I hate going down the rabbit hole. I do believe they get more on average, but it’s clear there is zero controllable measurements going on and the report is a “vibe” check.
I generally take the lower end of the range as logically acceptable. The upper end could be found drifted in the Face Chutes, but you aren’t finding it at a controlled sheltered measurement plot.
And honestly, every single event isn’t a 12” range.
Like today, we have 10” at base and 10” at top plots. Their ranges get massive really quickly by adding up to 50% for the summit.
I won’t lie, that’s how we used to do it 15 years ago and I know exactly how it works. You know what you have at the bottom, and you just add inches for the top regardless. You find 10”, call it 10-14”. You measure 6”? Call it 6-10”. Just add inches and say that’s what’s at the summit. And it escalates totals REAL fast.
That’s the old school Eastern snow report way.
Stowe went from like a 333” average to 275-ish average when I started measuring and not basing it on vibe or adding inches “for the summit”…
The other thing… it’s fukking snowy out there. If you aren’t measuring or paying attention to time frames, it all blends together. You don’t know what’s new and what’s not. What fell two days ago vs last night. Etc.