This is where the el Nino is showing right now my friends, while the Northwest and Canada are feeling the dry spell, The southwest and lower rockies have been getting dumped on.
In this past week, California has been receiving near record dumps in the mountains. Here are just some of the snowfall totals for the past 7 days:
Badgers pass- 96"
Mammoth- 97"
Sierra Summit- 102"
Arizona Snowbowl - 96"
Parts of New Mexico received large amounts of snow as well from the storm. But no the storm was not finished, after that then it swung up into the rockies for the weekend. Brighton has totaled 81" this weekend, and Silverton received 72" in 72 hours. You might be thinking that the storm is done by now, but wrong again! Now Wyoming and southwest Montana are getting what's left of the storm. A couple of feet are predicted for them as well.
That's not cool. I hate it even more since we're getting nothing out of this storm. Sure an inch or two here and there, but this whole ordeal has given me the urge to punch an infant.
The only thing that's helping me deal with this "stormy" situation is the fact that it's warm in the southwest. Yes, the 8 feet of snow they had gotten is none other than California concrete, with the exception of some of the lighter snow on top. Here's the video of the day from Mammoth.
Wow. 8 feet of snow and it isn't even flying past their knees. You'd have to slide on your belly or dive in headfirst to get face shots there. I feel better already. Of course, this excludes Utah, Wyoming and Southwest. In turn they are ones benefitting from this storm, sure they might have received less than Caly, but hell, I'll prefer quality to quantity any day of the season. As for the Northwest and Canada, and especially Big Mountain, hold in there. It's not our turn yet but soon it will be, just wait.
To keep you drooling over the snow reports, here's the video of the day from Jackson Hole.
I bet that doesn't help. Oh well, lucky for me I'll be down there in 2 weeks, and back again in 3. Let's just hope the storm isn't over by then.
Pray for Snow! (Especially for Canada, eh?)
The S-Jenk
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
It always sat in the upper corner of the map. On paper, it was just a short red line with the phrase "T-Bar" underneath it. The Colorado and Caly tourists never gave it much attention, to them it was about the high speed quads, the open bowl faces, and the machined groomed slopes to make it the "perfect ski day". Yet, on the powder days, a small group of locals would often slip away from the crowds towards the same spot. Away from the lift lines and the crowded slopes, the T-bar hid away from most of the mountain. Only the local riders knew about it, and the significance of it.
It was called "Bigfoot" for reasons long forgotten. Possibly from a reported sighting of the mysterious Chewbacca, or maybe from it's ability to hide from the public. Personally I believed in the second idea. It never had the easiest access. At least 300 feet of flat ground stood between you and the only run that could take you there. Often you would have to straightline off of the summit, avoided colliding with inexperienced moms, 12 year old snowboarders, and getting caught by the ski patrol for "unsafe speeds." If you did it right, you could be in at the lift in under five minutes. A small shack sat at the bottom, equipped with ladders, shovels, ropes, and a pair of rad '97 Rossignols. Quick stories were always exchanged between the riders and lifties there, and often a laugh would erupt through one of their beards. They always wore their bushily beards with pride, and between the hairs were snow and the remnants of breakfast. Before you had time to get a conversation going though, you would be at the front and handed your ticket to the top. I mean the t-bar of course.
There's fog too, I should mention that.
The first tug was always the hardest. It ranged from a easy pull, to a sharp tug. Once you had gotten past that however, it was smooth sailing to the top. Screwing up meant standing in front of everyone, looking like an idiot while the platter just bounced away up the hill. Failure always meant banishment to the back of the line, and when your friends saw the empty platter crest over the top, they would simply ski off without you, figuring out ways to heckle you when you crossed paths later that day in the chair 1 lift line.
Even though it was well maintained, the lift was fragile, and therefore demanded respect. Swerving and horsing around during the pull could derail the line and shut it down for the day. The same could be said for letting go of the platter in a disrespectful way, giving it a chance to swing over the rope and jam up the turnaround wheel. During the ride up groans and the clatter of metal on plastic would fill the ears, adding a funky rhythm to it's personality. The metal towers showed sots of rust, and an exposed power line ran awkwardly between both sides. Safety equipment was considered a luxury there, and never really existed on it, just an irregular shaped T attached to a rope which, really was all you needed.
