March 1, 2015

    12:30 Hours on Saturday February 28, 2015.

    15:30 Hours Saturday afternoon, another awesome day.

    Making snow on the Lower Dave Murray run on Whistler Saturday morning.

    Snow making hard at work on Blackcomb.

    Rumbling Glacier Saturday morning.



Weather Observations for March 1, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters       -8, Winds were 25-35 KPH from the SSE
2180 meters       -7, Winds were 25-30 KPH from the SSW
1860 meters       -5, Winds were 15-25 KPH from the E
1835 meters       -3, Winds were 20-30 KPH from the SSW
1650 meters       -3, No new new snow, Base 144 cm
1550 meters       -3, No new new snow, Base 108 cm,  Relative Humidity 50%.

  660 meters       -3, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +9.1

    As of 07:30 ours we have broken cloud and unlimited visibility.

For the forecast, off shore flow has brought some cloud to the area overnight and into most of the day for unsettled conditions. (mostly sunny) Dry Northerly flow will prevail once this weak system passes by and we will see mostly sunny conditions into Thursday morning. A weak front will move on shore Thursday, at this time it looks dry. The upper ridge will rebuild for Friday and Saturday. Freezing levels will fluctuate from highs of 1300 meters during the day to surface in the evenings and early mornings. We may see 1-3 cm of snow on Thursday above 700 meters. Still a possibility of snow on March 10-12.

    Image from yesterday 12:00 Hours.

    Big picture yesterday at noon. The high looks very strong.

   Some clouds in the area today,

    Monday will be another sunny day.

   Tuesday looks clear.

Weak trough pushing through on Thursday.

   Ridge rebuilds for Friday.

ARTICLES:

Afghan Avalanche Death Toll reaches 235 amid rescue effort: Khaleej Times

Warm weather in the Alberta Rockies brings avalanche warnings: Edmonton

Skier getting caught in an avalanche in Tignes: France

New Mount Everest route not considerably safer, says veteran climber: Calgary

    Still able to get off both mountains on the man made snow.

   Good looking ribbon of snow on Lower Dave Murray.

Whistler Mountain on Saturday afternoon.

                       Best of both sports, biking to riding.                                         Steve Reid Pic

February 28 2015

    Avalanche toll rises in Afghanistan. Update below.                                                             AP Photo

    By 08:00 Hours Friday February 27, 2015 it was looking unsettled.

    Still have some snow guns operating.   February 27, 2015                                      Steve Reid Pic

                      Dusting from Wednesday still evident under Wizard chair.  Steve Reid Pic

    Alpen Glow Friday night.

    Sunset February 27, 2015.

   Getting ready for today.

Weather Observations for February 28, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters      -11, Winds were 20-35 KPH from the E
2180 meters      -10, Winds were 40-65 KPH from the ?
1860 meters       -8, Winds were 20-25 KPH from the SW
1835 meters       -7, Winds were 5-20 KPH from the SW
1650 meters       -7, No new new snow, Base 144 cm
1550 meters       -6, No new new snow, Base 109 cm,  Relative Humidity 5%.

  660 meters       -4, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +7.7

    As of 07:30 Hours we have clear skies ad unlimited visibility.

For the Forecast, a strong upper ridge and weak offshore flow will bring sunny skies to the area for today. A very weak front will brush by Sunday afternoon with unsettled conditions. Freezing levels should max out at 1500 meters and drop slightly during the evenings over the weekend. Monday will see the ridge strengthen and bring sunny conditions in a Northerly flow with  the FL maxing out at around 1200 meters and dropping to the surface in the evening and early morning. This pattern will persist into Thursday. Hopefully by next weekend we will see a pattern change. In the mean time just enjoy the sun and suck up some vitamin D. 

    Surface High and Ocean High for today.

    Lots of moisture around for Sunday.

   Cooler and a Northerly flow for Monday.

     Can you say Omega Block. Monday through Wednesday.

ARTICLES:

Jumbo Avalanche--A Year Later: Montana Kaimin

The Devil in the Details: Pistehors.com

No Respite for Afghanistan as avalanche dead crosses 230: TurkishTimes

Go Pro footage of a ski instructor getting buried in an avalanche: Ski & Snowboard

Afghan Avalanches Death Toll rises above 250: Iran Times

    Sunrise at 20 deg 43.0167 N  156 Deg 26.2950 W  yesterday morning.

   Size 2 Lava Slabs

    Yard Sale

    Air Time.

    Happy Times                                                                                                        Suze Cumming Pic

    Last sunset from this location for a while.

February 27, 2015

    Update on disaster in Afghanistan. Article below.                                                                  Net Pic

    Looking Northeast at 08:00 hours Thursday February 26, 2015. Cool looking sky.

    Same time frame yesterday looking Southwest. Looking like an unsettled day!!

    Many cloud layers mid morning Thursday. Nice to see a dusting of snow.

    The low allowed multiple cloud layers to move in by the afternoon. Image taken at 17:30 Hours.

    Low and High Stratus layer at sunset last night.


Weather Observations for February 27, 2015; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters       -7, Winds were 20-50 KPH from the SSW
2180 meters       -6, Winds were 40-70 KPH from the NW
1860 meters       -5, Winds were 25-45 KPH from the NW
1835 meters       -4, Winds were 10-20 KPH from the SSE
1650 meters       -3, No new new snow, Base 147 cm
1550 meters       -2, No new new snow, Base 111 cm,  Relative Humidity 87%.

  660 meters        0, Valley Temp, Max Temp Yesterday was +6.1

    As of 07:00 Hours we have obscured skies with limited visibility. Official sunrise is 07:00 Hrs this am.

    Looking much nicer by 08:00 Hours.

For the forecast, the low is moving South with some lingering cloud in its wake. We will gradually see unsettled conditions today as the persistent ridge of high pressure rebuilds into our area for the foreseeable future. Not sure if its shifting west is going to be a positive change in the short term.
Sunny days with cool nights can be expected into Wednesday in a predominately Northwest flow aloft. There is a weak front passing down the coastal waters which could bring some cloud to the area Sunday afternoon. Freezing levels will be around 1000-1200 meters during the day dropping blow surface in the evenings\early morning.  Long term we can hopefully expect a change next weekend.

                      Weak low passing over the area today.

                               Jet stream is being shifted as the high moves West.

                               High pressure is moving well out into the Pacific.

    The low brought some precipitation to Washington State.

    Some cloud in our zone but should see the high strengthen this afternoon.

    Blue Bird for Saturday.

    Weak upper shortwave trough moves down the coast Sunday. Will see clouds Sunday afternoon.



VIDEO FRIDAYS:

Afghan Avalanches caught on Camera: February 25, 2015

50 foot fall into crevasse: First day snowboarding in Chamonix

Frozen Fortress: Vimeo

Will Gadd climbing Niagara Falls: 1 Min

Mountains are dangerous environments, and so is the Ocean: Surf Kayaking-- Gone Wrong

Some past posted footage inspires bad ideas: Vidiland


ARTICLES:

Snowpack is up, but so is the avalanche danger: Colorado

Update on disaster in Afghanistan: Death Toll could increase

Felling of Tropical Trees has soared, not slowed as UN study reported: Science Daily

Man survives after being buried in 2 feet of snow: New Hampshire

    Looking West Thursday morning.

    Looking Southwest just before dusk Thursday evening. Low is moving through.

    Big swell on Thursday.

    Sunset Thursday evening.