J.Spin

There’s a bullwheel replacement that needs to be done on the Timberline Quad (the new bullwheel has been sitting in the Timberline parking lot for at least a week or two in preparation). I was talking with a colleague just this morning about whether or not it’s possible to do that with some sort of de-tensioning system, or whether the cable has to be fully removed, but I’m guessing it’s the latter if they had to let the chairs down like that. I can see why they’ve had such strict wording on the website about Timberline recreational traffic though: I’m not sure if those photos are from someone working on the project, but if not I’d argue that’s a very dangerous place to be.

Event totals: 12.8” Snow/2.15” L.E. Details from the 10:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 0.8 inches New Liquid: 0.11 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 7.3 Snow Density: 13.8% H2O Temperature: 34.2 F Sky: Light Snow (2-10 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 11.0 inches

Event totals: 12.0” Snow/2.04” L.E. There’s certainly been some diurnal nature to the snow density over the past 24 hours down here in the bottom of the Winooski Valley – it was up in the 11-12% H2O range yesterday, then came down to roughly 8% H2O overnight, and today’s accumulation was back up to the ~18% H2O we had near the beginning of the storm. Indeed the snowfall has been bringing plenty of liquid equivalent with it though – we picked up almost a third of an inch in the past 10 hours and the total storm liquid has passed two inches. It’s got to be even more liquid equivalent than that in the mountains, so what a superb shot of liquid for the snowpack. Details from the 4:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 1.8 inches New Liquid: 0.32 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 5.6 Snow Density: 17.8% H2O Temperature: 34.2 F Sky: Light Snow (2-12 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 11.5 inches

Speaking of the western slopes, my older son was out of school yesterday due to the snow, so we were able to get out for a tour at Bolton in the afternoon. The BV snow report indicates that Timberline is strictly closed to traffic right now (perhaps due to chairlift work) so we headed up to the main base for our tour, and that turned out to be a great starting point. We did numerous snow depth checks and found 18-20” of accumulation at the 2,000’ level. I think the storm must have been snow right from the start above 2,000’ because there really wasn’t any depth increase beyond that, even up above 3,000’. In any event 18-20” is pretty hefty, so thank god there were well established skin tracks in place. Temperatures were in the upper 20s at 2,000’, so all the snow up there was quite dry. It certainly wasn’t Champlain Powder™ fluff, but it was nice medium-weight powder with a right-side-up distribution and the skiing was fantastic – definitely a day for the fat boards. I was surprised to see the resort only reporting only 14” of new snow, so either that was earlier, or some of the underlying snow blended with the new snow, but it certainly didn’t seem that way. The actual action photography was quite a challenge because we’re talking oncoming dusk, late November light, and continued snowfall, but I used my brightest lens and we did our best with the light we had. I’ve added a few shots from the tour below, and there are some others in the report linked above.

Event totals: 10.2” Snow/1.72” L.E. After the past couple rounds of snow being in the 11-12% H2O range, this one came in around 8% H2O. We’ve still been generally above freezing down at our site, but we’re slightly cooler and flake structure may have changed as well to promote the loftier accumulations. Details from the 6:00 A.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 1.4 inches New Liquid: 0.11 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 12.7 Snow Density: 7.9% H2O Temperature: 33.8 F Sky: Light Snow (2-10 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 9.5 inches

Event totals: 8.8” Snow/1.61” L.E. Details from the 12:00 A.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 1.4 inches New Liquid: 0.17 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 8.2 Snow Density: 12.1% H2O Temperature: 33.4 F Sky: Snow (3-15 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 9.0 inches

Event totals: 7.4” Snow/1.44” L.E. Details from the 6:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 1.4 inches New Liquid: 0.16 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 8.8 Snow Density: 11.4% H2O Temperature: 33.8 F Sky: Light Snow (2-5 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 8.0 inches

Event totals: 6.0” Snow/1.28” L.E. I headed in to Burlington this morning to take care of some errands and get a bit of work done, and found that snowfall rates increased substantially as went westward. The flakes were quite large, 10 to 30 mm in diameter, and snowfall rates were often very heavy, with visibility in the ¼ mile range. Heading back home to Waterbury, that heavy snowfall was with me all the way, and the radar shows how impressive some of these returns are, with a few 40-45 db pixels showing up in the Burlington area on the composite radar (image below). Snowfall intensity is fairly high here at the house now as well – it seems to be running in the 1-2”/hr. range. From the radar it really looks like there’s some pivoting, or certainly some sort of directional shift going on: Details from the 12:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 4.1 inches New Liquid: 0.47 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 8.7 Snow Density: 11.5% H2O Temperature: 34.9 F Sky: Heavy Snow (5-30 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 8.0 inches

Event totals: 1.9” Snow/0.81” L.E. Watching The Weather Channel yesterday evening, I noticed that this current storm has been named Winter Storm Bruce due to its impacts thus far. Temperatures here in the Winooski Valley have come down just a bit overnight allowing for better accumulation than what we had yesterday evening at the start of the event. Details from the 6:00 A.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 1.8 inches New Liquid: 0.33 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 5.5 Snow Density: 18.3% H2O Temperature: 34.0 F Sky: Snow (3-12 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 5.0 inches

Event totals: 0.1” Snow/0.47” L.E. Snow has been mixed in with rain much of the evening, but I first noticed around 11:00 P.M. that the precipitation was fully over to snow and it was accumulating, so I emptied the rain gauge and cleared the snowboards. Details from the 11:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 0.1 inches New Liquid: 0.04 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 2.5 Snow Density: 40.0% H2O Temperature: 34.7 F Sky: Snow (2-18 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 4.0 inches

I see that there’s been an update to the BTV NWS projected accumulations map. Notably in this area they’ve added some of the 12-18” shading to the high elevations along the spine, and there’s more snow noted in SVT with better blending being done.