Though it never serviced the sickest terrain or much vertical, the place was to all of us, a gateway and a getaway. It served as a safe haven for the locals during the most torrential time of the year: The Holidays. The time of year where powder is seen the most is the same time of year where large families, relatives, and half-ass noob riders invade much of the mountain, chewing up most of the good snow and creating 45 minute lines. The tourists conquered most of the mountain, and what was left was a local group of riders trying to escape the crowds.
What the map never showed though, was that the little red line sat on a ridge to inbound terrain that sat isolated from much of the mountain, and because of it's spot on the map, you could always reach the chairlifts below with ease. North facing slopes, and 5-15 minute hikes could get you to some of the best runs of the season. It would also allow you more technical faces and cliff areas that did require some finding, but were well worth it. To top it off, it also serviced the expansive backcountry as well as its rugged terrain. Avalanches did occur in the area, and several people had been killed in winters past. With an avalanche beacon, and the right friends though, nothing ever held you back. If you were lucky, you could even score a ride with a snowmobiler on your way back to the boundary.
Enter the 2010 season. Even in its glory, the T-Bar has become old, and in recent days talk has begun to replace the t-bar with a high speed quad, making access to east bowls and the backcountry easy for anyone looking for good snow. This for me, is sad. Having an easy access chair means the loss of an area that would be no longer called local terrain, forcing us to find a new place to escape to. Problem is, not many places still exist anymore that hasn't been exposed by the resort, and the threat of losing the Bigfoot would be too much for me. In truth, I hope such a proposal will never be made true, and that the small red line on the map will still exist years from now. Of course, there isn't much chance of that. The development will continue, even after I'm long gone to college and other ski hills. But for now, it's still just an idea, and for now it remains as that small red line on the map, a place that I return to every weekend with the knowledge that this place of solace, is still ours.
God Bless,
The S-Jenk
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Ski Bum Grins
"Damn! Why now?" No sooner did these words come out of my mouth as I watch my ipod go dead from a low battery. I keep questioning myself as why this day had to be the day my trusted companion gave out on me. The mountain had gotten 13 inches of freshies, and the snow was still coming down hard. How could I enjoy the pow without Bob Marley, Wolfmother, or Sweatshop Union keeping the rhythm going? My friend looked over the car roof with amusement as I stared at the black screen. I dreaded the thought of not having my music all day long. A casual glance around the parking lot showed several others with white headphones drooping out of their hats and helmets, all jamming to whatever is on shuffle. A sour start to the day.
With the line being long, my friend suggests we take the singles lane. Being separated by a couple of chairs is a small price to pay on a pow day. I slide in with a trio of older guys, and quietly get on the chairlift next to them. Slipping my mirrored goggles on, I casually glance at the three men. All of them wear standard ski clothes bearing mellow black, green and grey colors. In comparison I look like a character out of a Dr. Suess book with my brightly colored Jacket and pants. Wanting to see what skis they ride, my eyes are met by an arrangement of 80's edition Rossingols and K2 skis. Each one bears unique damage to it, evidence of the long days and many seasons it has enjoyed with it's master. Chunks of P-tex are missing in random place, areas of paint are starting to chip, the sidecut have a---
"Them beuties ain't they?" Snapping out of my trance I am greeted with a bearded face and a open smile absent of a tooth or two. I notice glasses behing the scott goggles on his face.
"Yeah, pretty rad. How long have you had those?"
"Since '89. These babies have helped take me fr'm Colorado to Europe. Havent giv'n up on me yet!"The conversation carries on as we fly above Ptarmigan bowl. Jokes are exchanged complete with laughter you swear would be out of a Clayton Moore western movie. A story is told with the involment of buddies, interrupted on to give an occasional whoop and hollar at someone shredding under the lift. I quickly bring up the question;
"So where have you guys been skiing today?"
"Try Langley or Elkweed, they always still have good snow at this time of day. Com'on, we'll show yeh!"
