RDM

Was watching some Tim Conway and Harvey Norman on Youtube and got to thinking... (and there's no correlation to this at all other than idle thoughts). If we could pay for snow, how much would we be willing to pay? For say... a foot? 2? 3? or more? I'd pay $1000 for 2 feet and not think twice about it. Probably pay $5k for 4' Of course I'd have to hide the Visa bill from my wife. Any other "bids" out there?

Been 34 here the last several hours and now down to 33, and of course... rain... sigh...

PSU - that's hilarious and very coincidental as our exchange student (Luis) asked the same thing. Well, he didn't say it outright because his limited English prevent getting anything close to a complex thought out. What he did was point to a picture of Santa and asked if Santa is here - in Ohio. He was shaking so much from the combination of jet lag, fright, cold and sheer terror we thought he was going to pass out. And that was just from the walk off the plane into the terminal. When we walked outside the terminal to the parking lot he almost went into convulsions. Don't remember how cold it was at the time, maybe teens or 20's, which was normal for Ohio back then.

Haha - get ready Stormtracker. The potential experience for you and your relative reminds me of the Brazilian foreign exchange student we had stay with my family 6 months when I was in HS in Ohio. When he arrived in Feb of 77 the ONLY word of English he spoke was "COLD". The look in his eyes when he got off the plane spoke of sheer terror as he'd never contemplated such a hellish cold environment could exist. The extent of his winter clothes was a light weight sweater, so our first trip was to the local mall to buy him a winter coat. (He'd never seen a mall either). He stuck it out, but I'll never forget the look on his face when he got off the plane.

Sadly you're right... We don't have enough fun anymore. (tic) A few bad eggs who take things too far ruin things for everyone. Happy New Year.

Same here. Remember visiting my dad's family in Colorado Springs, CO in 72 for July 4th. Our uncle placed two Silver Salutes under a wash tub, which failed to achieve the desired elevation after liftoff. So he put two M-8-'s under the wash tub and proceeded to blow it into the top of a nearby tree trailing a nice plume of smoke. Then he had to find a way to get it out of the tree as our grandma laughed like crazy watching 3 of her grown sons (including our dad) play with potentially lethal fireworks. That night we had a pop bottle rocket war between our family at grandma's house and the neighbor's across the street. That only stopped when a rocket came in grandma's front door and exploded in the entry-way, to the tune of hysterics by everyone. Those were the good ole days...

Same here NW of Vienna. Someone not too far away is lighting off some big boomers. Sounds like M-80 material or bigger. The cloud deck helps enhance the effect...

ROTFLMAO - That's how I felt during the Christmas rainmaggedon when we were at 33F the whole *&!@# day. Have to ask, how many decimal places do you have pi memorized? Happy New Year.

Thanks much, I'll see your bump and raise you a bump.

99 pages of December banter. Will we hit 100 before someone starts the new thread for Jan 2021??? (Then we can all rejoice and say good riddance to 2020!!!)

Where's Jeb at? If he sees that map he'll be chasing for sure. That sort of dump or anything close to it would be crippling to that part of TX (yea, I know, it's a clown map, but...)

Wow, after a day of relative bliss for Christmas, the tension in the Jan Med/LR is getting deep and thick. Looking like the Reaper is going to be very busy if the models don't lock onto something soon, and keep it locked in right up to some sort of payday. The terse replies and sharp elbows are testimony as to why so many have departed the forum.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Hope 2021 brings everyone on our humble planet a break from the trials of 2020. For all on the forum, safe travels if you venture onto the highways. May early 2021 bring the proverbial MECS that all models sniff out a week in advance, lock onto and are unwavering right until the event unfolds and we're all out enjoying the solitude of a Jebwalk. May everyone in the MA get dumped on to their hearts content to provide the much needed "fix" we all desperately need for this cursed hobby (to some) and profession (the red taggers). Henceforth may all banger stay in Banter and may I get more than the normal lump of coal. Although, considering the events of 2020, I'd be happy with that.

Yup - you are quite astute as normal Mappy. You pick up on things many others don't. haha

Can't resist and no intent to stir up something, but when has Bastardi not hyped the weather? That was his M/O in his early days back in the 90's. He was always juicing things up.

I skied Squaw in early 92 - Feb I think. Great to hear they've relaxed policies and opened things up out west. The liability situation back then was out of control. Skiing is an inherently risky endeavor and it's incumbent upon all participants to take the necessary precautions. Used to love going out of bounds - with beacon, shovel and probe poles of course. FYI - the Japanese thought it was crazy to go under the rope. There's a rope there so that means ya gotta stay on the trail side of it (intentional sarcasm there). The trails get so crowded in Japan it's incredible to just watch the draconian motion in play, which mere feet on the other side of the rope is amazing powder most avid skiers would die for. Overall, Japan has absolutely some of the best snow I've ever encountered. Hiked up and skied down Mt. Fuji with 2 snow-boarders in 97. That was an unforgettable experience I'll likely never be able to do again. Was a crystal clear day with unlimited visibility. There's some great back-country routes in the Alps and a lot of ski-touring if you're into that. It's a great way to get off the beaten path. Most of the Europeans use randonee equipment and the hut routes can get crowded in late Spring. Also a lot of glaciers, which pose hazards of multiple forms. Sadly, I've not skied for several years. Still have all the gear, but my conditioning is currently non-existent and hitting the slopes would be ugly. The last 10 years have taken a toll with too much work etc, but it's better than the alternative. In general, the Alps are more stark in elevation contrast compared to out west (a very general comparison). In the Rockies, where I've traveled a lot, when you go down in the valley bottoms you're still at 6k feet ASL or more. In the Alps, the bottom of the valleys are maybe 2-3k feet ASL, depending on where you are. On the down side, Skiing in the Alps can be crowded (although nowhere near as crowded as Japan). Especially during Spring break and everyone who skis takes a week in the Spring time to go skiing (normally in March or April). Sometimes the backups on the autobahn can be 100+ km long and legendary. Likewise, the lines to get on lifts can be very aggressive by US standards. It's akin to herding cows and the bull with the sharpest horns gets ahead. You have to get used to having everyone ski on top of your skis. They say you only ski on the bottoms, so don't worry about the tops. If you do ever get the inclination to try out the Alps, let me know. Happy to provide some ideas on where to go and which places are over-rated, like St. Moritz (pass - it's just a money sink). Not sure how many resorts I skied in Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria, too many to count. Of them all, the Austrians are the most laid back and the French are bastards in ski lines. But, Val d,Isere has over 220 lifts and is worth the trek. Skied a week there 2 times and never took all the lifts. An absolute must-see is Zermatt. The first time you see the Matterhorn will be an unforgettable experience.

