This week’s perfectly timed blast of snow, fueled by an atmospheric flow of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, was cause for true gratitude among skiers, riders and resort operators.

Since the storm hit earlier this week, Crested Butte led the Central Mountains with 31 inches as of Wednesday morning, according to reporting and forecasting service OpenSnow. Aspen areas received 25 to 27 inches and Monarch received 22.

“I was out in the central mountains on Tuesday and was surprised by the light and fluffy snow quality,” OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in his Wednesday update. “Temperatures rose slightly throughout the day so I was expecting a denser snow quality, but that wasn’t the case. Temperatures rose on Tuesday night and then cooled between midnight and sunrise on Wednesday morning.”