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NNE Winter 2012-13 Thread IV

klw

By klw,
in New England

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tamarack

tamarack

Posted
Posted

Kind of interesting that we're doing it in a different way than 2012. That March was driven by anomalous high temps, this March is being driven by the warm overnight temps.

 

My avg hi/low for March 1-13 is 36/13.  This year it's 40/27.

Edit:  Even more dramatic at CAR - avg for 3/1-13 is 31/11, this year 39/29.  They haven't dipped below 20 yet this month.

 

March 2010, which at my place was 0.6F milder than 3/12, was anomalous both ways - never had 2012's record heat but never got cold.  It's my only March 1999-2012 that failed to record a below-zero temp; it's low was 11, while last March I had a -10 morning - and a 90F spread between the month's high and low.  (So far this month, low is 14, but I think we'll beat that sometime Fri-Mon.)

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powderfreak

powderfreak

Posted
Posted

Look at the video, they had 3 at 0700 this morning.

 

Now I really don't like to comment on how other areas measure snow because I realize the challenges and that looks very much like 2-3", but that video has a guy measuring snow by his knuckles.  He even says, its no ruler but looks like 3 inches, lol. 

 

As of 8:30 this morning we've picked up 6" of new snow at the base and 8-10" on top and it's still coming down heavy here at General Stark Mountain.

 

It reminds me of this hilarious article that someone wrote about being a snow reporter...(this author surely was/is a reporter, though luckily I get paid a decent bit more than listed, lol)...

 

http://www.skitheeast.net/posts/id/526208563/the-snow-reporter-survival-guide

 

You did it. You got the job!

That degree in marketing might take you somewhere. Just not this year. For now you’re counting the days until your $11 an hour job that starts at 5:30 a.m. kicks off. You’re the new Snow Reporter and it’s almost opening day.

As far as you can tell, you’ll be taking some photographs, writing witty copy and doing this historical joke called the snow phone that becomes wrong one minute after you record it. Cake.

What you have yet to realize is that guests will call you a liar no matter how much truth you tell. Your fellow staff will never quite be sure what it is you do. They see you loading a chair at opening bell to go “take pictures”. They will notice that the GM talks to you sometimes, which will make them dislike you more.

You’re the “voice” of the mountain. Yes, this regional economic force is putting their voice in your hands and paying you $11 an hour, if you’re lucky. You’ll have about a week’s training to get ready. After that’s over, you’re in a never-ending quest not to jack it up. If/when you do, or do so in someone's personal opinion, they'll be pissed. But you’ll get used to that. 

Morning’s go something like this..

You wake up around 4 a.m., even on your days off. 

When you get to the office in the dark you try to figure out what changed overnight. Snowmaking, grooming, and lift plans are always on the move. The building is empty. Sometimes the groomers have left you a message or can be called on the radio, sometimes not. Either way you are supposed to know. 

If Patrol is in a good mood (and on site) they might help you out. Either way you are bugging them. Their job is more important, which is true.

Once you’ve settled in on WTF you are going to tell the world you hit the books. You have your website, facebook, twitter, (you hope not G+ and Pinterest), on-mtn displays, grooming reports, chat rooms, ski shop reports, that one lodging property that doesn’t use computers, snocountry.com (for god’s sake don’t skip this it’s like every website, tv, radio on earth), onthesnow.com, sending out the email blast, recording the snow phone, and checking in on the competitors. Every spot you wrote "tonight" yesterday afternoon better damn well say "today" this morning, otherwise you'll get called out for mailing it in.

After you get through that cycle, you tend to have to do it all again at 7:30 because something new has come to light. It wasn’t your fault and it wasn’t intentional, but half the audience will call you a liar for it. Thank the 1980's, when yeah, it was all BS. 

Then some douchebag on facebook gets mad and says the ski area is out to get him because something on the Earth changed between 6:30 and 7:30. Then the GM of the ski area sees it and comes to see you about it. How could you let this happen? 

It also snows. 

When it snows you have another job. Determine how much snow that is. There is much debate about this process. Here in the east, every inch is prized. People have many ski areas to choose from on any given day and you do not want to short change your mountain with a subpar report. What is the right number?

The right number, and only right number, is the one number or range that makes two groups happy at the same time. This line is razor thin. You have to judge, from your dark office or parking lot, what one number will keep your bosses off your ass, and not create social media revolt by 11 a.m. That is the only correct answer. The one that allows you to move on to other tasks.

If the ruler says 6” but it’s going to ski like 4”. Report 6” at your peril. If the ruler says 4” but it’s going to ski like 6”, your boss will have your ass. Your ruler is the third integer in this equation. It’s like an advisor. You're smarter than a stick aren't you?

No one cares what the ruler said, even if you take a picture of it. Accuracy exists between the expectations of boss and public, with a touch of regional competitor storm results tossed in.

You’ll get good at all this by late February, a month before you get laid off. In the end, if you did your job well, you're be better at happily polishing turds and avoiding blowback than anyone else you graduated with.

Stick that on your resume.

