Jump to content
  • Member Statistics

    17,603
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    ArlyDude
    Newest Member
    ArlyDude
    Joined

Mountain West Discussion


Chinook

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 500
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I got about 5" here. I watched the news (for once in a long long time) and they said that Clear Creek Canyon got 32 to 36"

We got DUMPED on in Boulder Canyon. It was amazing to see the snow total gradient going east into town and also west up to Eldora. We had way more in the canyon than there was in town and way more than there was up in Ned. A few pictures:

Thursday morning, getting ready to head up to Eldo:

snow2u.jpg

Eldora

snow3nr.jpg

Eldora, looking back toward Nederland and Boulder

snow4.jpg

Thursday night

snow1e.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just got back from my trip. I had a green Christmas, that is, the grass was really green! It was 4 degrees at my house when I left. I also saw some pretty good snow coming down in Indiana for about an hour on Dec. 27.

Today, Fort Collins has wind gusts up to 48mph.

Would somebody tell the NWS to get Fort Collins-Loveland and Greeley airport working? There's no data from those two airports. Cheap a$$ ASOS or AWOS that doesn't work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I head back to school in Utah tomorrow but today I went up to a place called Crown Point, which is about 20 minutes from where I live. One of the more incredible microclimates for wind you will find. It was regularly gusting to about 80-90mph here but somebody clocked a gust to 105mph as well and the gradient is even stronger right now so its probably gusting 110mph or so. Here is a video of me trying to battle the fierce winds, sorry for the rotating camera later on from whoever filmed this for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I head back to school in Utah tomorrow but today I went up to a place called Crown Point, which is about 20 minutes from where I live. One of the more incredible microclimates for wind you will find. It was gusting to about 40mph here but somebody clocked a gust to 105mph today and the gradient is even stronger right now so its probably gusting 110mph or so. Here is a video of me trying to battle the fierce winds, sorry for the rotating camera later on from whoever filmed this for me.

That is some fooking awesome mtn weather. Talk about an area I feel like I know little to nothing about...the Pacific Northwest. I know a little about Washington since the company I used to work for (Northwest Weathernet) is from Seattle, but I don't know much.

It may be the sound distortion, but that seems like a lot higher than 40 MPH.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is some fooking awesome mtn weather. Talk about an area I feel like I know little to nothing about...the Pacific Northwest. I know a little about Washington since the company I used to work for (Northwest Weathernet) is from Seattle, but I don't know much.

It may be the sound distortion, but that seems like a lot higher than 40 MPH.

I edited my post, maybe the blood hadn't returned from my brain yet because I have no idea why that said 40mph. lol As I corrected it to read it was sustained about 60mph for the most part with lots of gusts 80-90 and a few over 100. Winds at a nearby sensor (somewhat wind protected) reached about 15mph higher than when I was there later so if a 105 was recorded then it may have blown 115-120 but nobody was up there to check then since it was at night. Yeah it was a lot of fun

Oh..I just realize what I meant, 40mph at my house, which is 20 minutes from there. But its much stronger there, ah..sorry for the confusion on my part.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any insight on how long deer valley mountain's ski season usually lasts? I'll probably be out there in April but with it being a sub-par winter so far not sure how it would be at that point...I know it's hard to say at this point, but how long does skiing usually last?

Deer Valley is up there near Park City and The Canyons. It is displaced from the main Wasatch snow belt on the east-southeast side of the SLC Valley where the Cottonwood Canyons resides. It doesn't see close to the annual snow totals the Wasatch sees on the eastern end of SLC Valley since it receives a much smaller effect from the Salt Lake since the high Wasatch portion of the Wasatch Front shadows them. April is getting late for them...by that time your better bets are Snowbird/Alta and then Brighton/Solitude.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Deer Valley is up there near Park City and The Canyons. It is displaced from the main Wasatch snow belt on the east-southeast side of the SLC Valley where the Cottonwood Canyons resides. It doesn't see close to the annual snow totals the Wasatch sees on the eastern end of SLC Valley since it receives a much smaller effect from the Salt Lake since the high Wasatch portion of the Wasatch Front shadows them. April is getting late for them...by that time your better bets are Snowbird/Alta and then Brighton/Solitude.

Agree 1000%, and the skiing is cheaper and just plain better. Alta is not just for experts (don't tell anyone though!) Of course, this winter they can't BUY snow so far. We'll see... plenty of time left.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All -

I am planning a trip to the CO Rockies in March which obviously is some time away and I am really hoping for a turn around of events for the rest of winter, as I am sure you all are too.

I am trying to get a sense of what to expect for the rest of the winter in terms of snowfall given potential demise of the AO, Polar Vortex, and the gradient pattern that may well establish itself in the next 10-15 days. How well do the CO Rockies do with a La Nina ENSO and this sort of pattern?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree 1000%, and the skiing is cheaper and just plain better. Alta is not just for experts (don't tell anyone though!) Of course, this winter they can't BUY snow so far. We'll see... plenty of time left.

