powderfreak

I have a theory that gets stronger every time I see it, but there is something substantial to a flow that parallels a gap in the terrain. Like what you mentioned for N or NE winds or S winds into Pinkham. The valleys between the mountains do best IMO on flows that parallel that terrain and cause a good deal of low level convergence as all that air is forced between 3,000-4,000ft terrain... like when you put rocks close to each other in a river and watch the water build up and then get squeezed between them. I really think it's a thing for J.Spin in the Winooski Valley and I've seen enough times where it appears some meso-scale convergence is happening between the mountains on westerly flow that takes his precip rates to another level... and say RT 2 corridor in Randolph has a similar topography in a larger sense to I-89 corridor through the Green Spine where J.Spin is...with a relatively narrow gap between the terrain. Pinkham would have the best forced flow on a blocked southerly or blocked NEly flow, IMO. When there's veering with height, the moisture has more trouble getting over the barriers so it finds the gaps to squeeze through... like forcing toothpaste out of a bottle, you get this concentrated stream out the end. I do think the preferred locations are ones with gaps that travel east to west but I'm very convinced there's something meso-scale to those lower terrain mountain passes between larger terrain, where the best results are flows that parallel the gaps. That wind will take the path of least resistance and so it all funnels into those gaps, leading to intense low level convergence. Results in better low level lift, often better snow growth, and you get absolutely zero low level drying of hydrometeors. It is extremely efficient precipitation to have a flow align with the gap in the mountains.

We’ve seen some pretty blocked flow synoptic events over the years, but it would still benefit Pinkham because MWN is higher than Wildcat... I don’t see them getting blocked on anything with a SE or E low level flow. But if the SFC to mid-level lows aren’t stacked, you can get some decent veering and a low level inversion leading to solid blocking on the SE side of any terrain in some synoptic events. That veering/blocking is why the western/NW sides can sometimes do much less QPF on the synoptic portion, IMO. If the flow was unblocked you get a more even distribution on both sides of the terrain.

What’s Tamarack got? I feel like he’s got some big Fort Kent packs in his years. Mine’s 42” in 2011 after the 3/5-6 event for places I’ve lived. You might still be the leader if the rule is you need to experience it, ha. Give Phin a couple years to get it.

J.Spin gets more snow than that at 500ft. It also depends on how often someone measures. If it’s just once every 24 hours, you definitely lose some when it snows all the time. It seems that guy in Randolph is pretty diligent like J.Spin, judging by his written obs he isn’t missing any flakes. His notes from that 2010 storm cycle show he was out measuring or collecting every 2-4 hours at one point. NW flow snow though is a big deal... if you don’t get it, it can cost a good 40-50” a year. There is almost like two sets of snowfall... IMO most places get pretty similar synoptic snow as a baseline. Of course higher elevation will get more as you have the marginal events and better ratios at times...but the overall synoptic snow totals are pretty uniform to me. The kicker is the NW flow snow and the places that do that well, along with the baseline synoptic snow, seem to do the 150-200” a year at under 1500ft or under.

Ha, I was thinking the same thing. As soon as they find out your from Maryland and are wealthy, they are like "lets lock him into a per-plowing rate. He has no idea what's about to happen." No offense to any of the plow guys on here, but often times people joke about the fact that if you sign up for a per-plowing rate, the plow guy will be in your driveway every single time flakes fall from the sky. But if you get the seasonal contract, you'll be wondering where the plow guy is.

Did you ask the plow guy what a full season unlimited plowing is? Honestly I don’t know anyone who averages over 100” that pays per event. We do a winter contract at like 3” minimum...also includes twice a winter or so they’ll come in with the big guns (bucket loaders) and push everything way back onto the woods and lawn. You’ll probably get 5 more feet than me too over the course of the winter, too. If money isn’t *too* much of a concern maybe it doesn’t matter, I just feel like you’ll get fleeced at $80 per plow regardless of driveway length. There’s a lot of houses up in your little area it looks like (up off Randolph Hill Rd) so I bet someone has a little monopoly up there and economies of scale might help lower the price a bit. Hell some contractor probably just keeps heavy equipment up there like they would near a ski area with condos/homes... big buckets with chains that sound like diesel dinosaurs when they show up at 5am.

That month sucked so bad lol. Every day skiing was below zero to start and felt like the summer was below zero all the time. Brutal cold. I remember we got excited for highs in the teens while skiing.

You are probably similar to the base of the ski area here... the plow guys are up here daily clearing the home sites and parking lots. I bet they honestly average 4-5 days per week in mid-winter. Also, buy everyone in your family some variation of this that will go over their boots if you want to walk on your driveway...like snow chains for your feet. We get them provided at the ski area for walking around: https://www.amazon.com/Yaktrax-Walk-Traction-Cleats-Walking/dp/B01LJ6FX3C

So it’s going to get packed down and icy anyway. Our driveway and parking area will have 8” of solid ice on it by the end of the winter and that’s with a 3” rule... guy doesn’t touch it or get paid for anything under that. When it thaws you won’t be able to walk on your driveway without crampons lol. Buy some of those things that go over your boots like snow chains. I’m serious, you’ll be sliding under your car holding onto the mirrors and doors at multiple points just trying to walk on it.