Off of the lift, I am led off trail through slots and narrow trees to a home-cut powder field. Funny i've skied by here a thousand times and never thought of going through there. A few high fives are exchanged and we push off down the slope. The powder is unbelievable. My ears bear witness to a thousand snowflakes flying overhead coupled with the sound of hollers from the trio and the sound of carving skis through snow. While I swerve around a group of trees to avoid wrecking, all three thread the needle into the cluster and emerge a few turns ahead of me. Showing off, I throw a butter 1 on a pillow into soft snow, but curses I am upstaged again! One of the friends throws a massive spread eagle over a lip, and whizzes past me. Try as I may, I cannot keep up with them, and I find myself falling behind. How could I have missed this area? I keep thinking. Exhausted, I stop to catch my breath and give my burning thighs a rest. Staring in defeat, I wave a friendly good bye at the three skiers who keep pushing on down the slope.
As the panting subsides, I hear silence. No music or ipods, just the sound of snow falling upon the ground. My back makes an unusual sounding pop altered by the cold. The sound of the slow breeze is momentarily interrupted by a faint holler trough the trees. I think of the scraggly beard and hand-knit sherpa hat on his head. Glancing back I see where I had come from, by a rowdy group of skiers only a short while ago I was afraid to look at. My conscience thanks the pitfall of electronics. Having had my ipod with me, I would never have talked to the trio, or found out about this place. The snow keeps on falling. Down below me lies the rest of the open slope, eventually being swallowed by the the trees. Somewhere below that lies the cat trail, and my way back to the lift. For now I just listen to the silence around me. The snow falls harder now, the storm is moving in and the forecast is calling for another foot. That will be later, for now I stand knee deep in snow.
I am alone.
The S-Jenk
With the line being long, my friend suggests we take the singles lane. Being separated by a couple of chairs is a small price to pay on a pow day. I slide in with a trio of older guys, and quietly get on the chairlift next to them. Slipping my mirrored goggles on, I casually glance at the three men. All of them wear standard ski clothes bearing mellow black, green and grey colors. In comparison I look like a character out of a Dr. Suess book with my brightly colored Jacket and pants. Wanting to see what skis they ride, my eyes are met by an arrangement of 80's edition Rossingols and K2 skis. Each one bears unique damage to it, evidence of the long days and many seasons it has enjoyed with it's master. Chunks of P-tex are missing in random place, areas of paint are starting to chip, the sidecut have a---
"Them beuties ain't they?" Snapping out of my trance I am greeted with a bearded face and a open smile absent of a tooth or two. I notice glasses behing the scott goggles on his face.
"Yeah, pretty rad. How long have you had those?"
"Since '89. These babies have helped take me fr'm Colorado to Europe. Havent giv'n up on me yet!"The conversation carries on as we fly above Ptarmigan bowl. Jokes are exchanged complete with laughter you swear would be out of a Clayton Moore western movie. A story is told with the involment of buddies, interrupted on to give an occasional whoop and hollar at someone shredding under the lift. I quickly bring up the question;
"So where have you guys been skiing today?"
"Try Langley or Elkweed, they always still have good snow at this time of day. Com'on, we'll show yeh!"
Off of the lift, I am led off trail through slots and narrow trees to a home-cut powder field. Funny i've skied by here a thousand times and never thought of going through there. A few high fives are exchanged and we push off down the slope. The powder is unbelievable. My ears bear witness to a thousand snowflakes flying overhead coupled with the sound of hollers from the trio and the sound of carving skis through snow. While I swerve around a group of trees to avoid wrecking, all three thread the needle into the cluster and emerge a few turns ahead of me. Showing off, I throw a butter 1 on a pillow into soft snow, but curses I am upstaged again! One of the friends throws a massive spread eagle over a lip, and whizzes past me. Try as I may, I cannot keep up with them, and I find myself falling behind. How could I have missed this area? I keep thinking. Exhausted, I stop to catch my breath and give my burning thighs a rest. Staring in defeat, I wave a friendly good bye at the three skiers who keep pushing on down the slope.
As the panting subsides, I hear silence. No music or ipods, just the sound of snow falling upon the ground. My back makes an unusual sounding pop altered by the cold. The sound of the slow breeze is momentarily interrupted by a faint holler trough the trees. I think of the scraggly beard and hand-knit sherpa hat on his head. Glancing back I see where I had come from, by a rowdy group of skiers only a short while ago I was afraid to look at. My conscience thanks the pitfall of electronics. Having had my ipod with me, I would never have talked to the trio, or found out about this place. The snow keeps on falling. Down below me lies the rest of the open slope, eventually being swallowed by the the trees. Somewhere below that lies the cat trail, and my way back to the lift. For now I just listen to the silence around me. The snow falls harder now, the storm is moving in and the forecast is calling for another foot. That will be later, for now I stand knee deep in snow.
