powderfreak

1 hour ago, backedgeapproaching said:

Decent downstream Ontario scraps causing some close to whiteout conditions little earlier..quick 1.5".  Might be it snow wise for a little while

I was wondering if you or someone in SVT would get lit up.  Most models have a decent streamer at times even into tonight. Euro had a nice burst a bit north up in southern Rutland County.

25 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

7 here already so it's gonna be cold.

Yeah tomorrow will be legit.  I’m off and don’t plan on skiing .

22 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

I wonder how many of these retired folks who worked part time and stopped in 2020 account for the “missing gap” they keep talking about in the workforce? People who used to work before 2020 but then suddenly stopped and have not returned. Would explain many of the gaps in hospitality/retail jobs too. 

I notice it most in the younger demographic.  High schoolers, college kids, second job folks.  One of my employees put it perfectly the other day… literally two years ago you couldn’t find a job even at very entry level service positions.  It was “we’ll call you if something opens up” even at a gas station or Dunkin Donuts.  He said it felt like a privilege to have a job. Now in just two years every single business you drive by will hire you on the spot in the service industry for 30% to even 40% more money.

I still haven’t figured it out…what exactly happened.

Wind is cranking.  Just a roar moving through at times.  Inversion broke.  Well mixed now.

4 minutes ago, bwt3650 said:

Thanks…heading up for a few weeks tomorrow and going to try to brave the cold, but wanted to see what conditions were.  Jay is guaranteed to have holds so I’m hoping k-mart or stowe has something to the upper mountain, even if I only get a couple hours in.  Tuesday may be a no go anywhere with temps, though if the wind dies down enough, below zero doesn’t bother me.  Weds may be the day at jay before the mlk crowds start to build.

I won't lie, snow conditions do not improve when the temperature drops to -30C at H85 level.  It just doesn't.  Snow becomes slow, crystals are grabby.  Any residual moisture is frozen solid in an absolute way.  It's just cold and the snow surface changes.  Unless there is decent snowfall right ahead of it or with it, I do think turning conditions will be variable on the firm/crusty side.

Snow conditions often improve greatly on the rebound side of the arctic shot.  When it goes arctic, and then moderates to like 25F, the snow seems to loosen up very nicely.  Best turns IMO will be on the rebound side of the cold shot.

6 minutes ago, J.Spin said:

I was just returning some thawed snowboards outside and the precipitation seems to be mainly snow now in this area.  The flakes are small – generally a mm or two.

Noticed on radar that the real cold front boundary seems to be creating some squalls.  That looks like some squally snows... wind is roaring here at times.  That gusty WSW flow ahead of a FROPA is classic. Then we'll get a brief heavy burst of snow and wind.... followed by some brutal cold coming tomorrow night through Tuesday night.

1 hour ago, bwt3650 said:

How did the mountain do?  Was it enough freezing rain to make tomorrow crazy icy, or just a light glaze?

Below 2500ft I found a zipper crust that was noticeable in untracked off-piste areas.  Can see a plate of crust on my skis for example.

Up higher it skied much better… dense but sand-like.

I feel like I’ve had 3-6” on the ground for weeks now.  Out walking the dog now via headlamp, todays sleet and freezing rain added more heft without depth.  There’s like 5” that the dog can walk on top of around home.  It’s been annoyingly consistent pack but can’t break that like 7” mark.

8 minutes ago, Damage In Tolland said:

I mean CT kept the pack , but it is just a great example of why you need water content snow to keep it. There’s a reason why the snow guns don’t blow powder fluff onto the slopes 

Well that’s not why, lol.  Trust me if ski areas could blow good powder and not sleet they would… it’s not a choice to blow wet mank .

11 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

For me it’s the thrill of snowfall.

It’s better to have loved and lost, then never loved at all?  I agree with you though, I just like watching it snow.  Don’t care what type it is.

15 minutes ago, Damage In Tolland said:

Wow . This is prime example why powder snow sucks . Sure it piles up fast , but it melts and compacts faster than a Colts team in Jacksonville . No one likes powder. Not even SpinJ

Lol certainly not down there if you lose it that fast in January.  I mean if you can’t preserve a powder pack in January, when can you?