Well said, and I totally agree – there are even fewer posters now and/or they post less frequently, so the NNE thread moves at a very manageable pace. I’m not sure if we really need a whole thread for the 5 or 6 of us that will be documenting/discussing this event. “You got bullied into that courtroom, Danny, by everyone. By Dawson. By Galloway. Sh!t, I practically dared you. You got bullied into that courtroom by the memory of a dead lawyer.”

The BTV NWS forecast discussion did have some thoughts on totals at elevation for this storm cycle through Wednesday. These are generally in line with the Mansfield upper elevation point forecast, and presumably apply for similar spots at elevation like Jay Peak, depending on how the backside of the storm plays out: “When all is said and done at the end of Wednesday night, the spine of the Greens and high peaks of the Dacks will have 12 to 18 inches of snow. I won`t be surprised to hear of somewhere getting 2 feet. As we become more under the influence of the upper level low, snow ratios will be 10-13 to 1.”

I got an alert on my phone that we’re under a Winter Storm Warning here in Washington County, and I see that maps are up from the BTV NWS. Summed up through Wednesday the forecast here at our place is roughly 6-12”, but I’m sure temps in the lower elevations will have a lot to say about how that plays out. The advisories map is quite a collection of colors, with Winter Storm Warnings Focused around the center of the state, and the projected accumulations map suggests that area could see 8-12” of snow along the higher elevations of the spine.

The BTV NWS is thinking the potential is there for 0.1-0.2 inches of freezing rain, with 0.2-0.5 inches of total liquid. So it looks like we can add some liquid to the snowpack, but there isn’t really any snow with this system. I just cored the pack here and it currently has 0.99 inches of liquid in it.

Roger that, and the concepts discussed will apply to whatever models you consider when it comes to waterproofing/function. I tend to go overboard on stuff that really matters, like a pair of gloves that needs to be functional, warm, and dry, for hundreds of days out in the mountains. Indeed those models are a bit on the pricy side compared to some, but it’s easier to justify when I expect to get a decade or two of top performance out of them.

Event totals: 4.0” Snow/0.27” L.E. We were out of town most of the day yesterday on holiday travel, so the final snow from the cold front/squalls that we had in the morning is being reported today. Details from the 6:00 A.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 0.4 inches New Liquid: 0.03 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 13.3 Snow Density: 7.5% H2O Temperature: -1.5 F Sky: Clear Snow at the stake: 8.0 inches

I assumed these were fairly farm/yard work focused, so wasn’t going to add anything, but since you brought in the skier aspect, perhaps they don’t need to be super hard-core oriented in that direction? From a seams (i.e. easy water penetration points) per square inch of fabric standpoint, gloves are simply ridiculous, so as was mentioned, Gore-Tex (or other equivalent waterproof breathable fabric) with taped seams is the best bet. The next thing to think about is how much dexterity you need. If you have certain tasks that require a lot of dexterity, you’ll want a modular/insert system with a fairly thin insert where you can take off the outer portion of the glove and still have your hands reasonably covered for the detail tasks. In my case, the detail work is photography out in the elements, where bulky gloves are just not going to cut it when you’re trying to run the camera. My ideal system is a leather/Gore-Tex outer gauntlet (the longer the better) that has the insulation and retention cords, and then an uninsulated light to mid-weight synthetic or leather Gore-Tex inner with excellent dexterity. I have a fantastic pair of Marmot gloves that are just about perfect, short of the full/mostly leather outer. I got about 20 years out of them (which says a lot because we’re talking 40-60 ski days a season over that period) but they got to the point where I had sewn them so many times that they were simply running out of fabric. They’re now my snowblower, winter yard work, winter play gloves because they’re fine for stuff in the yard, but they’re not necessarily going to cut it for a full day out in the elements. Unfortunately that exact model no longer exists, so I’ve got a couple of pairs that I used now, and I can give you the pros and cons on those from my perspective: https://www.marmot.com/ultimate-ski-glove/14160.html Pros: Leather where it counts, Gore-Tex, gauntlets, retention cords Cons: They’re not modular, and not meant to be, so for an insert I have to use a very thin liner for an inner, or I’d have to move a size up and lose a lot of dexterity when the outers are on. Also, the gauntlets are too short in my opinion. https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/ski-gloves/guide-BD801516_cfg.html Pros: Tons of leather where it counts, Gore-Tex, nice long gauntlets Cons: These are modular, but the outer is the leather, and the inner is the bulky layer with the insulation. This isn’t going to cut it for my dexterity needs, so I supply my own dexterous medium or heavyweight inners depending on the temperature. These also don’t come with retention cords for whatever reason, so I had to supply my own. My wife has the finger version, which is a good way to go if you want more warmth but still want to retain that index finger dexterity: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/ski-gloves/guide-finger-BD801521_cfg.html And obviously they’ve got full mitt versions as well, but that depends on what sort of balance you need between warmth and dexterity. Mitts do have less exterior seams, so they can be even more solid with respect to waterproofing. Finally, even with the Gore-Tex, if you want to bomb proof these further for waterproofing and maximum breathability, you’ll want to hit the leather with a waterproofing treatment. If you want the Gore-Tex to have maximum breathability, you can’t have any water sitting on the outer surface of the garment. Ideally you want to treat the non-leather surfaces as well, but for the leather parts you can use something like Nikwax leather waterproofing: https://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/productdetail.php?productid=503 Anyway, that’s probably more info than you may have needed, and you have think about the balance between your warmth/dexterity priorities, but hopefully others can benefit from the discussion. I have a lot of years of experience working on keeping hands dry in the mountains in winter for my needs, so I figured I’d share the things I’ve learned.