$80 a plow?! The frequency will bankrupt you. You want that guy to stay away anytime there is less than 6” on that thing. Do you have a truck? Might be best to just buy a plow there... or get some used tractor with one. The inches thing for plowing is tough... you’ll often see J.Spin or I refer to times when it just isn’t worth it cause it snowed 5-6” but with 0.2” water and it’ll blow away under your car as you drive out. Too bad you can’t do it by liquid equivalent up in NNE, lol. That’s really what matters for plowing over the inches. Don’t want to lay down $80 for leaf blower style snow drifting down off that ridge behind you to the NW.

March and April are by far the best ski months. Even May for skinning and corn laps on the man-made routes with sunshine until like 7pm.

Yeah certainly not suffering and definitely not looking for sympathy in this forum lol... getting 100” or more is still pretty snowy. There’s also the half a year it’s not snowing to consider, ha. I always think about it, but I’m not ready to give up the social aspect of living in the middle of a ski town (well, once COVID is done it’ll ramp back up) and having so much stuff within walking distance. Moving to a place that gets a similar climo to the office at work would (short of winning the lottery and just moving up to a 2-3 million place) would likely involve living somewhere with a 45 minute drive to get to work vs. the 7 minutes now. I guess that’s what I am thinking instead of burning the place down for getting less snow on NW winds than the jackpot zone, lol. Plenty close for weenie drives in elevation events. I do think by the time I’m 50 I will want to maybe head out to a more recluse high el spot; maybe then it’ll be time to cash in on 180” a year in the yard. For now I’ll settle with checking the snow boards at 1,500ft and 3,000ft and living the daytimes in that snowfall. I am really stoked for Phin this year though, dude worked hard and toiled in a Maryland climate for a long time... cashed in on the hard work building a company and found a spot. That’s the American snow weenie dream.

Yeah all daylight hours in one spot, leave home in the dark and come home in the dark, ha. Most of my daytime weather watching is in a very snowy climate. Plus we do actually do well in some events and don’t get shafted in synoptic storms... in fact any synoptic storm with SE or East low level flow will jack this side. Liquid equivalent wise we do decent. The western slope gets the fluffy upslope and adds up inches, but then you get a 1” QPF synoptic storm and that west side gets 0.40”. That’s more like HIE probably. I think it would really bother me to get shafted in synoptic region wide events more than getting 5” vs 12” in the fluffers. Then you have the J.Spin’s and Phin who do both well...plus obviously my work.

Sounds like my house to the picnic tables and it’s only 5 miles as crow flies. But it’s never bothered me at all... that’s where I need my snow, under my skis, ha. I certainly would never prefer rain and will take 5” all day long while the picnic tables pile up the pow. But it’s still pretty damn wintry regardless and we don’t get screwed in synoptic events, I think that would hurt more. It also helps when you spend 60+ hours a week and all free time up in that snow... it’s sort of like having two homes, one is snowier than the other lol.

I wasn’t going to mention any posters but usually starts there, ha ha.

And then in no time folks will just start ignoring it, haha. Eventually someone will say “Isnt there a NNE thread for that stuff? We don’t need to see Moose Knuckle village with buried evergreens anymore. No body cares.” I’ve gotten plenty of that in the past decade .

It’s weird that it thaws so much... HIE temps never really stood out to be in a torch way. Not like say BTV that goes to 40F+ immediately when the wind goes southerly. I always thought that area was similar to the NEK of VT with great retention regardless of actual snowfall.

No one would’ve known at the time lol. But still from Maryland the first the first few winters would feel like Alaska. It’s after a couple winters you’d really sort of start to figure it out. When I moved from Albany NY to Burlington, VT, it felt like another planet despite only a modest increase in snow and BTV literally being one of the states lowest snow spots. We’d have stars while radar would be lit up 5 miles away but for whatever reason it didn’t bother me for quite a while. I do think going to Mansfield all the time (even in college it was 4 days a week) probably held me over, seeing 3000ft do 300+ inches a winter.

Man @ORH_wxman, I would’ve guessed they’d be good for 120” or so at least. Hard to imagine 1,500ft getting 85” of snow in Coos County.

lol you guys are so dramatic. Compared to Weymouth it would be like Alaska. Look at the view from that ridge:

Hard to believe 1500ft would be a snow hole, and I mean, even HIE is fairly snowy all things considered... just would be more around there, lol. You’d still have snow on the ground all winter I’d assume. But 1500ft in NNH can’t be a snow hole in the real sense. Looks like the ridge goes up to 1,900ft in there, that’s pretty solid.

Yeah I’d take those views for a little less snow, but that has to be 1,500ft at least if that HIE valley is 1,000ft.

Most season pass sales are doing well as people are afraid day tickets may not be available on busy days and pass holders will get first dibs... so if you want to ski, the idea is buy a pass. Also, all discount products are essentially gone in a lot of spots... you aren’t finding those gas station, supermarket discount tickets or random promotions, it’s either get a pass or buy full freight walk up tickets when capacity allows. Bus tour discounts are done this year... maybe in the past folks patched it together with various discount days to different ski areas, but that likely won’t be an option. There are definitely a variety of factors pushing people into passes this season.

That looks pretty high up? What’s the elevation?

That’s the golden NW flow spot. Climo studies all show big NW flow snows from vertically stacked lows over FVE. Really can tap that maritime moisture that way, nice conveyor belt from the ocean into the mountains.