snownut

Checking in from the Cascades where winter seems to last forever.  Working a job at a big ski Mountain I can say I am very weary of snow and winter.  Still 126” base at mid-mountain.  Actually looking forward to hot humid Virginia wedding in July LOL

Photos from my shift this morning and more snow coming.. 

IMG_4045.heicIMG_4044.heic

I have had fun working the parking crew at Mt Bachelor.  Work tomorrow and a new snow cycle rolling in.

Less than two months in the season here.  

Anyone want a 100% job in the snow let me know and I'll get get you in…  cute video of my manager boss lady..

https://youtube.com/watch?v=v4mxXdFY-kk&si=aDqNgKi9eZ36SaOP

41 minutes ago, Maestrobjwa said:

I have never been skiing...I'm not sure I've ever been in any kind of elevation at all, actually. So I'd be a complete novice! I am not at all athletic, and balance is a bit questionable...but it's something I'd be willing to dip my toe in (although given the prices mentioned here...a trip out west ain't happening any time soon, lol)

Snowshoeing, dog sledding and snowmobiling are options here through mid-April or longer. Lower cost and Zero experience is needed.  

US Olympic Cross Country team trains here in the late spring because it's nearly 100% there will be snowpack and trails.  

Had some pretty amazing winters during my 47 years living in the mid-Atlantic.

 However.. My  10th winter here in the Oregon high country has been a great choice with amazing winters. Not looking forward to being mostly in VA during retired years but end of the day family is most important… nice snowpack is a close second.;)

23 hours ago, Jebman said:

GORGEOUS PICS! I am soooooooooooooooo Jealous! All that snow! I would be blissfully digging snow for months and months and months! I would pay the plow operators hundreds of IPAs to push feet of snow where I dug so I can re-enjoy digging!

I am, very crazy about digging the snow. I never get enough snow. Not even in a place like Hoth. Not ever.

Zoom in of the cliffs today. 

Sadly an experienced skier died earlier last week.  It's a big mountain and easy to get lost or in a dangerous area.  

https://www.bendsource.com/news/bend-resident-dies-at-mt-bachelor-20766994

23 hours ago, Jebman said:

GORGEOUS PICS! I am soooooooooooooooo Jealous! All that snow! I would be blissfully digging snow for months and months and months! I would pay the plow operators hundreds of IPAs to push feet of snow where I dug so I can re-enjoy digging!

I am, very crazy about digging the snow. I never get enough snow. Not even in a place like Hoth. Not ever.

Skied today, sky cleared to bluebird after noon.  Summit still not open for deicing lift exit and avalanche blasting. I work my regular job the next 2 days so not back until the weekend.  

Some zoomed-in photos from the mid-mountain lift. 

The bowls have snow year round so it would interesting to know the current depths?  

Full winter continues here in the PNW today but I think this will be the peak depth for the season? A break in the storms and nice warmer drier pattern is setting up here.

Wife is in flight to Aldie to work on the summer wedding plans and the VA weather looks very spring-like! 

From my shift this morning.   Nov photo is the day I got my part-time job at Mt Bachelor.  The roof snow slide is just to the roof edge today.  Spring boarding and skiing will be outstanding the next 2-1/2 months.  Parking lot snow bank walls are at 20’ high or more. 

1 hour ago, Ji said:

Dry and cold. Fantastic

So much rain a nice dry stretch would be great.   10.5 since January 1st

7 hours ago, Jebman said:

Many thanks, snownut for your pics and narrative. I see you love skiing and snow! I wub these precious snow pics so much! I must add the Cascades and Mt Bachelor to my Promised Land Destinations! I yearn to roll around in some of the deep deep powder in the middle of the night when everyone is fast asleep! I want to stroll through a lot of pristine DRIFTS, too, on the sly in the middle of the night! I might need to drop by that lodge and volunteer to dig it out! I will demonstrate Jebman Standards! You guys are gonna need all the help diggin out you can get !

I fervently hope you get palisaded with more deep deep powder soon. I hope you get in some spectacular skiing in very deep powder and stay very safe! Enjoy all that snow and hopefully much much much MORE!!!!!!!!!

One of my parking crew buddies yesterday.. Pretty tall snowbanks. 

On 3/6/2024 at 3:00 AM, Jebman said:

You are gonna have so much fun in the white room! FOUR FEET of POW! You better strap on a snorkel, because massive face shots will be everywhere! Have the time of your life! Carve us out some deep prodigious turns in all that pow! Hope you guys get even MORE deep pow!

