Friday’s cold weather doesn’t discourage visitors to Pikes Peak

Cold temperatures and slick roads aren’t stopping many tourists from visiting Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs this winter.

On Friday, the temperature hovered around zero with a wind chill of -11. The peak’s highway wasn’t opened to the summit until late morning, and snow during the morning and afternoon made roads slick and traffic up and down the mountain slow.

But for a few hours, the sun came out and made visitors feel warmer as they enjoyed the sights from America’s Mountain — with many tourists coming for the first time.

Some visitors from warmer states like Texas and California said they were eager to see snow but weren’t sure they were properly dressed for the weather.

Other tourists said they expected the cold and that it wasn’t as bad as they expected, but even the bravest soon scurried inside the summit house for warmth and a hot beverage.

Workers building the new summit house are off for the winter and will return in the spring.