and no data is recorded.
It’s not just snow and weather. In addition to his fastidious observations, barr is employed at the RMBL as an accountant and has worked in avalanche safety and as a hotshot firefighter.
A Concerning Trend
billy barr’s data shows many trends, none of which are good news for Colorado skiers. And all of these trends have been reinforced by last year’s incredibly mild winter.
Firstly, barr’s records show far more winter days climbing above freezing than they did during his early decades.
Following the warming trend, barr has seen a noticeable decrease in the number of days with measurable snowpack. The snow arrives later and melts away earlier. Ironically, this has led to his pipes freezing more often, as there is no insulating layer cushioning them from frigid alpine nights.
barr has also noticed a downward trend in peak snowpack, at least at 9,600 feet, where his observations take place. During the first several decades of recording, there was only one instance of lower-than-average snowpack in two consecutive years. However, “This will be the 14th winter in the last 15 winters with below-average snowfall,” says barr in an interview with the Colorado Sun last winter.
It’s not necessarily the end of winter. OpenSnow’s Joel Gratz has often reassured skiers that there hasn’t been a downward trend in snowpack above 10,000 feet, which comprises much of the terrain throughout Colorado ski resorts. But the downward trend below 10,000 feet is certainly not a good thing.
A Blow to Blower Pow?
One of the clearest signals in billy barr’s dataset isn’t necessarily how much snow falls, but what kind of snow is falling. He has noticed an increase in snow density, a “blow” to the blower pow that Colorado is legendary for. The 70s, 80s, and 90s rarely saw average water content climb above 5%, or a 20-to-1 snow-to-water ratio. Snow these days trends closer to 8% on average.
For skiers, that means fewer “double-overhead” powder days. For hydrologists, it changes how mountain snow stores and releases water throughout spring and summer.
The New Normal Is…A Pleasant Afternoon?
barr has no intention of downplaying the risks these trends pose. From fires to diminishing songbirds, it’s already evident how the natural environment around Gothic is changing. And his work has been a valuable asset in understanding climate change.
Still, he doesn’t mind a warm winter. In fact, he loves it. At 74 years old and with 52 winters of snow shoveling under his belt, barr can handle a little less hassle in his life.
His tenure has already reached an almost mythological status. But billy barr makes it clear that he’ll be posted in Gothic for as long as he can handle it. Based on his current vitality, that could be a while yet. He’s also already surpassed John Henry in one key area: he’s outdone the machines, and so far survived the task.