Yeah I agree, once yo get interior to those resorts...it definitely becomes more spendy and a little more "snooty" if that is the right way of saying it, especially Deer Valley. The place to go for long groomers and ritzy accommodations, but I would take Alta or one of the other Cottonwood Canyon resorts any day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I agree, once yo get interior to those resorts...it definitely becomes more spendy and a little more "snooty" if that is the right way of saying it, especially Deer Valley. The place to go for long groomers and ritzy accommodations, but I would take Alta or one of the other Cottonwood Canyon resorts any day.

Thanks for the responses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the responses.

Especially this year you will want to go with one of the higher elevation ski resorts with the lack of snow that has fallen, better chance of some decent skiing. From where I am in Provo, yesterday there were bare spots even up at 11k feet. Heck, there was more snow on the mountains in August when I got here than now. But we got a 1/2 inch this morning so that helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Especially this year you will want to go with one of the higher elevation ski resorts with the lack of snow that has fallen, better chance of some decent skiing. From where I am in Provo, yesterday there were bare spots even up at 11k feet. Heck, there was more snow on the mountains in August when I got here than now. But we got a 1/2 inch this morning so that helps.

Yeah...my parents made plans based on opinions they heard from friends...plus they were able to get a free hotel from Mariot rewards at Deer Valley due to my dads work. I figured this would be a good place to ask and I'm glad I did. I'll let them know what you guys said and I'll see if they can change reservations. It may be irrelevant though because were going in Mid-April so how this years been going there may be no snow anywhere.

Even if we can't ski though, it will be nice to go out there. I've been to the Estes Park/Denver/Pikes Peak area but never into Utah. 55F here and average temps are in the low 30s...just a winter fail everywhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All -

I am planning a trip to the CO Rockies in March which obviously is some time away and I am really hoping for a turn around of events for the rest of winter, as I am sure you all are too.

I am trying to get a sense of what to expect for the rest of the winter in terms of snowfall given potential demise of the AO, Polar Vortex, and the gradient pattern that may well establish itself in the next 10-15 days. How well do the CO Rockies do with a La Nina ENSO and this sort of pattern?

Well, look at last winter, and this non-winter in the CO mountains (snow-wise; it's actually been about average temp-wise, and even below average in Denver) so far. Last winter featured a strong Nina, and the ski areas had their best and longest lasting snow in 30 years. Skiing was good everywhere for seven straight months. A-Basin re-opened on July 4th weekend with a couple trails. Strong Nina winters tend to have good snow in the northwestern mtns of CO.

This year, there is a weak Nina. Non-winter started promising in late October and early November, till the horrible pattern we are now in asserted itself. From what I read, the weak Nina we have has nothing to do with it. The storm track is consistently digging south and west... so if you want good skiing this week, go to NM- really!! Taos, Sandia Peak, etc are great, and the southern CO resorts are good too. Locally in CO, New England transplants who thrive on ice are the only ones having any fun. :)

But if you believe that this weird pattern will break down and become more Nina-ish, then there will be greater chances for better snow moving northward again. Notice I say "chances"... it's all about probability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah...my parents made plans based on opinions they heard from friends...plus they were able to get a free hotel from Mariot rewards at Deer Valley due to my dads work. I figured this would be a good place to ask and I'm glad I did. I'll let them know what you guys said and I'll see if they can change reservations. It may be irrelevant though because were going in Mid-April so how this years been going there may be no snow anywhere.

Even if we can't ski though, it will be nice to go out there. I've been to the Estes Park/Denver/Pikes Peak area but never into Utah. 55F here and average temps are in the low 30s...just a winter fail everywhere.

Well barring an absolute fail I bet there is more snow by then. March and April are normally the wettest months of the year here so maybe we will have made up some ground by then. Maybe.. haha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went for a short walk today over by the foothills. I could see a brown haze out near the horizon. I wonder if the brown haze is actually directly above me/at me, but I just can't see it. I wonder if a small amount of pollution/aerosols are affecting me right now. I saw some somewhat-cool lenticulars in the distance. I wonder if moisture flows into the lenticular clouds in a series of really wet layers and dry layers, really close together vertically.

The snow is almost gone here. We have had a trace of snow since I got back from vacation. It doesn't look like very much snow will happen tomorrow. The SNOTEL snow-water content map shows low snow conditions everywhere but in the Bighorns and western NM/eastern AZ.

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/snotelanom/basinswe.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, so to resurrect this thread a bit and try to help stimulate a non-boring pattern, the talk just west of us is for beaucoup de rain and mountain snow in the Sierras and points north in the 5-9 day period. Being relatively new to CO, how often does this kind of thing translate far enough east to give us something to talk about? Want to have something to ski on!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...