surface hoar

See ya Next Season

2007-04-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

In my blogging career, I have found the best blogs to be content specific. This one was created for the topics of winter and all things related to snow. While people will be charging the volcanoes well into the summer, I focus my attention toward the RIVERS. And while I would likely be tempted with the occasional search for SPRING CORN, I am headed to Spain in about a month to study European Human Rights and Sustainable Development, and also need to be training for this little ADVENTURE planned for July. Therefore, check back here when the snow begins to fly in the fall. Until then, here is a nice little VIDEO TRAILER to keep you dreaming.

If you came here looking for updates on my life, I will be:

blogging about Spain and general life, law, and leisure interests at www.dropping.blogspot.com

blogging about all things kayak related at www.theRangeLife.com

and, blogging about my Expedition to Peru at www.huallaga.irvacationtohell.com

see ya next season ...

Mt. Catherine

2007-04-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, a few of us (including two dogs) attempted Mt. Catherine. It was a weekend, and despite a start before the lifts opened, we were turned away less the 500 up from the car by inhospitable patrollers who were having no part of our dogs or the members of our group who did not have passes. Apparantly, they are quite protective of the nordic trails. With the Mt. Hyak area recently closing for the season, we went for another pre-work attempt at Mt. Catherine.

Oh, we had some nice weather along the way. A great perspective of Mt. Snoqualmie.

Rado trying to keep up through the old growth forest. Although we had to turn down before the summit due to time, the skiing was surprisingly good!

Probably the steepest terrain that Rado has experienced.

A couple shots

2007-04-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

On a recent and random trip to the snowlake basin an assortment of most every form of weather was experienced. I really liked liked this shot of us hiking into the abyss.

We must have spent some karma points for the clearing that was timed perfectly with our lunch at chair lake and our decent.

Bad Conditions or Bad Attitude?

2007-03-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

Mt. Baker's conditions report is hands down one of the best (and by best, I mean say it like it is, not marketing B.S.) snow reports I have seen. This one from the other day:

“[T]he conditions are never bad, rather it’s a bad attitude or inappropriate clothing.”

They also have their snow STATISTICS PAGE up and running. Surprising how little snow we have actually gotten - at least compared to previous years. Already gets me excited for next year with early rumors about a la nina setting up.

Snow Doughnuts

2007-03-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

First, a thanks to the SEATTLE TIMES for this story and picture.

"This is no joke. We did not build it," said Mike Stanford, an avalanche-control expert with the state Department of Transportation (WSDOT). "They are a natural occurrence in nature."

Stanford found frozen doughnuts of snow on the top of Washington Pass in the North Cascades this week when he was doing avalanche-control work.

I think this story it pretty cool. I would definitely rather find one of these than any pot of gold or SASQUATCH. If you think this is as cool as I do, here is another story on NPR. Ok, now I'm craving some COFFEE.

Sno-etry

2007-03-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

A little poetry brought to you by the NORTHWEST AVALANCHE CENTER, during the current Pineapple Express (ie. Warm rain at 8-9000 ft. above sea level).

In order to smile now, think of long term gain,
And of recent snow stabilized by the rain—
It’s a process we value that helps cleans the slate,
But while it’s occurring, don’t go and tempt fate.

For as liquid water moves down through the snow,
It loads and it weakens, increasing downhill flow—
Wet loose and wet slabs are the common close,
Of this abysmal weather driven by warm, wet flows.

With the weather and stability both looking quite bleak,
Don’t find yourself up the proverbial creek—
Give the snowpack a while to settle and slide,
Know that this sloppy snow won’t be a good ride.

But if you must go out, stay on gentle terrain,
Away from avalanche runouts that could be a pain—
Avoid cornices, chutes and other terrain traps,
As these are places that will fill with bad crap.

Be positive and look to when temperatures plummet,
That’ll be a better time to head for the summit.
Old wet weak snow will refreeze and strengthen,
Decreasing the danger as day times lengthen.

But unless the forecast is a total bust,
We may just be left with dust over crust—
It’s not a bad thing, and good for stability,
Time to work on your edges and carving ability.

Doesn't get any better ...

2007-03-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been simply insane! In my five years in the Northwest it has been hands down, the best, most consistent skiing I have experienced. And it would rival any two week period I have experienced elsewhere. Unfortunately, my patience and commitment to capturing ski photos are lacking. That and my trusted point and shoot digital camera has just too long of a delay to capture those good images. Nonetheless, here are a few shots I got on the final day of paradise (before a warm front brought rising snow levels) ... enjoy ...
Tim Holmberg in the zone

Brock Gavery trying to find a balance

Timmy in between face shots

When your guide says, "don't ski below me because there are some big cliffs down there," He's not just saying that to ensure fresh tracks. Tim didn't heed the advice, and went for an unexpected ride down the mystery slide. He dropped the icy waterfall above his right fist ... luckily into a pillow powder field.