Wasn't sure what or where Revelstoke is. (looked it up) It used to be Jackson Hole and Whistler Blackcomb vied for the greatest vertical in N. America at around 4000' of vertical. But that info is dated and I see Revelstoke has a little over 5000' of vertical. Cool. Only place west of Ohio I've skied was Squaw Valley. It was disappointing after the Alps. The snow was great quality. It was the terrain that was a let down. And the rules... don't do this, don't do that, can't ski there or the Ski Patrol will punch your ticket and/or arrest you. It was crazy. In the Alps you can ski anyplace you want, but are held responsible if you muck up and/or get injured off-piste. If you've never skied the Alps before, highly recommend it.

PSU, Agree on the skating angle. It helped me a lot with skiing too. Been an avid roller skater and speed skater on quads and inlines for nearly 60 years. Played hockey on quads in the 70's and 80s, but with inlines I've only used racing inlines with low cut boots and big wheels. The balance, sliding/drifting and weight transfer on skates is definitely an asset to getting down the hill. My first time skiing was on a "massive" hill in Ohio with a 300 foot drop NW of Columbus. The second time in my life was the next year in Switzerland summer skiing on the glacier in the shadow of the Matterhorn. Relatively benign terrain for an expert, but terrifying for a second time beginner. Went there with a Swiss foreign exchange student who stayed with my family for a year during HS in Ohio, and then again for a year during college. She was bored to death on the glacier, but graciously helped me survived. (The Swiss are born with skis on their feet). Little did I know then in 81 that I'd be living in Germany just a few years later and make dozens of trips to Zermatt where I skied my arsh off. Skiing just one day in Zermatt with more than 8000 feet of vertical is more skiing than an entire season of going every weekend to 7-Springs in PA (which I used to do when single). Spent a lot of time at the Springs with a great group of telemark skiers. Fond memories of many late nights in the Foggy Goggle. Ahhh, the good ole days...

Skiing is a tough sport. It's cold, very expensive, and takes a lot of practice and significant investment of time and resources ($) to get proficient enough to even begin to enjoy it. I was not fortunate enough nor financially enabled to start early - first time I skied was as a senior in high school and it was an ugly experience. Tried it again after college when I had the time and a little more resources, but never took any lessons. Just did it. Then my first assignment in Europe in the late 80's I dove in full bore. Skied all over the Alps, and then Japan and New Zealand later on and have some great memories. Started on alpine skis in the 80's (the "normal" skis). A lot of people get turned off to skiing from the onset by the clanky, bulky and extremely uncomfortable plastic alpine boots which can be a challenge to fit properly and even more difficult to walk in. I transitioned to telemark skis and leather boots in the late 80's and have never gone back to alpine gear since. Telemark is also known as free heel skin since the binding only latches onto the front of the boot. You see folks doing downhill bending down on one knee on ever corner. The gear is much lighter, has the option to use leather boots, which are actually comfortable to walk in and can accept ice crampons if you are hiking up steep terrain in the mountains. Likewise, you can put skins on the bottom of the telemark skis and climb uphill to go off-piste to get to fresh powder - meaning, you can ski anyplace there is a hill and don't need a lift. Just a thought as an alternative means to enjoying the skiing experience, with ski gear that is far more comfortable too.

Agree - the ground was not all THAT cold, but just cold enough. Got down to 25 here last night just NW of Vienna, which helped. Got almost 2" today before the flip to rain with only marginal sleet. Much of the snow still remains, albeit the yard is a water logged swamp of mush. Max temp never got above 33F all day - we're just far enough away from Tyson's to be out of the immediate UHI effect, but not far enough... Back down to 31 now with the wind shift out of the NW, and still raining. If the band inbound from the SW holds, maybe the rates and mixing can change over to sn to give everyone a nice coating on top.

Stuck at 33F for the last couple of hours here NW of Vienna - with driving rain. Ended up with about 2" before the switch to sleet and then rain (not much sleet). Can anyone give some insight on the timeline for the change back to sn and the prognosis for the region after the flip back.. Tks. (intentionally avoiding the "mby" here)

Been raining with sleet mixing in for about 2 hours now at 32F. This is torture.

Transition to sleet just started here NW of Vienna. Still steady at 29F

Holding steady at 29F here just NW of Vienna with Sn/Sn+ approaching 1". Lawyers road caved an hour ago even though they covered in in brine yesterday. Traffic is crawling.

Down to 26F/24dp here just NW of Vienna. Normal for us to be cooler than the Tyson's UHI - just enough outside of that UHI to matter. Interesting how closely the frozen precip line on the HRR approximates the Fall Line, which was mentioned at several spots in the thread the last couple of days.