Let me intro myself to you mis amigos, my name is Coop, a hair-farmer and a longtime #SierraStokeologist and a weather geek at heart.
Reading through the NWS reports tonight with a glass’o’red in hand, #Stoked to see some high elevation snow on the ground as well as a few systems brewing out in the Pacific. These systems have the potential to bring our snow pack up to par for the season as the past few weeks have been a little dry.
Short-term impacts associated with mother nature’s gift to the Sierra look good for an excellent Christmas Eve refresher. I say refresher as we are not looking at a massive storm by Sierra standards by any means. The NWS forecast models all have a spread of 6″ to 12″ above 7000′ with a boom or bust ‘caveat-insert scenario” for elevations between 5500′ & 6500’. All in all, we are looking at snow in and around the basin with snow at Lake Level for Christmas Day…
“Travel impacts are more likely for Christmas Eve (Monday) and Christmas Day when a stronger storm system brings increasing chances for rain and snow. Light snowfall is possible to valley floors with this system, especially along the passing cold front.” – NWS Reno
I have to say the current pack is still “firm” as the last 4″ reported around the region was quite wet, 50/50 for most resorts and at elevation. North facing is riding the best with most terrain skiing firm. I was at Sierra-at-Tahoe on Saturday riding around with Pete and Carolyn and we could carve a turn, albeit a little grippier than ideal. It was hust that kind of day…
Now I do have to give it up for the MTN OPS teams in and around the Sierra and particularly to the Sierra-at-Tahoe grooming team. They crushed it– overcoming and adapting to the wet snow (#GorillaSnot) that mother nature served up over the weekend.
This is where I drop the #TrustInMountainOps hash as they did do a kick-ass job packing it down and getting some cord on the deck for this mornings leg burners as the off-piste has been tough.
Praise the snow gods, we are looking at a 6″ to 12″ refresh with a cold front associated with it on Monday, which should take us back to mid-winter shape.
#CostaSur:
KirkwoodMtn:
24hr:0”
7day: 8”
Season to date: 98”
Base: 33”
Sierra-at-Tahoe:
24hr: 0”
7day:7”
Season to date: 73”
Base: 50”
BearValley:
24hr: 0”
7day: 11”
Season to date: 64”
Base: 36”
MammothMtn:
24hr: 0”
7day: 7”
Season to date: 112”
Base: 55”
HeavenlyMtn:
24hr: 0”
7day: 2”
Season to date: 57”
Base: 19”
#CostaNorte:
Sugar Bowl:
24hr: 0″
7day: 10″
Season to date: 88″
Base: 41″
Alpine Meadows:
24hr: 0”
7day: 9”
Season to date: 75”
Base: 39”
Squaw Valley:
24hr: 0”
7day: 10”
Season to date: 86”
Base: 43
Resources & Web links:
KirkwoodMtn: http://bit.ly/NWS-KW
TahoeSouth: http://bit.ly/NWS_TahoeSouth
TahoeNorth: http://bit.ly/NWS_NorthTahoe
TWCRadar: http://bit.ly/WeatherChannelRadar
CalTransRoads: http://bit.ly/CalTransRoadInfo
SAC: http://bit.ly/BackCountryInfoResourceSAC
With all the above said my friends, I wish you all a Happy Holiday and an awesome New Years. Be safe, and enjoy each and every last day of 2018, as 2019 is going to be #All-Time…
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway
Stay’nThirsty for #POW,
Coop