Wow man, I am so happy for you but I am also so full of jealousy! All the fresh snow! Imagine all the deep stashes! Watch it when you go off piste! Snow Immersion accidents happen and you have very deep snow! Always bring along a partner on a deep pow day! Carry an avalanche beacon and avalung if you can.

Jebman,

Skied hard for 2 hours after my shift. My legs get toasted at my age!

The summit lift lines were too long so I skied all the mid to base trails.  Basically empty since the crowds were powder chasing off the summit and west side bowls.  Hard to capture how much snow there is.  The cut out for the crossover ( See photo with ski patrol ) shows pretty well what a 155" base looks like.  Two more clear days and warmer but still more nice snows coming this weekend.  

It was pretty darn cold last night. Clear and calm with fresh snowcover so 7 degrees this morning. 

Picture one is yesterday morning with my dogs. Forecast was 1-3" then is snowed until 2:30 in the afternoon and I measured 5-1/2" at my house

Other pictures are today.  That is a 2 story lodge so its buried past the first floor.  

30 minutes ago, nj2va said:

But you’d need to live on the crazy west coast. 
 

Deal breaker. 

It's not much different than the east coast. Blue cities red countryside.  And I am 3-1/2 hours from Portland.  Almost 100% BLM / cattle ranches / wide open big sky country for 5 hours driving east until you reach Idaho…. Last check its pretty a pretty red state thereLOL..

1 hour ago, nw baltimore wx said:

Make up the spare room. I’ll be there Friday. 

Long term my wife wants to be mostly in VA.    I certainly will never forget my years living next to the PNW Cascades.  And seriously if someone from the forum made the effort to get out here we have a spare room.

Super stoked to get out tomorrow and should be a bluebird day.. 

What an unexpected winter… come visit.. We have a guest room. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1697064730523148/permalink/3823545251208408/

Spent 5 days at the VA home.  Signs of spring everywhere and wow it was so muddy! 

Got back to OR yesterday afternoon in time for another little snow here at the house.  Just measured and 3.5" overnight and 26 degrees.  Looks like is going to be 2nd or 3rd snowiest winter out of my 10 winters here. 

I work at Mt Bachelor tomorrow morning then plan to ski.  Around 50" since my last shift so conditions should be epic.  Deep solid base with 4 plus feet of powder snow on top.  

Check out the cam comparison photo at the top of Cloud Chaser lift.  First one was the snow cover back in November and then screen shot from yesterday with snow level half way up that tree.  Looks like another 8" on the snow stake last night.  

8 hours ago, Ji said:

I tried finding a house in truckee but they were so expensive!

Sent from my SM-A515U using Tapatalk
 

Our new next door neighbor in Bend is a retired professor from CA. He also owns a home in Truckee.  He is an Avid Nordic Skiier (Big reason why he bought a home in Bend) He said we have a better longer season than Truckee.

( His garage looks like a Nordic Ski shop LOL) 

The Nordic Options in Oregon are amazing. The High Schools have Nordic as a competitive sport and the US Olympic Team Trains here in the spring.  

Neighbor goes back an forth between homes as well as all over the west for Nordic Races 

Hd dinner with him last week and think he was going to Utah? I will text him and see where he is now.  I imagine his Truckee Home is buried! 

Yesterdays Nordic Report From Mount Bachelor.  Always a fun read : ( Note the comment we have just passed the 1/2 way point in the season ) 

6 hours ago, Ji said:

When is the last time we had a good February? Time to add February along with December as non winter months.

All hail to January and a few days in March! I love snow but I doubt I’ll ever see it again

Just google snowstorm videos or click on Jebmans Mammoth armageddon posts and call it a day. 

Cool straight cloud top dropping into the front about 30 minutes ago..

Grey wet and mild here at IAD which you all are used to.  
 

35 minutes ago, Met1985 said:

Oh yeah for sure and I know. You're right the past 9 years have been extremely frustrating with snowfall.  All along we are seeing a huge surge in snowpack out west. Literally they are calling for 8 to 12 feet out there this weekend.  Maybe things will end up balancing out. I know I know.  We are moving the goal posts as it is to climate and ever changing weather patterns.

My 10th season out west ( in route to family in VA right now ) This season the storms seem extra juicy.. base pack is thick with high water content and I’ll return to an above average base with higher than average water content.  This guy has a long history tracking out here.

