SNOW IN THE PNW 2018-19

[Buster Highmen]

@Crustal, PB released big time yesterday; looks like last weeks cold dried out a layer on which the new 12" fell.

The wait for the Lucky Shot opening was hours while the crowd champed at the ropeline. I didn't waste my time waiting. GV ran @ 1/4 speed on diesel for a while and after people gave up waiting for LS ropedrop, the line swelled to huDge. I went meadowskipping.

[John_B]

NWAC field reports on FB this morning are somewhat spicy.

Be cautious everyone.

Man I wish they'd put all that stuff on their website vs Facebook. I guess I just need to get into the groove of checking FB as well as the website for the forecast.

[PNWbrit]

Man I wish they'd put all that stuff on their website vs Facebook. I guess I just need to get into the groove of checking FB as well as the website for the forecast.

I think it's there in the Thursday a.m. forecast now. At least some of the images are.

[KQ]

Man I wish they'd put all that stuff on their website vs Facebook. I guess I just need to get into the groove of checking FB as well as the website for the forecast.

Lots of FB posts this morning - worth following.

[GeezerSteve]

Tomorrow's opener @ the golf course might not be as bad as I'm expecting it to be...

Wet groomers should be okay but it could be nasty off-piste. The snow was quite skiable yesterday across the road up the Kendall Lakes Road with 6"+ inches of wet new (i.e., since Saturday), better up high of course, likely to get considerably worse with today's rain.

[NW_SKIER]

I'll be happy to carpool to Alpy.

Me too. Meet in eburg

[2FUNKY]

I'll be happy to carpool to Alpy.

Me too. Meet in eburg

#Me too, meet in liberty lake.

[pyromaniacman129]

Sounds like Baker is not doing well today. In bounds slides breaking off down to the dirt, high wind, some rain. 5&7 are open but that's it.
Was really hoping for a decent day sat.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[The AD]

Sounds like Baker is not doing well today. In bounds slides breaking off down to the dirt, high wind, some rain. 5&7 are open but that's it.
Was really hoping for a decent day sat.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Grant Gunderson posted on Instagram today that he was swept over a cliff by a slide at Baker while helping patrol mark obstacles yesterday. Sounds like he got banged up a little but will be ok.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrV57fIlobZ/

[PNWbrit]

Grant Gunderson posted on Instagram today that he was swept over a cliff by a slide at Baker while helping patrol mark obstacles yesterday. Sounds like he got banged up a little but will be ok.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrV57fIlobZ/

Damn.

[Zeedashbo]

Damn is right. Yikes. Felt pretty spooky yesterday. Deep wind loaded and heavy over old snow never feels right when putzing around the usual locales. Wish we had enough pre existing snowpack for some spectacularly large avalanches to clean up some annoying patches of trees.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

[::: :::]

Grant Gunderson posted on Instagram today that he was swept over a cliff by a slide at Baker while helping patrol mark obstacles yesterday. Sounds like he got banged up a little but will be ok.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrV57fIlobZ/

wow, i was just looking at baker's conditions page being jealous of the new dump up there

[Zeedashbo]

Sounds good to me as long as the parent company lets us tour back there early season.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

[KQ]

Grant Gunderson posted on Instagram today that he was swept over a cliff by a slide at Baker while helping patrol mark obstacles yesterday. Sounds like he got banged up a little but will be ok.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrV57fIlobZ/

Yikes! Didn't Grant have a close call last year too?

[Zeedashbo]

Vail doesn't do organized. The chaos is palpable.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

[CascadeLuke]

Agreed. The pass situation and lift loading opening morning was mayhem

[Zeedashbo]

Also just found out about this. Of which I am totally fine. As long as I get to ski the backside and double d early season.

https://www.stevenspass.com/site/mou.../uphill-policy

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

[BeardedClam]

Damn is right. Yikes. Felt pretty spooky yesterday. Deep wind loaded and heavy over old snow never feels right when putzing around the usual locales. Wish we had enough pre existing snowpack for some spectacularly large avalanches to clean up some annoying patches of trees.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

Damn.