I am alone.
The S-Jenk
Sunday, December 13, 2009
And here comes winter
The weekend ended up with me being stuck in the church parking lot, a foot of snow on my car with ice on the windshield, trying to tackle clearing the windshields before too much new snow accumulated on the windshields.Oh, and thanks to the unsightly humor of the snow plow guy, I had to figure a way to break through close to 2 feet of snow surrounding my car like a medieval fortress. The whole time my mind was thinking about a lost weekend of skiing to serve, the reason behind this snowfall, and the possibility of taking Monday off to ski.
But lets step back a little to friday morning....
Waking up that morning to a fresh dusting seemed a surprise to me at the time."That's odd, the snow wasn't supposed to hit yet."Soon enough, I ran upstairs to check the NOAA forecast. The wether had begun to turn in our favor even more. Originally the weather was going to go one way or another: either warmer temperatures and heavier snowfall, or colder temperatures with lighter snowfall. Mother Nature gave up the perfect medium, an Occulted front. An Occulted front is when you have the collision of a high and low pressure front over land.
These weather anomalies are the cause behind the massive dumps in California, and the Sierra Nevadas.
Normally the southwest mountains are warmer and have much more moisture. Often it takes a cold front to hit the region right before a storm system arrives, so they can have their epic conditions. A week ago a colder storm system had hit the region, and some ski areas received as much as 40 inches of snow! The storm also caused snow in much of arizona, nevada, and the midwest. Now it is our turn. The only backlash to an occulted front is the possibility of warmer temperatures. That may become a possibility for later this week, but, knock on wood we've made it good so far. Keep on Praying for snow!
Looks like God has been gracious with this snow. Let's hope the cold weather holds!
The S-Jenk
But lets step back a little to friday morning....
Waking up that morning to a fresh dusting seemed a surprise to me at the time."That's odd, the snow wasn't supposed to hit yet."Soon enough, I ran upstairs to check the NOAA forecast. The wether had begun to turn in our favor even more. Originally the weather was going to go one way or another: either warmer temperatures and heavier snowfall, or colder temperatures with lighter snowfall. Mother Nature gave up the perfect medium, an Occulted front. An Occulted front is when you have the collision of a high and low pressure front over land.
With an occultation, the cold air mass will dig underneath the warm air mass, forcing it upwards. The forcing of the moisture upwards will cause high amounts of precipitation for the area, and in the case of a cold occulted front, the cold temperatures will mean snow. Lots and lots of snow.
These weather anomalies are the cause behind the massive dumps in California, and the Sierra Nevadas.
Normally the southwest mountains are warmer and have much more moisture. Often it takes a cold front to hit the region right before a storm system arrives, so they can have their epic conditions. A week ago a colder storm system had hit the region, and some ski areas received as much as 40 inches of snow! The storm also caused snow in much of arizona, nevada, and the midwest. Now it is our turn. The only backlash to an occulted front is the possibility of warmer temperatures. That may become a possibility for later this week, but, knock on wood we've made it good so far. Keep on Praying for snow!
Looks like God has been gracious with this snow. Let's hope the cold weather holds!
The S-Jenk
Saturday, December 5, 2009
12 months of winter
After 12 months of working, determination, hiking, and of course support and help by friends and family. I finally accomplished my year long goal: Skiing every month out of the year. How, you ask, are you still able to still ski when the lifts are shut down? We are fortunate enough to live an area where (some) snow decides to stick around for the year. I of course, am talking about Jewel Basin, Big Mountain, The Great Bear Wilderness, and Glacier National Park. The year started off with skiing at the Big for three months, up to the end of march. Even after the lifts closed in april, you could still skin up to the summit for some post-season turns. Once the snow started disappearing around late april, I turned to the Skiuma and Rescue creek basins just south of Nyaak, where winter still sticks. In June I hiked up Jewel to keep it going. For three months it was skiing at logan pass, and was to be for september, until we got screwed by snowy roads. Ironic eh? A last ditch effort ended in a sneaky trip up to Jewel where a long hike to picnic notch held a strip of drift snow clinging for dear life. From there Jewel began to get snow again, and enough snow to ski. Two months of jewel kept the streak running. On December 5th, my goal was reached where it began: back at Big Mountain.
