Froude

1 hour ago, bwt3650 said:

Over performer.

How much up there since the rain?

45 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Such a different look on the calm windward side vs the lee side high winds mixing down with the snow.  That looks so much more uniform and stacked on vegetation than the 50 mph scour and drift on the Lee side.

Hah yeah night and day compared to your moonscape shot. 3% fluff doesn't do too much for the surface conditions but it's a huge mood booster when it's able to stack like that. The smooth low angle stuff was actually pretty fun.

Got out in the woods on the west side of the Greens this afternoon. Predictably thin coverage, refrozen crust, and streams still running high. But amazing what 3" of fluff does for the aesthetics with fresh snow on the surface and clinging to pine trees.

Total pack loss here last night with lots of open fields and southerly exposure. Woke up to 3" of new fluff with some sleet on the bottom. Grateful to not have to look at bare ground in mid Feb at least.

46F and full sun. Valley snowpack taking a hit. Maybe I wasn't paying attention but I feel like this thaw snuck up on us. 

3 hours ago, powderfreak said:

Everyone around here is saying “forget nor’easters, our best snow comes from the west” lol.

Hah yeah these overrunning storms are great. They just seem easier. Less worries with the storm track, way less wind, no shadowing issues so everyone wins. Give me these and some fluffy clippers all season please.

A foot or so here with a few flakes still coming down.

Finally flipped to snow here. The pack actually took a decent hit overnight, time to rebuild!

Happened to be driving through Essex/Colchester right as those yellow pixels popped overhead. Picked up an inch or so to freshen things up.

... and edit to add that walking outside to above zero temps this am was delightful. Felt like a spring morning hah

20 hours ago, powderfreak said:

A great local skier saw her season end in the woods during this storm, with 3 fractures and 2 surgeries needed from a hidden snow snake.  It’s sobering.

Hate to hear that.

Stowe Mtn Rescue had a busy few days. Perhaps a different incident but I saw the predictable collection of emergency vehicles at the end of 108 on Tuesday.  I'm definitely treading lightly and keeping it low angle at the moment.

Fun storm. 5" or so here in the northern CPV. Winds were absolutely ripping this morning on the west side, followed up by that mid day paste dump. Things will be skiing very well this week with some fluff on top tonight.

Maybe a bit under the forecast, but a nice snow here in northwest VT. Eyeballing 3-4” with some diamond dust sparkling on top.

Need one solid warning event to really get the season going.

What I wouldn't do to be holed up in the Sierra this week. While we debate inches they're doing it in feet over there. For Kirkwood...

21 hours ago, powderfreak said:

A friend from the Hilton Hotel who’s the director of engineering/maintenance there shared these... I’m not sure I’ve seen a true fog bank like this off Champlain.  Cold lake water.

Very cool. Looks straight out of Downeast Maine. Lake temp is 56, I was in town last night and you can definitely feel the change in the air by the waterfront.

Watched a few slow moving showers up against the Greens this afternoon.  Late day sun made for one of the brightest and longest lasting rainbows i've seen. Popped the drone up for the tail end of it.

1 hour ago, powderfreak said:

That's how it works. Remember 2010 down in the mid-Atlantic? If it's epic down south, it's usually not up here. Wasn't that good of a year up north.  Had to wait until late in the season to get our licks.

But lo and behold the largest event of the season came on April 27-28.  Snow cover lasted to May 1st.  I think even BTV had 5.5" in the Banana Valley... a couple days before May.  One of my favorite events, coming at the end of the season once again.

Can see the trees leafing out too. 

That one was nuts! Absolute crusher on the western slopes.

3 hours ago, powderfreak said:

Yeah that sounds about right for Jay at your elevation.

I saw Smuggs reporting 8" at 11am which not going to lie, I don't like questioning because I know snow measuring can be tough but for that snowfall at that time would imply 1"/hr sustained from 3am to 11am.  Especially when all the ski areas up and down the Spine seem to be in the same ballpark, that one stood out.

I took a few laps at Smuggs this afternoon. Was eyeballing more like 6 or 7 with some wind effect up top. Skied nicely.

We did alright here in the valley. 2" at my house at 500 ft.  Fascinating to watch the accumulations vary driving along the Lamoille river, and easy to spot where the water kept things just a bit warmer.

Spring corn cycles like this one often provide my favorite turns of the season. Fast and smooth on groomers, and hopping over the exposed rocks and dirt patches on the natural trails just adds to the fun. That said, Phin is onto something here. Big melt in the hills this week. Noticeable difference in coverage from even two or three days ago, and it will be interesting to see how it looks after this weekend.  We are now in the basement in terms of snow depth when it's often the deepest pack of the season. 

Squall line just passed through here. Started with some graupel and switched to a nice burst of heavy snow. Should be hitting the Stowe/Smuggs area right about now.

The air feels different this morning. 42 degrees, birds chirping, and full sunshine here in Fairfax.

This winter has been tracking remarkably close to 06/07 at the stake. Let's see if this week can help us keep up with the 2007 V Day blizzard.

07 

9 minutes ago, mreaves said:

Had 2”+ here at home. Went riding through the Groton area and up high it looked more in line with PF’s 4”-5”. Didn’t take many pictures today but it was a gorgeous day to be outside.

I'll second that. Absolute winter wonderland up high in the Greens right now. Looks like a fun week ahead.

3 hours ago, powderfreak said:

Where are you located over there?  Radar looks great.  Grooming department on Mansfield estimating bursts over 1”/hr.  We’ve even got some making it to town but given the radar it seems the heavy stuff is staying tight to the ski area and then westward.

I'm at 500' in Fairfax. Nice view of the mountains from here, but too away to cash in on most upslope setups.

And btw, my name is Nate... you'd recognize me better on the hill with a video camera in hand, haha. Unfortunately not up there this winter with everything covid.

15 minutes ago, backedgeapproaching said:

Finally got some moisture coming in down here also.  25F with some -SN.  Need Mr Froude to share his number as flow looks pretty blocked along the Taconics.

Rensselear plateau special.

 

Good eye.  https://www.weather.gov/btv/froudeALL

22 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Yeah looked like the mountain picked up a quick inch from 4-5pm.

Radar looks great.  I see we've got @Froude lurking so that's always a good sign for upslope, ha.

Ha yup let's get this machine up and running tonight.  Nice fluff coming down on the west side this evening.

The birch forests in the upper elevations of the Greens are caked. Feels like an alien planet.