Timmy getting ready for take-off

We'll be dreaming about this line during the warm rains

Tim gives a little extra in the turn for the camera, but the snow depth needs no extra, and speaks for itself

... ah, these weeks will live on in memories far more vivid than any image can capture ... thank you ULLR!

Face Shot

2007-03-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

When you look like this at the bottom of the run, and you never fell, you know its good!
Schertzl back in his groove after a tough "week" of work.

Are you kidding me?!

2007-02-21T17:47:00.000-08:00

11" more and Bluebird!Ditching school for this one! An unexpected clearing in the middle of the cycle allowed the high traverse to open, and the temps dropped as the last foot fell ... can you say, "blower!"

Winter Returns!

2007-02-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

After over a month with minimal precipitation, winter looks to be making a finale ... 24" new on top of 14" the day before, and no end in sight! Wish I had a better image to share.
Jen, storm skiing through her favorite tree run at Alpental.

The funny thing about this time of the year in the NW ... it was mostly blue skies in Seattle and if you aren't a skier, you'd have no idea of what's happening less than 45 minutes to the east :)

Granite Mountain ::: Mid-Winter Corn

2007-02-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

After more than a week of high pressure, it was time to go get some mid-winter corn skiing in. A nice bootpack provided a perfect stairmaster to some incredible views and some fun turns.

Red Mountain Proves Elusive for a Third Time

2007-01-31T20:18:00.000-08:00

First Attempt, was one of Jen's first days touring and additionally one of her first days on teles. It proved to be too much then, almost 4 years ago, and it became this unfinished objective looming in the distance.Then, Todd Gillman, Erik Shertzl, Jen and I gave 'er a try a couple weeks ago. A wrong turn right out of the gate, less than ideal equipment (snowshoes), and conditions that just didn't motivate (dust on crust), got us only as far as this view.And, this past weekend, Siri and Jason Salvo, their friend, Anthony, and Jen and I decided it would be a great day to try again. Apparantly, we weren't the only people who had this thought as I have never seen so many people this far up the commonwealth basin, particularly as far up Red as the crowds ventured. However, strong winds kept the highly exposed summit from softening up and in fact turned the snow into a rather scary mix of ice with grandular, ball-bearing, type snow that turned us all down before reaching the summit.We did gain some nice Rainier views, however.Dizl and Rado are ready to try again.

Kendall Ridge

2007-01-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

Jason and Siri have become our new touring partners this year. I met Jason in law school, and he graduated last may and is currently looking for a job, thus skiing often ... LTD!We headed for Kendall Ridge via Kendall Stump this weekend.
Jen, on her way up through the old growth.
Rado, taking a rest.
Scoping a line.
Jason, finding a rhythm in the trees.
Jen cruising.
The conditions were better than we expected. A good day was enjoyed by all :)

06/07 Holiday Road Trip

2007-01-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

Three weeks
Almost 5000 miles
8 States
Many friends and family members visited
Countless new memories created ...

We drove all over the Western US, largely searching for the best snow, and found it, without question in the last four days of our holiday ... 45 minutes from our front door, where we are proud pass holders -- ALPENTAL.

Whether it was the amazing winter the NW is having, becoming tired of the long days on the road, or just that comfortable feeling of one's own bed and surroundings, this trip helped us realize how good life is right where you are! LTD

Topping off the tank with some Biodiesel in Madrona.
Our departure was delayed by a record breaking storm in Seattle, which prompted a day at Crystal before hitting the road. Like lemmings we followed a couple ski tracks to the edge of a cliff where we were happy to stumble across Oliver and Jed.
Rado was less than thrilled to be sequestered to the back of the truck.
A final glimpse of Washington, 2006.
The Tetons on the Horizon.
Teton Pass!

Our tour guides: E-Ross, Justin and Ralf
"The Blizzard of 06," closed roads, and 14" new at Steamboat caused a change in course.
It didn't take us long to suss out the stash ... away from the yocals.
Next stop - Vail Pass.
Where we took Milly, the Campton's pup, out for her first tour.
R&R time in Buena Vista with my family, and Jen's family who managed to sneak in and out of DIA between blizzards. Janet and Jen lounge on the couch
Rado cuddling up with Mom after a snowshoe near Buena Vista.
A little dessert scenery from the passenger's seat.
We found warmer temperatures and patriotically marketed Biodiesel in Price, UTRado like Biodiesel

Alpental Opens!

2006-12-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have been edging away from the ski areas, especially on the big crowd days. But there are certain times when the energy of the crowd outweighs its inconviences, and ALPENTAL'S opening has always been one of those days. A small, little core mountain with some strong skiers that get after it all within view of the lifts. It was a perfet day. Another foot had fallen since the epic November storms, and a high pressure ridge had set into provide another perfect, sunny blue-bird pow day. The sun felt so good!