Grant Gunderson posted on Instagram today that he was swept over a cliff by a slide at Baker while helping patrol mark obstacles yesterday. Sounds like he got banged up a little but will be ok.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrV57fIlobZ/

Sounds like Baker is not doing well today. In bounds slides breaking off down to the dirt, high wind, some rain. 5&7 are open but that's it.
Was really hoping for a decent day sat.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

It's fucking real out there right now. Multiple, isolated, 4-6' pockets going down to alder and heather, steep unsupported rolls being ideal. 1-3" settling all over the place as well. I am not an nwac forecaster, but it seems that in these early season coverage conditions around here the risk to life in the event of a slide is extreme. The climax nature seen today and higher than normal opportunities for trauma are not adequately captured in the avy danger rating. We had our avy danger signs flipped to black.

I was in pea gardens on one of our last laps and had 2 partners out of the way below. Set off some slough to the flats, and felt a woomph as well, both partners felt it on the flats 100yds down hill and away, after both had already been through the same slope.

Glad grants alright. Maybe he'll chime in here, he's got a couple accounts

[pyromaniacman129]

It's fucking real out there right now. Multiple, isolated, 4-6' pockets going down to alder and heather, steep unsupported rolls being ideal. 1-3" settling all over the place as well. I am not an nwac forecaster, but it seems that in these early season coverage conditions around here the risk to life in the event of a slide is extreme. Given the climax nature seen today combined with higher than normal opportunities for trauma, which is not adequately captured in the avy danger rating. He had our avy danger signs flipped to black.

I was in pea gardens on one of our last laps and had 2 partners out of the way below. Set off some slough to the flats, and felt a woomph as well, both partners felt it on the flats 100yds down hill and away, after both had already been through the same slope.

Glad grants alright. Maybe he'll chime in here, he's got a couple accounts

Wow. That is worse than I thought it was.
Was planning on getting some turns in on Saturday but might just hold off till things turn around.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[BeardedClam]

The Baker ski area has so much micro terrain compared to the surrounding areas. Right now, imbounds, rock faces, unsupported and convex rolls are the worst, but it seems to be inconsistent to deal with. The surrounding area has most of these features on a larger scale near the top of runs, or mid run in some fashion. What worries me is the underlying terrain, as it seems to be a good indicator of where these climax slides are taking place.

[FJ62]

Agreed. The pass situation and lift loading opening morning was mayhem

Had three hours to get some turns in today. It was totally dead, no lift lines anywhere but I couldn't believe how long it took for the guy to sell me a day pass. Asked me for my email, then my entire snail address...asked to see my driver's license when he could tell I was getting impatient. I told him I just wanted a day pass and he said he "needed to get me in the system."

I get that Epic / Vail is all about data collection but if this is the new protocol, weekends and holidays are going to be even more brutal at Stevens than ever before...

[ridinshockgun]

Had three hours to get some turns in today. It was totally dead, no lift lines anywhere but I couldn't believe how long it took for the guy to sell me a day pass. Asked me for my email, then my entire snail address...asked to see my driver's license when he could tell I was getting impatient. I told him I just wanted a day pass and he said he "needed to get me in the system."

I get that Epic / Vail is all about data collection but if this is the new protocol, weekends and holidays are going to be even more brutal at Stevens than ever before...

But you got EPIC!!!

That is their model, to make it as painful as possible to walk up to the window and buy a ticket so that you just say screw it and buy an epic pass next year. However IF their system is updated you should be able to reload that card online and go direct to lift the rest of the season.

[WK Monoskier]

It's been 14 days since I was told my seasons pass had been printed and was being shipped from Colorado. Still not here. When I called Stevens they said I could just simply take a day off from work, drive to the resort, wait in line just one time and have a new pass printed if I wanted it before the weekend. That circumvents the whole idea of buying a pass in the first place which is not to wait in a ticket line.

So if you're in the Granite Peaks lodge tomorrow and you hear someone yelling Fuck Vail...come over and say hello

[CascadeLuke]

My complaint was having renewed my season pass last season (immediately once option was available) and still having issues with a pass this year. Vail has a new pass system card/rfid - I get that. Could you please send it to me before the season starts?? I mean you know (prior to) day 1 of ownership you have customers who paid for passes on upcoming season. Perhaps get those passes out before season starts? Instead you hold up your loyal base by making them wait in an absurd line opening day with fresh snow on the ground. Then computer system crashed..
I’m going to stick it to them by shredding the place today Hit me up if ur there later

[Gunder]

The following is a combination of a repost of my Facebook / Instagram account of the accident, as well as a few thoughts I have added based upon the questions I have been asked the most. Please pardon the typo's. My typing is even worse than usual due to the amount of bruising I have.