1 hour ago, George BM said:

Yeap that's right around the time that the front should be moving through IAD give or take 15-30mins.

What kind of plane are you flying in, btw? Boeing 757? 767?

737  left on time and ETA about 20 minutes early.. very smooth fight so far.

14 hours ago, Ji said:

Are we still panicking?

What time are the storms rolling through IAD?  Probably a bumpy flight.. I am scheduled to land at 5:45

5 hours ago, psuhoffman said:

One of the reasons I've never been to Tahoe is they get too much snow.  They are extremely unreliable if you are planning a trip ahead of time because they can go a month with no snow at all then get 100" in a few days and everything shuts down while they clear roads and do avalanche mitigation.  Too much risk and headache.  Frankly SLC is getting to be too much of a headache lately with limited parking at some resorts and huge lines getting up the Canyons...starting to prefer other locations that are less of a hassle.  Colorado almost never lets me down.  

Pretty spot on and similar to Tahoe here.

Storms drag on for days even a week or more of constant snowing. I think it was December 2016 that it snowed every day of that month! 

It's hard work opening the mountain or staying open.  

I did not think about this until being a powder corp employee this season.  Be excited and supportive of every customer you meet because they have likely invested a great deal for a ski vacation. I am smiling, thumbs up "Have a great day out there" In my head I am thinking OMG what bad luck, high winds, low visibility or earlier this season icy surfaces 

CA tourist have consistently told me our snow is better than the heavy wet Tahoe snow. ( or even Mt Hood Timberline here have consistently high water content snow storms )

With that in mind 

I would not recommend a ski vacation here unless you come in late spring.  Or if you are fine having snowmobiling, snowshoeing, dog sledding or nordic as a safe backup.  If investing in a Ski Vacation then go to Colorado, Montana or Utah! They seem to have the best chance for great dry snow and sunshine days right after storms. 

In my 10 years here late march through mid april are the best. More sunshine, deep base, often all 4000 plus acres are open. And no crowds. Any late spring snowstorms roll through fast.

Ultimate ski scenario:  Being a local season pass holder you can pick and choose. Go ski 1 run and done or just forget skiing have a beer, watch the tourist struggle in harsh conditions out the lodge window and then head home.  

2 hours ago, Jebman said:

I am so jealous. Sierra is gonna get obliterated again by feet of fresh snow come late next week! Palisades and Mammoth may get buried by as much as six feet of freshies beginning as soon as March 1! If I was there then I'd be dancing around like a fracking lunatic!

Cascades crush the snow pack.  I am traveling to Virginia next week but expect a fresh 4 to even 6 feet when I return for my next shift at Mt Bachelor .. current projection is 53" 

Stunning bluebird day on my shift at Mt Bachelor this morning.  ( low level fog and snow flurries before I left along with big crowds, mostly from CA and WA areas )   

Major new winter storm cycle starting next week.  When I return from my Virginia trip the first week of March the current forecast is for a fresh 3-6' of base of new base.   

The spring ski season is a lock out here. April is my favorite ski month because it still often snows in the high country yet 15 miles away its great grilling weather and the golf courses are open. 

( Closing day this season is Sunday May 26th )

Again a surprisingly intense winter out here after a mild November and December. 

Actually looking forward to spring weather in Virginia next week.

Some low resolutions phone photos from this morning.

5 minutes ago, Ji said:

This isn’t just a weather list lol

Holidays and complex blended family add to my stress and dislike of Dec.   lol

As empty nesters now. my wife and I have already decide we are going to book a warm sunny vacation in early December this year.  

1 hour ago, Ji said:

my favorite months(including weather)

1. December 

2. January

3. February

4. November

5. March

6. October

7. September

8. August

9. June

10. May

11. April

12. July

I think I’d almost flip that exactly. Hate December. So dark and wet.  I know you love clouds and storms. 

1 minute ago, EastCoast NPZ said:

The absolute worst is the March wind. And the warm days with bare trees and no shade.  I may dislike spring even more than summer.

March is typically still wintery here.  I think our April is like your March then the rough month is May when is often stays cold and wet.  Summers ( July can be perfect ) are actually my favorite time of year out here because we have very low humidity, few bugs and almost always cool mornings ( 40's & low 50's most summer mornings ) Crazy part I'll be spending a couple weeks in wonderful VA July heat and humidity for my daughters wedding.