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Hitman

Hitman

Posted
Posted

Despite the meager totals on the models verbatim I still think it looks decent for orographic snow Friday night and Saturday with the strong WNW winds aloft and mid-level moisture present.  Hard to predict exactly where a streamer might set up shop but I'm optimistic for another couple fresh on Saturday morning and winter conditions.  Will you be there this weekend?

absolutely!  hope you're right about the snow.

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adk

adk

Posted
Posted

J.Spin touched on how low the snowfall totals have been this season, especially recently, and we were doing ok in February only to see that completely crap the bed so far in March. 

 

What I've really noticed is that the Green Mountain upslope machine has largely been collecting dust in the corner of the garage this season.  We had that one larger event and then nothing has happened since.  We've really missed a lot of the 2-6" type snowfalls this winter that really punctuate a good winter.  Where every single time a trough moves overhead it farts 3-6 inches of fluff type stuff.

 

Even this light event along the Spine is one of the more few upslope driven "events" we've seen over like the last month...and this is still pretty much at a the noise level of what the Spine seems to do some winters. 

Competely agree. We've had very few ho-hum another 3-5 of upslope fluff events. In good winters that happens 2-3 times a week without any fanfare.

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mreaves

mreaves

Posted
Posted

Nope, Unfortunately, Looks cold and snowy to the end of the month.................... :yikes:

I know but, like you, I'm not sure any snow is going to help me much.  Our trails have been pretty much wiped out, not even much base left to rebuild on.  Of course if we get a substantial amount our club will groom until the end of the season, April 15th.

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dryslot

dryslot

Posted
Posted

I know but, like you, I'm not sure any snow is going to help me much.  Our trails have been pretty much wiped out, not even much base left to rebuild on.  Of course if we get a substantial amount our club will groom until the end of the season, April 15th.

 

No, Its useless right now, We have 90% bare ground here, Other then the mtns and Northern Maine as they are still grooming who can use it, I would not care if it rained here really

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J.Spin

J.Spin

Posted
Posted

Below I’ve updated the north to south listing of snow totals for the Vermont ski areas with some numbers coming in for the afternoon; there’s quite a bit of variability up and down the spine, but the ‘bush/MRG area seems to be leading the way right now with 8-10” reported. 

 

Jay Peak: 5”

Burke: T

Smuggler’s Notch: 4”

Stowe: 6”

Bolton Valley: 3”

Mad River Glen: 10”

Sugarbush: 8”

Pico: 4”

Killington: 4”

Okemo: T”

Bromley: T

Stratton: 0”

Mount Snow: 2”

 

 

We've had very few ho-hum another 3-5 of upslope fluff events. In good winters that happens 2-3 times a week without any fanfare.

 

 

Yes, the past couple of days have felt like a return to more typical NNE weather, since we got one of those standard 1-3”/3-6”, or even 6-10” style events.  I saw PF mention that on average there should be roughly 18”/week falling at Stowe, and that’s how it’s done – usually there’s a “biggie” every week or two, interspersed among those standard events.  There’s certainly potential out there to make quite a jump in conditions with the help of this current event, the somewhat similar event that is forecast for tomorrow, and then perhaps something bigger at the beginning of next week.

 

BTV’s thoughts on tomorrow:

 

.SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...

AS OF 348 PM EDT THURSDAY...GOING INTO FRIDAY MORNING...MOST SPOTS WILL SEE SOME BREAKS AHEAD OF CLIPPER WHICH IS CURRENTLY MVG THRU THE NORTHERN GREAT LKS REGION. POSSIBILITY OF SYSTEM ARRIVING EARLIER DUE TO BLOCKING OFFSHORE WHICH WOULD SLOW UP MVMNT OF CURRENT LOW OVER US. LATEST MDL TRENDS SUPPORT A FRI MORNING ARRIVAL SO WILL STAY WITH. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE TYPICAL CLIPPER FOR THE AREA. ZONES WILL SEE QUICK SHOT OF LIGHT SNOWFALL WITH FOCUS OVER HIR TRRN INITIALLY THEN BY LATE IN DAY...NORTHERN VT AS WINDS SHIFT BACK TO WNW FROM WSW IN THE MORNING. OVERALL LOOKING FOR D-1" IN VALLEY LOCALES WITH UP TO 1-3" FOR HIR ELEV. HIGH PRESSURE ADVANCES INTO THE NORTHEAST LATE FRIDAY NIGHT BUILDING OVER THE REGION FOR SATURDAY. SOME LINGERING -SW FOR NORTHERN ZONES FRI NGT BFR ENDING. RIDGE REMAINS OVER AREA SATURDAY NGT FOR CLRING SKIES AND CD...BLW NORMAL TEMPS. CAA FOR THE SHORT TERM PERIODS WILL BRING TEMPS AT LEAST 10 DEGREES BLW NORMAL FOR BOTH HIGHS/LOWS.  

 

The latest run I’ve seen on the WunderMap® is the 18Z NAM, but it seems generally in line with recent GFS and ECMWF runs for this area:

 

14MAR13B.jpg

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