The Official Jackson/Targhee/Teton Conditions Thread.

[rideit]

I know the TGR boys had good conditions for their avalanche 'clinic' at Targhee. I dropped by to see what the hullabaloo was, but it was just general TGR chaos. Interesting Recco technology.

I left and went riding.

[Tye 1on]

Suit-thanks for the beta.
Mags/magettes. Be careful. Thank you.

[SkiJunky05]

Yea, the 5pm report got me thinking about the crusts and how prevalent they can be in the long run. I think its FKNA awesome the amount of info you can get on the JH avi site- 7am report, 5pm report, snowpack summary, data every 15 min from useful areas around the range.

Suit, I believe I passed you and the fam on the traverse between Casper and AV on Sunday...on of the girls was throwing herself into the snow on the uphill side with a loud "HiiiiiYAH!" It was awesome and made me laugh pretty hard.

[rideit]

data every 15 min from useful areas around the range.

:

I know I am dense...but do you have a link? Is this on the BTNF site?

I heard Suit's doggie is super-cute...

[The Suit]

Suit, I believe I passed you and the fam on the traverse between Casper and AV on Sunday...on of the girls was throwing herself into the snow on the uphill side with a loud "HiiiiiYAH!" It was awesome and made me laugh pretty hard.

That was us. She got me doing it, too.

[tkm5337]

http://www.jhavalanche.org/stations.html

[SkiJunky05]

Rideit- http://jhavalanche.org/stations.html

I usually end up looking at the Rendezvous and Raymer plots the most- its cool to see how quickly snow is piling up in a storm. Or checking out the Mesonet data for wind speeds and directions.

I know the advisories tell you the important trends in the data that you get from the stations. I think its just pretty cool to see the data coming in. (imageek).

There's also SNOTEL That has data stations all over the place. Even the remote western reaches... ghee

[Lawless]

Just to put an end to some of the rumors, WYDOT will not be doing any control work on any slopes that do not impact the road. I haven't heard of any FS plans to do the same either. I don't know how they could verify that a slide they set off wouldn't effect anyone out skiing already, unless they do it at 3 in the morning when the pass closes for road snow control. but bombing in the dark presents it's own issues.

Anyway, the control work Sunday morning on Glory resulted in a few 4' localized slides directly below the Gaz-ex exploders that ran to the cliff bands. Some more weight on those layers, a few skiers, and I'm afraid it could be a piece of straw that breaks the camel's back so to say.

[babybear]

such a sketchy year
i don't see how they could ever do control work up there either. I'm glad to hear that is an ugly rumor. the forward implications of doing control on non-transportation routes would set up a dangerous precident. And not to mention the false sense of security that all the joeys already up there would get.
with state budgets getting cut there would also be 0 chance of WYDOT getting funding for stuff like that anyhow (even in riche WY's state budgets are getting cut)
Another point - in response to Ono's comment about the taxpayer costs for search and rescue/recovery- SAR gets a very small budget thru the sheriff's office and everything else they raise money for (or receive when people actually pay for their rescue) so I don't think that is a factor at all.

[sar13]

Actually our budget (TCSAR) is shrinking as well, both from the county and a predicted reduction in donations.

But more importantly, keep in mind that our team's safety is our number one priority. Several folks have gotten very lucky the last few seasons but there will likely come a time when the heli can't fly and the avy danger is too high for us to go out. Good decision making, being willing to turn around and go home and knowing how to rescue yourself and the members of your party are the best ways to stay safe. Don't count on WYDOT or the JHSC to make any slope completely safe.

[ono]

agreed- setting the precedent for such avi control would result in a quasi pandora's box of problems. as for the taxpayer money, etc- i probably didn't explain well what i meant- when things go from bad to worse, local authorities step in- and as said- heli time and whatnot are expensive. also factor in the unforseen, abstract costs of rescue- volunteer time, increased exposure to risk, etc. the 'freakonomic' perspective. that's moreso what i was trying to convey. some of you know much better the i do about such things. the avi control rumor sounded to me likely bullshit- and it was.

in any event, its snowing pretty good out at the village with reduced visibility. i couldn't see more than a few hundred yards beyond the first tower from the bus stop as i was leaving. and in the valley its a pretty steady snow. its piling up

[panchosdad]

Skied from top of the pass to edelweiss, and then into the Columbia bowls area today. There are two crusts with facets above and below. Sketchiest conditions were at the ridge crests where a windslab had formed over the upper crust, with a 4" layer of low density snow between the slab and the upper crust. Below the ridge crests there was little wind effect. I'd be very wary of any wind loaded slope right now. The BT forecast seems spot on.

Someone further up the page was commenting on how much info there is on the BT forecast page. While it does slowly improve (the afternoon advisory is a good step), go look at the Wasatch or Colorado forecasts if you want to see what can be done. Actually look at any of the other area forecasts and you'll see that the amount of information available here is far less.

