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Fall Banter and General Discussion


Baroclinic Zone
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1 hour ago, ORH_wxman said:

Skiing is a hobby for Phin, so no need to rush spring up there. Some of the best skiing is during March and early April with the mountains draped in an entire winter's worth of snow pack.......and also when you don't have to bundle up like you are Shackleton on an Antarctica expedition.

March and (in many years) early April is what Ginxy and I have long called "the best open secret in New England" for skiing.

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.

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1 minute ago, ORH_wxman said:

That's a good price for a driveway that long....whats the threshold for plowing though? If it's like 2 inches, then you might have a lot of plow bills.....lol.

They said they are there every day in some patterns.  I guess if I leave to much snow the lower layer freezes solid and slick and becomes really hard to remove. 

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37 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

About $80 a plow is what the guy says he charges. I have no way to know if that is a good price or not...

It's a solid quarter mile of driveway with a loop and a big open area that needs to be cleared. Seemed reasonable.

$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.

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Just now, PhineasC said:

They said they are there every day in some patterns.  I guess if I leave to much snow the lower layer freezes solid and slick and becomes really hard to remove. 

Yeah that's tough if you leave it be too....you end up with a slab of ice like 3-6 inches thick if you just let is pack down. Turns into a glacier. If you start spending full winters there in the future, you might as well invest in getting a plow yourself....you can probably get a good one for a snowy climate like that put on your truck/SUV for about 3k. Prob would pay for itself within 2 winters, lol.

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3 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

They said they are there every day in some patterns.  I guess if I leave to much snow the lower layer freezes solid and slick and becomes really hard to remove. 

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.

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3 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

$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.

Yeah, I figured I will get a winter under my belt and then see if I can tackle it myself. I just have no basis for what to expect this winter. 

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4 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

$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.

Yeah this.

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2 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Yeah, I figured I will get a winter under my belt and then see if I can tackle it myself. I just have no basis for what to expect this winter. 

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

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A lot of guys will plow for a seasonal rate and not "by the storm" and that might be cheaper too....I've had a lot of clients over the years that were plow guys/companies.

They will often charge a seasonal rate but then might charge extra over a certain amount of snow. That's when I often had to do forensic reporting for them....someone would claim to the plow guy they got 75" of snow instead of 110" and the contract stated anything over 80" would have extra charges....so they'd try and claim they didn't go over 80", LOL.

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24 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

$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.

I was going to suggest to him to find an old beater with a plow plus a mid size tractor with a bucket but i didn't know how much of the time he is going to be there, It will pretty much snow everyday there during the winter so if its the 2" threshold, That will end up rivaling the heat bill...............:yikes:

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3 minutes ago, dryslot said:

I was going to suggest to him to find an old beater with a plow but i didn't know how much of the time he is going to be there, It will pretty much snow everyday there during the winter so if its the 2" threshold, That will end up rivaling the heat bill...............:yikes:

If I was spending almost every day up there in the winter, I'd just find a heavy duty hydraulic plow for 3k or something and slap it onto the front of a truck....I might even buy an old used pickup just for the plow stuff. Guess he can see how the first winter goes....then decide, lol.

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30 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

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.

That happened to my father down here in one of the early 90s winters. He was stuck under his car holding on to the edge, took him half an hour to feed himself.

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7 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

If I was spending almost every day up there in the winter, I'd just find a heavy duty hydraulic plow for 3k or something and slap it onto the front of a truck....I might even buy an old used pickup just for the plow stuff. Guess he can see how the first winter goes....then decide, lol.

Most up here in the Rangeley/Eustis as well as the Northern Maine area all have secondary trucks or plows and take care of there own, Plowing really raises hell on a truck and was the reason why i never put one on my Duramax, But you can pick up a good older used one to do just that to maintain the driveway road worthy or not, He will figure it out but from the sounds of it, He's dealing with a lot of snow annually, Great problem to have ha ha.

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4 minutes ago, dryslot said:

Most up here in the Rangeley/Eustis as well as the Northern Maine area all have secondary trucks or plows and take care of there own, Plowing really raises hell on a truck and was the reason why i never put one on my Duramax, But you can pick up a good older used one to do just that to maintain the driveway road worthy or not, He will figure it out but from the sounds of it, He's dealing with a lot of snow annually, Great problem to have ha ha.

Yeah...I just actually looked, and it seems you can get pretty good hydraulic plows for even between 1-2k new....cheaper if used. I might splurge on a heavy duty version though if I was up there, lol.

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2 hours ago, ORH_wxman said:

Skiing is a hobby for Phin, so no need to rush spring up there. Some of the best skiing is during March and early April with the mountains draped in an entire winter's worth of snow pack.......and also when you don't have to bundle up like you are Shackleton on an Antarctica expedition.

