powderfreak

This time of year is always the hardest. Climo isn't quite yet there fully... but at the same time the calendar is moving well within the bounds of possibility of a good snowstorm. If there's anything wrong with the pattern at all, it doesn't happen. But it's close enough that everyone knows if things line up in the first two weeks of December there can be a healthy cold regionwide snowstorm. Add in the fact that it's early season, anticipation is high, and a good early season period of winter keeps the "dream" of a wire-to-wire winter alive. Personally, I have no ground to stand on to critique anyone's angst. Ground was covered on November 16th and 11 days later, here this late afternoon/evening rain event at 35-37F (half inch so far) has finally opened up more grass than snow cover again. We had a good run of winter, our climo isn't that much different from other areas in New England but winter often comes earlier in the NW areas and those closer to the Great Lakes (further away from the Atlantic too). Local stations are just over 1.00" water and 9-10" snow... the ground cover lasted a while for November, because average highs during the time were still low-40s. The next time the trough settles in the benefits will be further south. Seasonal progression.

Hmmmm, is that what we got out of today’s posts? Hard to keep track . Everything looks good, it’ll be a painful waiting game for some.

37F and moderate to heavy rain. Snow cover is patchy now… by morning might only be plow piles. It was a good run of snow cover for November.

At least today was sunny almost spring skiing before the rain moved in around 3pm.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m already looking forward to March sunshine and a deep mountain pack… followed by the warm season vibes, ha. The winter just doesn’t get me as it used to a decade ago. Maybe I still had that residual ALB/Hudson Valley winter angst and it’s finally completely gone.

This year it sounds like it’ll be DIT. If we get to mid-December with lawn still out there, there’ll be a melt coming.

It would be building snowpack up north though. Keeps laying ground work for the future. The pattern change isn't just going to happen and bombs start dropping immediately. It takes time.

Sounds like a good place to start. Can only get higher from there.

We are getting there. Putting down good snowpack in Canada. Gradient is so close but yet so far into mid-December.

Right on track!

That’s a step down from peak torch in the 70s. Seasonal change underway .

Definitely in the doldrums of early season winter talk. Booze cures all ales?

Yeah been "ripping" 9 mile visibility -SN the past couple hours, ha. Wind is really honking though. The renegade flakes are moving more sideways than down.

Can I just say thank you for documenting this event. I've been perusing the thread the past few days to catch up on the 27 pages of the event... and with your obs, posts, photos, videos, the event really comes to life. Much appreciated. Glad we have someone in the key spot for south town lake effect storms.

Yeah a good Stowe friend is down in the neighborhood for World Cup and has skied Okemo a couple times on his Epic pass… said it’s pretty insane what Okemo has done considering the length of time since it was 70F. Like multiple routes in several areas.

Snowing above about 2,000ft this morning. Up at 3000-4000ft is mid-winter vibes still.

Looks like two months ago.

I don’t know nor care that much, but I’ve been around the ski industry long enough to know the vast majority of skiers and ski families traveling north each weekend aren’t affected enough to change their behaviors. Paying a little more for groceries each week or heating oil, doesn’t move the needle much of the suburban upper middle class in the northeast IMO. Maybe they save a little less? But they are going to do leisure activities.

You can get it printed at the ski areas too.

If you are learning or going with small children too you don’t need it. It’s like trying to learn golf playing at Pebble Beach.

One thing the past couple years has shown me is the amount of wealth in the United States is mind-boggling.

Ahhh that is often a common thread seen in bad mountaineering decisions… goals. Whether it’s on Everest or some backyard hill. Setting a goal and the desire to complete the goal vs. turning around or saying nah, this isn’t the time… that has been at the forefront of many mountain accidents over the years. From skiing to backpacking, the desire to complete the mission or objective has killed more people in the mountains (sometimes the conditions and timing just isn’t right) than any other human factor. It can be very hard to accept defeat and turn around. Though it’s not defeat… staying alive should be considered winning. I’ve read many mountaineering books from people climbing high summits and that internal struggle to realize it isn’t happening and to turn around is often the biggest mental hurdle. That Everest disaster 2-3 decades ago was all because of that desire to complete the goal of summiting. They pushed past the point of no return, it got late, dark, and it killed people.

Given that weather forecast they said she went up in “workout pants” which I hope they don’t mean tights or spandex type stuff! I mean it was going to be 0F that night. No where does it say she had winter gear. It’s all very confusing.

Yeah it’s a tough call sometimes, I enjoy solo sometimes but skiing with friends is usually better. You have any trips to Spruce planned?

Which I guess shows it’s working as that economic disincentive is now going to move you to skiing midweek at Stowe when there’s excess supply… and lead to one less car on the Mountain Road from Fri-Sun. Or you’ll take a shuttle from lodging… though you probably pay $30 a day anyway to have a car at the Lodge at Spruce Peak?