35 minutes ago, alex said:

It’s raining and they’re making snow. Never seen that lol

Ha same here!  It's rare to have rain with wet-bulbs under 26F.

30 minutes ago, #NoPoles said:

Happy Birthday, PF! 

Thanks!  Lovely weather out there too, ha.  Just pouring tiny sleet and some freezing rain mixed in up here at the mountain.  It might be just enough precip to mess up the snow surface before the arctic blast.  We'll see.  I didn't think we would get much of anything but there's some QPF coming out of the sky.

9 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

May he have an entire week’s worth of ARW runs smoking N VT. 

Thanks guys.  I want some PSU E-Wall SREF crush job maps, toggle to ARW family. 

Pouring very tiny sleet with ZR mixed in here at the mountain.  Just when we were starting to build some fluff it crusts over, this winter is the winter that just keeps giving, ha.

23F and raining.  This is lovely, ha.

Sunrise by an excellent snowcat operator on Mansfield this morning.  Town down in the valley, the cold sink.

58 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said:

Can't compete with this level of incompetence 

 

That video is a worst nightmare.  The factors that come together to lead to that… the pressure of a fully charged line is incredible.

11 hours ago, PowderBeard said:

Not sure how far of a trip it is for you but when they get some natural Black Mountain of Maine has some pretty amazing glades. Black Mountain NH has some pretty under rated terrain as well. Obviously both are smaller and have older lifts but it keeps the crowds away. And tickets are really cheap. I think NoBoundaries is doing a "free day" at BMOM. 

 

 

I went there with a UVM class visiting community ski areas in 2003….back then it was just the T-bar which was an awesome vibe and they were cutting trails above for a new lift.  The outlook was good then and it is now.  

3 minutes ago, Damage In Tolland said:

Yeah I’ll sell Euro numbers . Add on a few degrees 

Agreed, just because of how rare those temps are.

7 minutes ago, Ed, snow and hurricane fan said:

I don't think I can remember a single big Upstate NY that wasn't LES or w/ LES help.  Cities up there don't have much orography and they're too far from the Atlantic for significant ocean effect.

They get some monsters from time to time though in the central NY zone.  West of ALB and north of BGM have had numerous 36”+ events past 15 years.

2/14/07

3/14/17

12/17/20

3 minutes ago, Damage In Tolland said:

Tuesday to me looks like one of those rare days where the hill towns stay in the single digits all day for highs 

12z EURO had a max temp of -10F at MVL here in the afternoon lol.

850mb at -32C .

7 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

That’s hard to do. Sell. 

40” is hard to do.  But I think if a storm could’ve put up an isolated 45-50” it was last Dec near BGM or near Ludlow/Okemo in VT.  Both spots seemed to have legit 40+ amounts on the level.

Just now, CoastalWx said:

I might have a different opinion if it kept falling.    It was more to make a joke. I knew it would fire up the upslope community. Lol. 
My snow is rather fluffy, but was wetter than the champagne stuff some had. It compacted a bit, but not to the extent the champagne stuff does. 

I love the debate because I do truly enjoy the fluff.  Sitting stacked nicely on the tree branches this morning.  Just straight up.

But when I was growing up in ALB and never knew when the next flakes might fall, bring wet paste and give me suburban snowbanks lol.

3 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

Fluff is fun for about 30 min after it falls, and then you get aggravated by how it compacts. That’s why Jspin gets 160” a year with a constant 8” pack. 

But what if the fluff kept falling?  That’s the key.  Like today you get another 3”, then wait a couple days and get 3-5”, etc.  If Tippy’s dopamine drip continues, you don’t notice the settling lol.

Its totally different from a single fluff event in urban areas IMO.  But we know where everyone stands lol.  If you are going to get one in a month, make it wet I guess.

5 hours ago, 40/70 Benchmark said:

I thought the Berkshires would ratio their way to a few inches of fluff...wow

We ratioed at the ski area this afternoon/evening.  Nothing like 0.10-0.15” and like 4-5” .  J.Spin pulling 50-65:1 ratios the past two days in his liquid analysis.  When like 0.03-0.04” water is 2”/hr.