[skikat]

I bet thunder was sweet when they opened it today. any news on when sublette will open?

I got frostbite on my lower back and it looks like a really fucked up tramp stamp. I think it's kinda funny... painful, but funny.

[schwerty]

......I got frostbite on my lower back and it looks like a really fucked up tramp stamp. I think it's kinda funny... painful, but funny.

Not ripping on you, just curious.... how did you get frostbite on your back?

[Tye 1on]

The 'ghee yesterday just kept getting better and better. Hitting 10+" pockets at 3pm. Yes, 3, pretty amazing for me. Can't wait to hear a report from today!

And yeah, vibes on the back!!??

[rideit]

Tye, I think yesterday PM was even better than today. Tried to call you, but my phone didn't like the cold. What an end of day treat. Today was great, but pretty cold, crowded, and a bit tracked.

[Tye 1on]

right on, yeah, did 2 'last laps' after a couple hours on shoshone playing ski instructor. Harsh vis at the top, but about 4 turns in it was fine. I was amazed how much had come down since noon. Yeah, talked to RG last night, said they were taking over 80 jackson locals today, sounded like a 'fam' trip, hell, that's more people than i saw at one time yesterday anywhere! You know it's empty when there's lots of open barstools at the trap!
[/sweetblog]

[skikat]

Not ripping on you, just curious.... how did you get frostbite on your back?

I know, I thought it was weird and unbelievable too until it turned black and started to come off. Hiking glory on monday was pretty windy and cold and my jacket and such rode up and the skin below my pack must have been exposed. I kinda felt it but figured that it would be fine... jong move. I'll be the first to say it.

oh, I also have the worst circulation known to man. if I wasn't obsessed with skiing, I would live in jamaica.

[Bigmtnsledskr]

Tye1 make it snow on this side of the tetons and have fun with the sis in DC

[pattyowe]

Thunder and Casper were awesome today. Wicked cold, but good soft snow. Plenty of big rocks lurking on thunder though. Be conservative. there really is not that much snow up there. Sublette opens saturday.

[rideit]

I got frostbite on my back years ago, under a shell...I think my sweat must have froze, and that froze my skin. Took a couple of seasons to completely go away...

[ono]

this afternoon heard from outside patrol office the top fellas talking about 5" by 6am and snow all day.

then i come home, flip on the local area forecast discussion out of riverton...

OROGRAPHICS AND DURATION TO POSSIBLY PRODUCE WARNING AMOUNTS BUT DECIDING FACTOR
WAS THE VERY COLD TEMPERATURES POURING IN DURING THE DAY. WITH A
BETTER TEMPERATURE PROFILE...THE TETONS WOULD BE AN EASY WARNING.
WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE A FEW SPOTS IN THE TETONS...SWRN
YNP...SRN ABSAROKAS AND THE SALT...WYOMING RANGE WITH 12 INCHES OR
MORE. IN FACT...I HAVE RPK A FOOT BY LATER FRIDAY EVENING...10 OF
THAT BY SATURDAY AT 00Z.

gotta like that kinda talk... now another wait and see...

[tkm5337]

a little more specific....and exciting!.....

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
449 AM MST FRI DEC 19 2008

...ANOTHER COLD STORM SYSTEM TO IMPACT WESTERN WYOMING...

.A STORM SYSTEM OVER WASHINGTON WILL MOVE EAST AND CONTINUE TO
SPREAD SNOW TO WESTERN WYOMING. THE SNOW WILL INCREASE IN
INTENSITY LATER THIS MORNING AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES THROUGH THE
MID AFTERNOON HOURS. A GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WIND WILL DEVELOP
OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE UNTIL THE COLD FRONT COMES THROUGH DURING
THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. A BURST OF HEAVIER SNOW IS
EXPECTED FOR A FEW HOURS AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH ALONG
WITH STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS. MODERATE SNOW SHOWERS WILL
CONTINUE BEHIND THE FRONT THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. TOTAL
SNOWFALL OF 3 TO 6 INCHES IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE JACKSON AND STAR
VALLEYS WITH 6 TO 12 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS ALONG WITH LOCAL
AMOUNTS OF OVER ONE FOOT

[rideit]

So patrol got a pretty significant chunk to slide in the 'Bad' Medicine area at Targhee today. Be careful, everyone!

[ImSearchingforPowder]

[ANTIJINX]

This Afternoon: Snow. High near 12. Wind chill values as low as -5. South southwest wind around 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Tonight: Snow. Low around 10. Wind chill values as low as -5. South southwest wind between 15 and 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible.

Monday: Snow. High near 18. Wind chill values as low as -15. South southwest wind between 13 and 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible.


[/ANTIJINX]