The long lines are always a chance to reconnect with friends you haven't seen since March (or even longer - Ben Dolenc)

A November to Remember

2006-11-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

If you enjoy weather, especially if you enjoy living in a climate where weather is a part of the lifestyle (like I do), November 2006 will be a month referred to for years to come in the NorthWest.

For pure precipitation ... Seattle almost broke a RECORD.* While Paradise (@ Mt. Rainier) shattered a record.

Seattle's Old Record: 15.33 inches of rain measured Downtown in 1933
Seattle in 2006: 15. inches of rain measured at SeaTac Airport.
* While this seems like its a new record, CLIFF MASS says its not because SeaTac typically gets more rain than downtown and probably got several inches more than 15.33 in 1933. But PARADISE got 18 inches in one 36 hour downpour earlier in the month setting a new record.

As for snowfall ... Here is what MT. BAKER'S snowreport read:

This past storm cycle brought us a record 98 inches of snow since Friday and 144 inches since the storm began. This is the most snow received in such a short amount of time in the recorded history at Mt. Baker. Our base is now 125 inches which is almost HALF the world record base of 300 inches. . . .and we've only been open 12 days!

They also had a significant storm earlier in the month, and while I haven't been able to locate their monthly total, they certainly out-performed Whistler by several feet. Whistler's record:

More snowfall than ever in November: 164 inches/416 cm

Finally, Crystal's report:

The 7-day snow storm dropped 92" of snow, making for some excellent powder.

To put things into perspective ... Copper Mountain in Colorado averages 283 inches/YEAR!

All of this weather climaxed with a blast of arctic air at the end of November producing 1-6 inches of snow in Seattle. This resulted in a school snow-closure day well timed with the Cold-Blue-Bird clearing day. I can only restate many of the sentiments heard in the liftlines that day ... this is one of the best days I can remember ... and its only November 28th! Wow!

You can barely see Schertzl airing out the knoll, with a dry-snow tail stream, but I love this photo. This is the zone we skied all day.

Headed back for another lap.

A token Rainier Postcard Shot.

A shot of the author ... taken by Erik Schertzl.

Unfortunately, the BioDiesel did not like the cold. This led to another adventure entirely that I will save for a future post.
Photo by Erik Schertzl.

This is what we call a Storm Cycle

2006-11-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

BAKER'S SNOW REPORT this morning is worth noting:

Due to tremendous amounts of new snow, strong winds and limited visibility, we will be in limited operation today out of the White Salmon Base Area.

Deep snow conditions exist at the ski area today with 60 inches of new snowfall in just the past 3 days and 115 inches of new snow in the past 6 days! For deep snow & tree well safety information, go to the "policies & safety" link in the menu above, and click on the tree-well-deep-snow-safety link in the pop-down menu.

And if you haven't reviewed tree well safety recently, please do so!

Now Thats More Like It

2006-11-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

I have fond memories of starting the season off with an early day on the Colorado Mountains that use to open in October. Even thought is was usually just a strip of man-made white surrounded by lingering fall colors, it was always fun to drive up (usually from Ft. Collins) for the day, get our pass photos taken, and prepare the legs for the coming season. Since moving to the NW over four years, my expectations have changed with regards to the first day of the season. And yesterday, CRYSTAL fulfilled every one of those expectations.

The temps have dropped recently, causing the record setting Nov. rains to turn into record setting Nov. snow in the mountains. Whistler has already set a record for most snowfall ever in Nov. and Baker's base topped 100 inches yesterday as well. However, with family in town, we wanted to stay closer to home. 46 inches in 48 hours sounded good to us (with several more before that, and no end in sight). I had not yet skied Crystal to date, but first tracks in Campbell Bowl and a slightly illegal line in the North Back (?) will definitely have me returning in the not so distant future.

Jen's smile at the end of the day tells the story.

While I wanted to go for a couple more laps, my legs and Rado were happy to see us call it an early day.

Calling for Snow in Seattle the next two nights!!!

Season Opener

2006-11-16T17:40:00.000-08:00

I was very excited for the first post of my new blog to be a celebration of the epic day of Mt. Baker's 06/07 opening. Mother Nature had different plans, however. Which, in retrospect, may provide an even better initial post in the form of a NW lesson:

Lesson #1 to Fun in the Snow in the NW :: When given Lemons, make Lemonade.
After BAKER had accumulated more than 70 inches of fresh base in less than 5 days, a new storm came in with high winds and warmer temps leaving the mountain with only 58 inches at its upper base, and some serious rain damage to the pack. So, Jen, Rado, and I decided to take advantage of the first sunny day of Nov. and go pick up our passes at Snoqualmie and take the pooch for a hike up Mt. Hyak. While the snow and coverage left something to be desired, it was just good to get out and stretch the legs up in the high country.

I'll leave ya with a photo of Rado at Mt. Hyak from last year.

Come back and visit, many adventures to come.