Adverse Conditions

Lately we've had a pretty good cycle of storms.  In town for the last few weeks it has been hard rain and 35-40 degrees every other day.  In the mountains it has been pretty much all snow above 1000 feet.  On a SAT photo of the North Pacific you can see the storms stacked up and ready to roll.  One after the other. We are getting a lot of snow - we already have more snow on Pyramid than we have got for a few years over the course of the entire snow season!  And it's only January.  Of course back in the day this was also a normal winter.

It also means we have been skiing in some pretty adverse conditions.  I've found that sometimes the best snow for skiing is near or right after the end of the storm.  Go a little later after it has cleared off and it is often all frozen up and icy.  But it is always soft just before the end of a storm - maybe it's pretty wet but at least it is soft!  Patrick

Stunning Sunset Ski

 

Yesterday Nora had school until late, and we were worried if there would be enough daylight for a ski. But we had received a lot of new snow overnight and it had cleared off - too nice of a day to skip!  So  I picked her up a tad early and we headed up to the pass about an hour later than our usual time.  And it was totally worth it!

The snow was phenomenal and the sunset absolutely spectacular.  The color in these photos captures pretty much what it looked like - I did not use filters to make it so pastel.  The sunlight was shining through various layers of fog, mist and cloud and created a tangerine peach-like pink and orange color that suffused the whole mountain. It was like being in a pastel light box.  We never actually saw the sun.

As we skied down the light turned more purple, and then it faded to dusk.  By the time we got back to the car it was the gloaming after sunset.  We drove home by the light of our headlights.  

But what a GREAT sunset ski we had!

Patrick

This is on the way up - coming up out of the fog that had settled in the valley

Golden Light

 

Yesterday was one of those days when we left town in the rain and were resigned to skiing in high winds and rain but then it miraculously cleared when we got to the pass.  This happens occasionally.  Sometimes we also leave town expecting a great day of skiing and arrive at the pass and find miserable conditions.  So that's why we go whenever because you really never know exactly what to expect.

Yesterday it never totally cleared off, but we did see blue holes in the sky.  There was this most amazing golden light.  I think there was a hole in the clouds above us and that it was closed by fog and mist.   So the light shown through but was diffused by the mist.  It was like being in a light box.  The ski conditions were pretty good too, and we could see.  Lately we have been skiing in a lot of whiteout conditions.  And by the time we got back to town it was raining hard again.  Patrick

Snowbow

 

Here are some pretty winter scape pictures from the last couple of weeks.  I have not been taking many dog walk pictures because at this time of year it gets dark so early that by the time I get back from skiing I'm generally walking the dogs in the dark.  

Lately Kodiak has been stuck in a 'stalled' low.  It's been raining every day in town and snowing on the mountain.  So brown in town and white snow Heaven on Pyramid.  We are getting a lot of heavy and wet new snow on high - on the top of Pyramid I think we already have as much snow as we got all last winter!  Of course last winter was the worst snow year ever (on the mountain tops but not in town).  last year all our storms were cold and the snow blew off the mountain tops.  

And yes, the top picture is a snow bow.  It was snowing lightly and cold and the sun was shining, and suddenly there was this most spectacular snow bow.  Maybe rime moisture in the air?  In anycase, it was too big of a rainbow to capture with just one picture.  This picture is actually 2 rows of 4 vertically stacked pictures all stitched together into one panoramic.  I just wish I had extended it a little bit further to the right and caught the whole top of Pyramid.  But maybe that would have made the rainbow seem less impressive.

Patrick

Bode and Bruno

 

Bode has been settling in well at the Saltonstalls.  On walks he follows Brewster and learns from him.  Where Brewster sniffs - bode sniffs.  Where Brewster pees - Bode pees.  It warms the heart to watch the bounding black 'Bode ball' bouncing along behind Brewster.  And I think Brewster likes the attention too.

I think Brewster also helped with house training Bode.  Bode learned the ropes remarkably quickly.  He is also quite mellow.  When Brewster naps on the couch Bode climbs up and naps next to him.  

Bode is a good dog.

Patrick

Sharatin 2021

 

Yesterday Nora and I with the other members of the ski club did a little exploring on Sharatin Mountain.  We found that the snow was surprisingly deep in the trees. It's already almost as deep as it ever got last year. It looks like 2021 will be a good snow year on Sharatin (fingers crossed).  

Up on top above the trees the snow was pretty wind-effected, but we found a deep and long ravine that has some pretty good powder in it.  Whooooo hoooo.  The bottom of the ravine is actually where Nora first put on her skis on her first Sharatin ski way back in June of 2018 (click here for post).

Then on the way home we got to ski the trees back down towards the car.  It was super deep and almost not steep enough.  There were also still some open creeks and deep holes in the snow.  I wiped out in one of the creek holes and it took a tremendous effort just to get back up on my skis.

The only downside to the trip was that at the bottom where we took off our skis I decided to try a 'shortcut' to the trail to the car.  The shortcut would avoid a stream crossing, and I thought 'why go sideways to the trail when it is far shorter to go straight ahead'.  And I found out why!  There was a dense alder thicket on a steep slope that fell directly into the stream canyon.  We wasted 1/2 hour busting through the deep snow and alder to go 100 yards.  But hey, that's exploring.  Next time on Sharatin I will know exactly where to go!

Patrick