I was ski touring at Bolton Valley yesterday with a colleague from work and our sons, so I can pass along some snow observations and photos. As I mentioned earlier, we were out when that first round of squalls hit, and that was quite impressive with visibilities below 100 feet at times on the mountain. I generally found 16 to 20 inches of snow in the 1,500’ to 2,500’ elevation range, but it’s getting hard to tell how much base there is below some of that snow now that the pack is starting to settle in with more compression from above. The report from the Mt. Mansfield Stake yesterday was 23 inches, so it seems like snowpack depths in the 3,000’ – 4,000’ elevation range in this area are around that 2-foot mark. With the heavy snow squalls coming through, the weather on our tour was quite variable, ranging from whiteout to near sunshine with breaks in the clouds. So it was a fantastic workout for the waterproof breathable gear, and especially the photo gear. If you want to test the limits of your camera and lenses, shooting in 2+ inch per hour snowfall with driving winds is a great way to do it. I’ve got some photos below, and additional photos and text are in the report linked above.

Event totals: 3.6” Snow/0.24” L.E. I was surprised to find that the precipitation was still rolling right along when I got up this morning, but been there’s a steady light snow out there that the BTV NWS says is from the continued northwest flow. It’s not really visible on radar, but with the continuous snow it definitely feels like winter in the Northern Greens. Details from the 6:00 A.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 0.9 inches New Liquid: 0.07 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 12.9 Snow Density: 7.8% H2O Temperature: 5.2 F Sky: Light Snow (1-3 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 8.0 inches

Event totals: 2.7” Snow/0.17” L.E. Details from the 8:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 1.0 inches New Liquid: 0.05 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 20.0 Snow Density: 5.0% H2O Temperature: 15.8 F Sky: Light Snow (1-4 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 8.0 inches

Precipitation had generally tapered off here, but it really picked back up with some moderate snow as these later bands started pushing through:

It depends on your interests, but when it comes to active winter weather, it’s hard to get much better than the cams in the mountains of NNE. Below are some I have hot linked in my bookmarks bar, and some of the guys here in the NNE thread have their own as well if you want something outside from the resorts. Bolton Valley’s cam has been particularly impressive now that they’ve turned it on for the season, it seems like they might have upgraded it. It streams live in HD on Youtube – this morning we had it on our 70” screen, checking on the snowfall as we got ready for touring, watching the coming and going of the people skinning, seeing what mountain operations was up to, etc. It’s above 2,000’ which is nice. The Lincoln Peak Snow Cam at Sugarbush doesn’t stream live, but it’s up around 4,000’ is great for checking on the snow line/accumulation in conjunction with other cams. http://www.boltonvalley.com/webcam https://www.madriverglen.com/live-web-cam/ https://www.sugarbush.com/mountain/webcams/ https://www.stowe.com/the-mountain/mountain-conditions/mountain-cams.aspx https://www.killington.com/the-mountain/webcams/mountain

Event totals: 1.7” Snow/0.12” L.E. We were ski touring up at the mountain when that first round of squalls came through – visibility was down below 100 feet at times, so the snowfall rates must have been way up there. I will say it was the kind of snowfall where you put your gear down for a few moments, and small stuff could be easily lost because of how fast it became covered. I took observations once we were back at 2:00 P.M. and we’d picked up 1.7 inches of snow here at the house. Details from the 2:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 1.7 inches New Liquid: 0.12 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 14.2 Snow Density: 7.1% H2O Temperature: 32.4 F Sky: Heavy Snow (1-10 mm flakes) Snow at the stake: 7.5 inches

Yes, sounds good. I thought I’d posted maps in the thread earlier, but I guess I got distracted after putting together the message: The BTV NWS has put out a Special Weather Statement for today’s potential snow due to it being a fairly significant holiday travel day. Current maps are below.