1" OF NEW SNOW OVERNIGHT AND WINDS GUSTING TO 75 MPH
MID MOUNTAIN BASE DEPTH AT LOBO 22.8"
Good morning skiers and snowboarders, this is Mario with your SnoFax report for Sunday, December 8th, 2024. An inch of snow has fallen across the resort amidst very high winds rolling in from the Southwest. The forecast for the week has been all over the place, but my orignial assumption seems to be happening-- that being, this front has rolled in with force with Southwest winds, and has given way to colder air coming in from the North/Norhtwest. We can expect snow on and off all week long, with cold temps: the perfect conditions for stacking up our base.
WIND AND TEMPS: Today's temperatures are expected to range between 5°F at the summit, and 27°F at the base, with mid mountain temps in the teens, and winds are expected out of the North/Norhtwest, gusting to 45mph at the summit.
CHANGE OVERNIGHT: Expect to find some windloading/buffing in the Bowl today, and with Southwest gusts to 75mph last night, it's hard to say how the Southface is going to look today. Often with these high winds we see more stripping than loading at those elevations. Calling on the SnoFax community to help verify this information today.
SKIING IN THE WIND: Learning to follow the wind is an essential skill for chasing powder in Big Sky. One run giveth, and another taketh away. It's all about finding the areas where the wind follows the contour of the mountain. It's very possible that there are already wind drifts up to 6" deep in places, offering a handfull of soft bouncy turns, but it may be alongside a strip of wind scraped crud. In general, a simple rule is that the aspect that is opposite of the wind, is often the most loaded. Perhaps midnight/moonlight off of challenger have caught some of this snow, if the wind hasn't stripped it at higher elevations.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF STORM SKIING: Last year I grew accustomed to skiing in a sweatshirt more than a jacket. Hopefully this year is a different story. Whoever wrote a song about dancing in the rain clearly never went skiing in a snow storm, as I believe storm skiing is much more exciting. Hunting down powdery turns on the upper mountain as the wind blows and fills up your tracks, you learn to ski by brail, now that's what storm skiing is all about. Need a break from the wind? Head down to the mid mountain and find shelter, and sight as you trade pitch and powder for warmth and visibility in the trees. Skiing around on a mountain in the cold snow is a frontier of human existence, exploring and battling the elements with the discoveries being fun experiences.
Become a supporter/contributor today and share your knowledge in the SnoFax community so that everyone can be better equipped to have fun and safe days out on the mountian.
As always, remember to stay safe, and have fun out there.
