Today, June 11, it is raining. The spring has been cool, with some wonderful days. I've not yet been out on my bike but been running consistently to prepare for the 1812.
I have grossly neglected the blog and it is time to re-engage. So, here are the highlights from 2012 - 2013 ski season.
First, the weather synopsis. In Watertown,we had a strong start in December with a remarkable and exceedingly warm January thaw. A January thaw is typical, but this one skyrocketed temperatures into the upper 50's with driving rain. Dry Hill is sheltered with a northern exposure, but the warm temperatures and driving rain really hurt the base. Skiing rebounded well in late January, February and March. We likely logged over 20 days and had several wonderful family moments with Lily in a harness loving the run down the hill.
We also had some great family travel and boy trips. A quick list:
December: Whiteface
January: Gore, Whiteface, Alta
February: Jay Peak
March: Dry Hill, Snow Ridge
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Winter Storm Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 1009 AM EST TUE NOV 26 2013 NYZ007-008-262315- /O.CON.KBUF.WS.W.0003.131127T0000Z-131128T1200Z/ JEFFERSON-LEWIS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WATERTOWN...LOWVILLE 1009 AM EST TUE NOV 26 2013 ...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST THURSDAY... * LOCATIONS...JEFFERSON AND LEWIS COUNTIES. * TIMING...EARLY THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. * HAZARDS...HEAVY SNOW...MIXED WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN AT TIMES LATER TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY WEDNESDAY. * ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATING 3 TO 5 INCHES TONIGHT...2 TO 4 INCHES WEDNESDAY...4 TO 6 INCHES WEDNESDAY NIGHT...LEADING TO STORM TOTALS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 17 INCHES ON THE NORTHERN TUG HILL. ICE ACCUMULATING LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH TONIGHT AND UP TO ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH WEDNESDAY...LEADING TO STORM TOTALS OF UP TO ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH. * WINDS...NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. * IMPACTS...HEAVY SNOW AND MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL RESULT IN VERY DIFFICULT THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY TRAVEL WITH SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY ROADS. THE HEAVY WET NATURE OF THE SNOW MAY RESULT IN ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SEVERE WINTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED. HEAVY SNOW AND/OR ICE WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING IN THE WARNING AREA YOU SHOULD CHOOSE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE IF POSSIBLE...OR YOU SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION IF TRAVEL IS UNAVOIDABLE.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Ski Season Wrap up
Ski season ended in Watertown with the trip to Alta. Locally, Charlie, Eloise and I logged at least 20 ski days apiece, with several tremendous powder nights at Dry Hill with my friend Marshall.
A few key highlights from the season:
February break at Whiteface. The kids had a single day of lessons and then two full days with me on Whiteface. They skied the entire mountain, including several trips to the top.
I got myself in trouble with them on the last day, last run. We grabbed the last gondola ride and took a wrong turn, ending on McKenzie, a steep black. The surface had been out of the sun for several hours and was boiler plate. We took long traverses at pretty extreme angles, at one point Charlie's uphill knee was near his chin and he was shaking to hold an edge.
We got down, with a few rests, a few tears and a few angry looks from my two snow troopers. Once down, we got into the sun again and the snow was soft. We finished that day with a run through the terrain park.
In the terrain park, we stayed near the big gap jumps to watch the teenagers huck huge air. They were incredible. The neat thing about the gap jumps is how high you are between the gaps but how low to the landing you are when you clear the gap. It's a cool invention.
A few key highlights from the season:
February break at Whiteface. The kids had a single day of lessons and then two full days with me on Whiteface. They skied the entire mountain, including several trips to the top.
I got myself in trouble with them on the last day, last run. We grabbed the last gondola ride and took a wrong turn, ending on McKenzie, a steep black. The surface had been out of the sun for several hours and was boiler plate. We took long traverses at pretty extreme angles, at one point Charlie's uphill knee was near his chin and he was shaking to hold an edge.
We got down, with a few rests, a few tears and a few angry looks from my two snow troopers. Once down, we got into the sun again and the snow was soft. We finished that day with a run through the terrain park.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Alta April 2011 - Snowfall
We arrived on Thursday in Salt Lake City to rain and low, gray clouds. As we ascended Highway 210 into Little Cottonwood Canyon, the rain shifted to snow of increasing intensity. The Peruvian is at 8500 feet and it was snowing heavily. The snow was constant through Sunday with the exception of a few short moments of sunshine on Saturday.
Here is the snowfall chart from Alta.com for the period of our trip. Photos and commentary to come soon.
Storm Total: 43"
Daily Snowfall:
Here is the snowfall chart from Alta.com for the period of our trip. Photos and commentary to come soon.
