The snow’s coming down on the Black Hills again – but just up north. There was about a foot of powdery fluff on the ground when I left Deadwood around 6 p.m. tonight, and by the time I reached Rapid City about 45 minutes later, the ground was clear. The sky was, too. It’s right about 10 p.m. now, and I still don’t see any snow on the ground here.

I was serious when I said you could literally golf in Rapid City and ski near Deadwood on the same day. It’s one of the perks of having your own personal mountain range just out your back door.

And if you’re interested in knowing when you should head for the hills for first shot at new powder, you can sign up for a new service that sends a text message to your phone any time it snows in the Black Hills. According to the Rapid City Journal, all you need to do is text “snow” to the number 21021. Once you confirm your subscription, you’re set. You’ll get a message every time new powder falls in the Deadwood area.

If it’s skiing and snowboarding you’re after, you can also check out the websites for the two ski areas in the Northern Black Hills: Terry Peak and Deer Mountain. They keep the reports on new snowfall and base depth updated pretty frequently, so if you check the Internet more frequently than you remember your cell phone, it’s a good alternative.