TR: Route 10sk8

By: Greg
September 26, 2011 8:50 pm | Category: Full Trip Report, Longboarding, Summer, WebiGNARs | Comment | Permalink

A quick reminder on how life works, how numbers work, and how you get to smile.
click the picture to read the Full TR

Click the picture or here to read Route 10sk8


TR: South Early Winter Spire

By: Sam
September 20, 2011 1:19 am | Category: Full Trip Report | Permalink

Winter is on the way, so we’ve been trying to squeeze the last out of summer here in Washington. Tess and I headed up to Washington pass to climb South Early winter spire last week. Click the photo for the full TR.


Winter is coming.

September 20, 2011 1:08 am | Category: Quick Update | 2 Comments | Permalink

You can feel it in the air.  Fall is here, and winter’s knocking on the door step.  Winter did more then knock in Vermont, it gave a little preview of what’s to come as you can see in Greg‘s post – The Holy Zero °C Strikes Back.

This evening Andy Anderson and I took off from the valley to see what kind of trouble we could rustle up at Alta Ski Area.  It’s great to walk a ski area right before it’s getting ready to snow.  You can memorize where new dead-fall is and where rocks you’ve long since forgotten live.

We assumed the sunset watching position on everyone’s favorite perch mid-way up the Baldy Shoulder.

The sun was making itself sparse, and we took the surroundings in.

As we we’re watching the last vestiges of light, Andy decided to race the final rays up the side of the bomb house.

There is plenty of 10/11 snow sticking around.  And a dusting of 11/12 snow left from the weekend. New snow on top of old snow?!?!?! WINTER IS COMING.

We hustled our way down the mountain in search of tacos and beer, but not before catching a final glimpse of the waning light.



The Holy Zero °C Strikes Back

By: Greg
September 19, 2011 5:58 pm | Category: Skiing | 10 Comments | Permalink

Last year, about this time in fact, our relations with the Holy Zero °C were cool, and the temps were high. This year however, the relations have been warmer, and correspondingly, the temps have chilled. Needless to say, we were all excited when we got an audience with His Excellency high in New Hampshire.
snow on Mt. Washington in September 2011
snow on Mt. Washington in September 2011

We thought about bringing snowblades to grease the wheels of the discussions, but decided that wasn’t cool enough. Instead, we brought something that has made talks go smoothly for eons.
greasing the wheels

Kristin hates the taste of warmth, and clearly is looking forward to the cool taste of winter!
Kristin's reaction to the taste of warmth

The meetings went well. The Grand Puhbah insisted we have nothing to fear, and everything to look forward to. He then left the mountain and told us to, “enjoy the show.” No one really knew what that meant, but we decided to stick around and watch the sunset. With some time to kill we took on some alpine bouldering problems in hiking boots. Ashley probably got the FA of a V.fun here:
Ashley takes on an alpine bouldering problem

Time passed. Temps dropped. The sun set behind a cloud, and all we got was a great colored sky.
a brilliant sky

We’re all geared up, and ready for the next real snow. Enjoy the fall into winter!


And We’re Back….F(lake)-KNA (UPDATED)

September 12, 2011 9:02 pm | Category: Weather | 12 Comments | Permalink

Hot-Damn! It feels like it’s been a long time since I wrote about freezing weather and frankly I’ve started to miss you guys. It’s been quite a ride since we last talked and you know what….I’m ready for the continunity of winter. I’m ready for snows.
Wait before we do this we need some tunes….

Done.

Ok so back to the topic at hand- cold weather.

A few weeks ago I tweeted (twatted? Tweeped? Twittered?) that I felt stongly that we’ll see some flakes in September. I could go in debth as to why I felt this way but lets just go with “history agrees” and I have a gut feeling.
Now we all know that snow isn’t made without some cold air. Which is exactly what’s going to get delivered this weekend.

On Thursday, a large high pressure system will drop down into the Great lakes. Anti-cyclonic flow around the high (marked in blue) will pump cold canadian air into the north east.

As the cold air pumps in 850mb temps will drop below the magical Holy Zero C as far south as Pennsylvania.(marked in blue)

Looking closely at Northern VT and NY we see the 0c line dropping down well into the 900mb ranges. (Like 3000-4000ft).

Awesome. So yea…while there isn’t going to be dumpage or pows, and we’re not talking about an october nor’easter, or a december upslope bomb, the first shot of cold air is equally exciting. It’s a sign the amosphere is changing, that we’ve made that turn and winter is on the door step. I’d say “knocking on the back door” but now that I’ve moved and met some of you readers I’m pretty sure you’d take that the wrong way.

UPDATE: I’m really beginning to think that some flakes might fly across the higher terrain. Early friday AM lingering low level moisture and a NW wind could result in some upslope snow showers across the northern Greens. Doubt anything would accumulate but some flakege is certainly possible.

Anyway, get out there, sniff the cold air, get excited and check in as fall progresses. My winter outlook will roll out in early october and I’m stoked to bring you some new stuff like podcasts, google earth snow maps and possibly a tiger. Ok I made that up. No google earth snow maps. Oh and P.S. Lionel now has a facebook page…so Like me…or not(You wouldn’t be the first).


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