Of course you need some sort of proof.
Pray for Snow!
The S-Jenk
Of course you need some sort of proof.
Pray for Snow!
The S-Jenk
Monday, November 30, 2009
Platform 8 they say
Now I haven't been up to Big Mountain since early may, so I can't say much right now about the actual conditions up there. But I have some friends who have been skiing up there for several weeks now, braving sketch conditions to get those early season turns. They also have been doing some filming, and have a company called Platform 8 media.
Carl Kohnstamm and Hunter Schutt are the minds behind this up starting company, and so far have been throwing out footage and photos of their favorite winter sports. Armed with their cameras and a crew, so far they have been able to showcase plenty of talent and dedication from the locals.
As of Thanksgiving weekend, Carl said that the mountain is doing pretty good for the early season. Where snow lacks at the base area, the conditions are more than legit on the backside. The coverage is widespread on the back with a solid base going into this week. The mid-mountain area is doing just as fine, and while it has less snow, the coverage is good enough to get to the bottom without any snowmaking. There is some crust in the mid mountain area so be careful if you plan to do any hiking. If you want to get more of a visual idea on the conditions, they have been putting out some early season webisodes on the big so check them out below. Webisode three is due out thursday so keep keep an eye out for that this week. The forecast is looking promising, so keeping checking the weather and keep on praying for more snow.
Link Dump:
TrampoliningLast year's video: Techno Pow
Pray for Snow!
The S-Jenk
Pray for Snow(making guns)!
Pray for Snow, Pray for Snow! It's our last week before opening day of ski season for all of us in the Flathead Valley. As I write, we have 4 days, 13 hours, 12 minutes, and 36 seconds according to my countdown timer. Don't judge me, or don't judge us I should say, because at this point many of us are in the same state. We all have our ways of coping with the stress of waiting. You might make a trip to town for a new pair of gloves, a set of goggles, or a new hat. Waxing and sharpening your boards common side effect. You may find yourself watching multiple ski movies in your basement with the windows shut. Some of those who have a much more serious case of this "sickness" might end up throwing your skis on your back and hiking for a few early season turns. If you do find yourself doing any of the previous activities, don't panic it's a good thing, just don't let it get to your head too much before Saturday.
Now some of you might still be doubting if there will be any thing worth skiing right now on the mountain. The pre-season has been a little dry for the base area of big mountain even though there is 32" inches on the summit and backside areas. This is the time of year that many resorts turn to technology to give that extra push. Snow making is the saving grace for those early season dry spells in the rockies. The process is pretty ingenious idea, and is not the least environmentally friendly thing on the slopes. In short, the process is taking a firefighting strength hose, attaching it to an equally powerful fan, and then running it when the ideal temperature reaches 24 degrees. Here is the thing though: it uses a LOT of water. It takes approx. 75,000 gallons of water to create a 6 inch covering on a 200x200 foot area. Water isn't a huge expense though, and the methods of pumping it aren't too costly. The problem that worries many people is the power consumption, in which the guns are usually run off of a diesel engine, a heavy pollutant. Another reason for all of us to pray for snow this coming week.
The S-Jenk
Now some of you might still be doubting if there will be any thing worth skiing right now on the mountain. The pre-season has been a little dry for the base area of big mountain even though there is 32" inches on the summit and backside areas. This is the time of year that many resorts turn to technology to give that extra push. Snow making is the saving grace for those early season dry spells in the rockies. The process is pretty ingenious idea, and is not the least environmentally friendly thing on the slopes. In short, the process is taking a firefighting strength hose, attaching it to an equally powerful fan, and then running it when the ideal temperature reaches 24 degrees. Here is the thing though: it uses a LOT of water. It takes approx. 75,000 gallons of water to create a 6 inch covering on a 200x200 foot area. Water isn't a huge expense though, and the methods of pumping it aren't too costly. The problem that worries many people is the power consumption, in which the guns are usually run off of a diesel engine, a heavy pollutant. Another reason for all of us to pray for snow this coming week.
I 'm trying to figure out what to call the early season disease, so far I have "Stokility," "Preseasonism," and "No Snow Nostalgia." What do you guys think?
The S-Jenk
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