Storm Total: 43"
Daily Snowfall:
2011-04-10
4.5"
2011-04-09
12.0"
2011-04-08
14.5"
2011-04-07
12.0"
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| Overnight Snowfall for Saturday's ski day |
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| Seasonal layering outside the main door of the Peruvian |
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| Andy on tele boards in the Wildcat Face |
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| Looking over Snowbird on Westward Ho |
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| Best Hotel in the World! |
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| Doing Laps on Westward Ho! |
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| The door to the best hotel in the world. |
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| Andy's truck after three days of snowfall |
Monday, April 4, 2011
Alta - April 2011
I am getting ready to ski for three days in Alta. My wife graciously green lighted a 40th birthday, spring trip with my brother Andy and my best friend from Kellogg, Bill. It is Monday and I am excited. The weather looks amazing....and not spring like!
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WEAK FAST MOVING WEATHER DISTURBANCES WILL CROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES TUESDAY. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT INTO NORTHERN UTAH TUESDAY AFTERNOON...THEN INTO CENTRAL UTAH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT OR EARLY WEDNESDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL FOCUS NEAR THE FRONT... WITH SNOW FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...WITH RAIN AND OR SNOW FOR THE VALLEYS THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. A MUCH COLDER AND MORE ENERGETIC STORM WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN GREAT BASIN LATE INTO THE WEEK. THIS STORM WILL BRINGING WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION TO WESTERN UTAH...FIRST ACROSS NORTHWEST UTAH LATE THURSDAY...THEN OVER THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE STATE FRIDAY. THE HEAVIEST VALLEY RAINS AND MOUNTAIN SNOWS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHWEST UTAH FRIDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. THE STORM WILL SHIFT SLOWLY EAST ACROSS UTAH THIS COMING WEEKEND. MANY MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS COULD SEE HEAVY SNOW WITH ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF TWO FEET POSSIBLE THROUGH SUNDAY. VALLEY LOCATIONS WILL SEE MAINLY SNOW...
Welcome
I have decided to write about my adventures with my three children. The three of them are four season, out door kids aged 8, 6 and 15 months. .
We live in upstate New York, near the Canadian border and to the east of Lake Ontario. Our proximity to the lake strongly influences our weather. Our winters tend to a bit warmer than the Adirondacks or the St Lawrence river valley to our east. However, the snow coverage is often significantly greater. The warm waters of the open lake sublimate into mid-western clipper systems or prevailing north westerlies. The moisture laden systems make landfall, change quickly in elevation across the Tug Hill Plateau and cool. The result is a large flake snowfall at rates measured by the inches per hour. The flakes are large and very light.
This lake effect snow sets up in fingers. It can be dumping in a 1/2 mile finger with brilliant blue sky on either side to the north and south. This snow engine makes for a long and soft ski season.
In the summer, the lake keeps the temperatures cooler than inland. It's mitigating effect on our weather creates a rhythm to our outdoor life.
I plan to post sporadically, when I have a free moment of clarity and am not chasing an escaping 15 month old. My initial focus will be to re-cap the 2010 - 2011 ski season. Charlie, Eloise and I skied 30+ days at our local ski hill, Dry Hill, mostly in fresh powder. We also skied Whiteface and Snow Ridge.
I took one adult ski trip this winter to Jackson and am leaving this week for Alta to ski with my brother, Andy, and my best friend from business school, Bill.
We live in upstate New York, near the Canadian border and to the east of Lake Ontario. Our proximity to the lake strongly influences our weather. Our winters tend to a bit warmer than the Adirondacks or the St Lawrence river valley to our east. However, the snow coverage is often significantly greater. The warm waters of the open lake sublimate into mid-western clipper systems or prevailing north westerlies. The moisture laden systems make landfall, change quickly in elevation across the Tug Hill Plateau and cool. The result is a large flake snowfall at rates measured by the inches per hour. The flakes are large and very light.
This lake effect snow sets up in fingers. It can be dumping in a 1/2 mile finger with brilliant blue sky on either side to the north and south. This snow engine makes for a long and soft ski season.
In the summer, the lake keeps the temperatures cooler than inland. It's mitigating effect on our weather creates a rhythm to our outdoor life.
I plan to post sporadically, when I have a free moment of clarity and am not chasing an escaping 15 month old. My initial focus will be to re-cap the 2010 - 2011 ski season. Charlie, Eloise and I skied 30+ days at our local ski hill, Dry Hill, mostly in fresh powder. We also skied Whiteface and Snow Ridge.
I took one adult ski trip this winter to Jackson and am leaving this week for Alta to ski with my brother, Andy, and my best friend from business school, Bill.
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