March and (in many years) early April is what Ginxy and I have long called "the best open secret in New England" for skiing.

So many many years of skiing basically all alone cept some locals late into April. Many years my tan was well established before summer began down here. Light coats, no gloves, sun glasses instead of goggles, beer flowing with that hippie vibe for days. I camped out in a tent with no problem in the early 90s one late April, skied all day, trout fished before dark. It just didn't get any better.  Miss it more than anyone here can imagine.  Get it while you can my friends.  

Really look forward to Phin crying for his Momma. Can someone please post the link to his Cam. I lost it

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19 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

Yeah...I just actually looked, and it seems you can get pretty good hydraulic plows for even between 1-2k new....cheaper if used. I might splurge on a heavy duty version though if I was up there, lol.

Ha, I know i would just pick up a plow truck, But then again i have ran heavy equipment before and i would have fun playing around every storm.

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Just now, dryslot said:

Ha, I know i would, But then again i have ran heavy equipment before and i would have fun playing around every storm.

 Back in the day my brother in law, rest his soul, let a young buck run his 1970 John Deere tractor to clean his half mile driveway of  1 to 2 feet of snow. About as much fun as it gets. That was my first taste of real plowing.  Granted I got stuck but thats another story lol 

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Just now, Ginx snewx said:

 Back in the day my brother in law, rest his soul, let a young buck run his 1970 John Deere tractor to clean his half mile driveway of  1 to 2 feet of snow. About as much fun as it gets. That was my first taste of real plowing.  Granted I got stuck but thats another story lol 

Getting stuck is half the fun................:lol:

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18 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said:

So many many years of skiing basically all alone cept some locals late into April. Many years my tan was well established before summer began down here. Light coats, no gloves, sun glasses instead of goggles, beer flowing with that hippie vibe for days. I camped out in a tent with no problem in the early 90s one late April, skied all day, trout fished before dark. It just didn't get any better.  Miss it more than anyone here can imagine.  Get it while you can my friends.  

Really look forward to Phin crying for his Momma. Can someone please post the link to his Cam. I lost it

https://video.nest.com/live/cfvTL567uL

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20 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said:

So many many years of skiing basically all alone cept some locals late into April. Many years my tan was well established before summer began down here. Light coats, no gloves, sun glasses instead of goggles, beer flowing with that hippie vibe for days. I camped out in a tent with no problem in the early 90s one late April, skied all day, trout fished before dark. It just didn't get any better.  Miss it more than anyone here can imagine.  Get it while you can my friends.  

Really look forward to Phin crying for his Momma. Can someone please post the link to his Cam. I lost it

At the end of winter 09/10 in MD I cried for momma. I had water running down my walls from the ice damming. 

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15 hours ago, ORH_wxman said:

Yeah I don’t know the exact number up there. The Lancaster coop averages like 70”. Sometimes coops are too low if they truly only measure once per day at the same exact time. Not sure if Lancaster does or not. I haven’t scrutinized the coop data there very closely.

But based off of snow cover maps and having driven up there frequently, it’s not a whole lot more than that even if it’s wrong. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen bare ground or nearly bare ground there when every other direction was deep snow pack. 

The co-op in Fort Kent is a prime example.  Folks from that area know well that FK usually has more snow and deeper pack than CAR but the records show the opposite.  From 1989-90 thru 2019-20 (without 2-02-03 and 03-04 as FK has missing months), CAR's average is 120.3" while FK's is 98.1".  In the 5 winters that we lived in town within a mile or 2 and 20' elevation, 76-77 thru 80-81, my average was 126.2", FK 102.3", CAR 117.7".  When we moved to the back settlement at 970', about 450 above our former home, my average was 144.0", FK 92.9", CAR 118.7".

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1 hour ago, dryslot said:

I was going to suggest to him to find an old beater with a plow plus a mid size tractor with a bucket but i didn't know how much of the time he is going to be there, It will pretty much snow everyday there during the winter so if its the 2" threshold, That will end up rivaling the heat bill...............:yikes:

 

58 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

If I was spending almost every day up there in the winter, I'd just find a heavy duty hydraulic plow for 3k or something and slap it onto the front of a truck....I might even buy an old used pickup just for the plow stuff. Guess he can see how the first winter goes....then decide, lol.

I don't want him jinxing winter by being completely prepared.  If he puts that much $$ into getting ready for winter it will just be dud.  I propose that he not even buy a snow shovel.  At most he should get one of those electric, single stage snowblowers.

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16 minutes ago, mreaves said:

 

I don't want him jinxing winter by being completely prepared.  If he puts that much $$ into getting ready for winter it will just be dud.  I propose that he not even buy a snow shovel.  At most he should get one of those electric, single stage snowblowers.

Don’t worry, I am totally unprepared. I don’t even have a snow shovel yet. 

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