TR: The Heart of Darkness

February 15, 2011 6:32 pm | Category: Full Trip Report, Skiing | Permalink

Andy Anderson and Dwyer Haney went out to make a giant schuss of the Heart of Darkness this weekend just in time to escape it’s perilous grip for Valentine’s Day.

heart

Click the picture, or right HERE to read this amazing trip report.


February Thaw: A taste of spring or the intermission?

February 15, 2011 10:34 am | Category: Weather, WTF | 10 Comments | Permalink

I was going to call this post “Roller Coaster of Love” in honor of Valentine’s Day and the fact that temps over the next 5 days will indeed be on a roller coaster.  However, I hate roller coasters, don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day (thanks C.B.B.), and was in a surly mood yesterday and flat out didn’t want to post. So we’re ditching the roller coaster of love theme.

Today, any thought of warm air will prob. be appreciated. A COLD high pressure has slid into the region. Biting winds are making temps in the teens feel downright nasty.

However, the rawness will be short lived.

A deep trough as discussed here will move into the west. Down stream of the trough, the buckled jet stream will slide north allowing a strong ridge to build in the east.  In the image below I’ve noted the trough moving into the west and the downstream ridge building in the east.

This trough is coupled with the amplification of the Jet Stream. The image below clearly shows the southward migration of the jet in the west, and the northern migration of the jet in the east. Also note that given the projected jet alignment, pacific air will flood into the east on the strong upper level winds.

As the day progresses the trough will move east, amplifying the downstream ridge and squeeze a high pressure system out to sea.   

The amplified ridge and STRONG SW winds will scour out al the stale cold air. 

Temps will generally spike on Thursday into the low 40s at sea level and low 30’s across the higher terrain.

As we move into Friday, energy will amplify along the Canadian border. 

As this does it will spike the ridge just a touch more, further turning the temps upward.  Highs on Friday will again be in the low 40’s and high 30’s across the higher terrain.  A few spots favored for warming in SW winds might make a run at 50.  However, sun will be limited on Friday as upper and mid level clouds move in ahead of the amplifying system.  There is some chance that low level moisture on Friday will spark some rain showers.  Some models spit out from 1/3 to 1/2 an inch from midnight Thursday to midnight Friday. I think that’s a little much.  I don’t see this being a “wet” warm up.

A cold front from the system will punch in from the NW overnight Friday.  Strong cold air advection will result in significantly lower temps Saturday.  As seen below the flow will be straight outta Compton (I don’t know much about Canada). 

With the cold N/W flow and decent relative humidity I’d expect some strong upslope snow showers throughout the day Saturday.  Bufkit is giving Jay, Stowe and the Nor. Greens almost a foot.  That seems high right now but lets agree to watch the orographic signature as we move into the weekend.

Beyond Saturday, strong cold air remains in place for sunday.  The next major system is the one circled above.  It should move into the midwest sunday and then start to slide east, affecting the North Country sometime on tuesday.  Right now I think it will pass along the NY/PA border and bring a strip of snow to the North Country Tues/Wed.  I’ll keep you updated.


Happy Valentine’s Day!

By: Greg
February 14, 2011 12:15 pm | Category: Memes, Quick Update, Skiing | 3 Comments | Permalink

Happy Valentine’s Day to all our readers! I hope everyone had a great weekend, and found something fun to do in the mountains (wink wink) with their partner!
KC getting ready to drop a Valentines Day snowfield

I couldn’t have had more fun schussing chutes with KC. She and I went out into the hills and found some fresh untracked to get under our skis as a Valentine’s present to each other. Great success!
Slide skiing with KC

I hope you all get busy in the hills today too!
Getting busy in the hills!

Pow-Chica-pow-pow ;)
pow-chica-pow-pow

Git sum! We Heart Snow!


TR: The (Other) Winter Carnival — Part II

By: Greg
February 10, 2011 6:06 pm | Category: Full Trip Report, Skiing | Permalink

As you may recall, in our last adventure Ben and I converted some beta we had gathered into a ski–>rappel–>ski descent nestled deep in a mountain pass of Vermont. This time, Christian–our resident splitboarder–and I decided to attempt a certain line over in one of New Hampshire’s mountain passes. We had made many attempts to ski it from the top where a 100 foot rock wall is overhung above the ski line, but we had always been turned around by snow too deep to ascend. See what happens on the other side of this picture:
Click the picture to read the TR
Click the picture or here to read The (Other) Winter Carnival — Part II


Out of the Clouds, Grouse Creek 2/8

By: Allen
February 9, 2011 12:41 pm | Category: Skiing | 2 Comments | Permalink

Brian and I got out the other day and had some great snow on Mount Baker. We were headed up Grouse Creek for Heliotrope Ridge. As it was getting late and the clouds had broken we decided to head down fearing the whiteout might resume at any minute.

My first sighting of the elusive Ptarmigan, it is a vicious beast. It is a member of the grouse family which lends credibility to the naming if the drainage.

The clouds loomed, only sheer optimism caused them to break long enough for the run down.

Now we’re talking.

The light and clouds finally cooperated.

The skiing above grouse creek is basically the total opposite of vermont tree skiing. Brian couldn’t understand why I think wide open powder fields are a little on the boring side. I guess once a tree-skier always a tree-skier.

While the snow wasn’t the best of our lives (as a fellow we had met on the road had claimed) it was still pretty darn good.

The only thing better than this shot was being able to ski all the way out to the car and not having to walk.


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