The avalanche conditions right now are EXTREMELY dangerous. So I chose to help patrol out with getting the ski area set up for opening the last few days. Two days ago on opening day, I was caught in a slide while helping them. Pro Patrol did Avalanche control in the morning and I was then helping them mark a few rocks / cliffs before they opened the Chute. I was standing on a big flat ledge and had just placed a cliff sign, when a slab broke behind me 4 feet to ground. I ended up airing over a portion of the cliff hit the knuckle with my skis then got washed over the rocks. (See pic bellow). I am extremely lucky that I ended up with only relatively minor injuries. A separated shoulder and a few avulsion fractures in my ankle. The good news is the doc thinks I will only be out for a couple of weeks, so I should be back skiing and shooting by New Years.

The entire time it was happening all that I could think about was to do everything possible to avoid hitting my head on the rocks, so that I could go home and see my son Stian. I am defiantly going to be wearing a helmet for now on too.

I feel like I was hit by a truck, tossed in a washing machine then punched in the face by Mike Tyson. I am just grateful to be alive and to have escaped with relatively minor injuries.

The slope broke on a facet / hoarfrost layer we have at the bottom of our snow pack… something we very rarely see in the PNW. The area that slid on me had been controlled with explosives and numerous patrollers had already skied that exact area working to get the run open. Yet it still slid. This is a very difficult layer to predict and when it does release it will go to ground.

The side country is going to take at long time to be safe unless we get a rain cycle. All of this new snow is only contributing to the load, and can even give a false sense of stability while a very dangerous combination of layers exist bellow.

Mt. Baker has one of the best teams of employees, Pro Patrol / Avy control teams on the continent. Please have some patience for them as they are dealing with very challenging conditions while they are making the ski area safe for everyone. Please respect the areas they have closed. They are closed for a very good reason, and they will get everything open as soon as its safe.

The split second decision to try and jump as much of it as possible is most likely what saved me from more injuries. I really wanted to get ahead of as much snow as possible so it wouldnt pile me into the mid cliff bench. That mostly worked and my right ankle took the majority of the impact.

I just did an 8 day long CAA professional operations avalanche class. Where we had discussed how unpredictable basal facets are as well as how no one really understands exactly what the mechanics of these post control slides are. Big White had a very large one just a few years ago.

The current thinking that the experts doing all of the research at the Canadian Avalanche Association is that sometimes with a basal facet situation explosives may just weaken the snow pack but not always trigger a slide when the layer is so deep. Then a relatively small trigger can set off the slide. Often several hours later. This just happened in Jackson-hole 2 weeks ago.

The ski area had put numerous hand charges on that run and only got minimal results. That morning we had also been discussing how all of the new snow we received the day before followed by overnight cooling made the snow pack feel that it had tightened up but we all also felt that was just giving a false sense of security.

The reports I got from yesterday (see bearded clams posts) is that they only opened the two lifts as the additional snow they received over night was just enough to make that layer very reactive.

So I feel like I just was unlucky enough to have found an extra week spot when it slid. My best guess is that all of the rock in that area contributed to slightly larger/ weaker facets. That’s the biggest issue with avalanches. There is just so much spatial variability involved to make perfect predictions.

In 20 years of skiing Baker full time and 38 years of skiing I have never seen conditions like this before in the PNW. This type of layer often takes months to heal and thats with perfect conditions. In reality the best case scenario for stabilizing the backcountry is a full on major rain event to the top and for the water to percolate into the facet layer. That would cause numerous climax slides and would help to wet and refreeze the facet layer. Other wise the facet layer can easily be reloaded by new snow unless a slide takes the slope to ground. This layer is most likely worse anywhere we have lots of rocks and steep roll overs in the terrain.... which if you haver ever spent time in the Baker area during the summer you know we have plenty of, especially on all of the best ski terrain.