Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Snowless in Hoodville

My buddy Kim and I decided to head up to our local ski hill and check out the current conditions.  We thought surely the low snowpack couldn't be that bad, could it? 

Oh, yes it could....


No skiing on Stadium....sadness

This was the scene the morning of January 5th at Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort.  It's winter now!  Where is our snow??


Two ski buddies, ready for action!

Hey, you snow gods, look at these faces!  Is this any way to treat two ladies who love skiing?


Stump dodging

After a month with no precip, the slopes were looking mighty bare.  What little snow that was left clung to the surface in hard, icy sheets.  Stumps, rocks and bushes stuck out everywhere.  I didn't realize there were so many  hazards under the snow.  By January, these slopes are normally covered under several feet of the white stuff.


Don't ski under this lift

Riding the main chairlift was especially heartbreaking.  So much bare ground underneath the lift towers!  You could even see last summer's beargrass stems.  Many of my favorite runs were not skiable (unless you wanted to put huge scratches on your ski bases).


Some trails had enough snow

I have to give big kudos to the Meadows grooming staff.  They did a great job with what little snow there was.  I heard snow was trucked from the parking lot and spread over many of the trails.  Kim and I were able to ski quite a few runs, and all were adequately covered.


Hood is looking mighty bare

Although the trails started out nice and groomed in the morning, it didn't take long for the fluff to be skied off, exposing the hard ice underneath.  Skiing on ice is never fun.


Too many of these signs

With many ski trails having minimal coverage, these lovely orange "caution" signs were everywhere.


Watch out for rocks!

Even on runs that appeared to have adequate snow, you had to be vigilant.  Every one and awhile a rock would appear out of nowhere.


Overworked snowmaking machine

With our rainy climate, the Pacific NW usually receives abundant snowfall.  Snowmaking is almost unheard of.  Meadows only owns two snowmaking guns, and this is the first time in many years I've seen them in use.


Pray for snow!

I know you readers are getting sick of me complaining about the lack of snow.  But to us PNW skiers, it's a real hardship.  Not only does it affect outdoor recreation, the mountain snowpack is our water supply in summer months.  We really, really, really need some precip.  Join my buddy Kim and I and help us PRAY FOR SNOW!


Sharing with:  Weekly Top Shot.

26 comments:

  1. Well you know why you have none, it all came here as rain. Hope you get some snow soon

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  2. I'm will to send my snow your way... al of it.

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  3. I love your posts! You make me smile.. what can I say.
    We do need snow though.. had some but it's melting away. Crazy winter. MSH looks good from afar, but close up it's lacking badly.
    I'll join on in and beg the snow gods for snow.. and lots of it.
    There's still time and I'm the forever optimistic sort.

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  4. Hi,Linda. I hope you will have much snow soon. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Our mountains make snow almost all season but the best skiing is when the real stuff comes. Here's hoping you get your fair share soon :-)

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  6. Weird weather everywhere- I wondered about snow making- they do a fair amount in the mountains here.

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  7. More than happy to share some of the floodwater from here for you to convert to snow.

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  8. Wow, it does look really bare! And so very dangerous. I hope you'll get some snow soon! I've heard it's been a very dry year for people on the west coast.

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  9. I'm doing my snow dance for you. (Sometimes it works!) We have an abundance of snow here in Breckenridge. I rode the lift yesterday with a couple from CA who ski Tahoe - they were also saying their snow is very sparse. I think it has all come to the Continental Divide in CO! Unfortunately, it's also been extremely cold with gusting winds - I was freezing out there this AM!

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  10. Welcome to what skiing can regularly be like in Aus. Just wonderful especially after we have driven the 1000k's to get to it!
    Sincerely hope the snow dances work very soon because its lack has a domino effect on everyone.

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  11. You are one dedicated skier to ski on ice! I certainly hope we get some of the white, gorgeous stuff soon--I feel as if the thing that is best about winter is passing us by this year :(
    (But I haven't lost all hope--I remember some heavy snowfalls in February).
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  12. Linda,
    I hope you get the snow you are praying for. I will send you any that is thinking of coming our way too.

    Between temps in the 30's and wind our ice is finally melting. We still have a few ice slicks that need to melt, but we are making progress.

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  13. Great photos and spectacular views, Linda! Thank you so much for sharing.

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  14. That does look very thin, not something you'd expect where you live. But those blue skies are gorgeous!

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  15. We complain in our area, too when there is little snow.. we are MEANT to have snow! People especially want it for good trails for snowmobiling, and it's very hard on local businesses & resorts when we don't have it.
    We also count on it for good insulation on our vegetation, it's very hard on things when we don't get normal snow!
    We started off the winter with a LOT of snow, but really haven't had any fresh stuff added to it in a month or more.
    Hoping for much snow & winter action for you soon, Linda!

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  16. Send the snow machines my way as I am so fed up with rain now! Hope you get some deep snow soon. xx

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  17. The scenery is still gorgeous.. Sorry you are not having the snow there. I will pray for snow for you..I just hope it doesn't come here by mistake..
    Have a happy weekend!

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  18. I hope you get lots and LOTS of snow soon, Linda!

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  19. I remember the days I prayed for snow ~ not anymore ~ but understand how you feel ~ Great shots ~ New England is having rain in parts ~ snow in others ~ carol, xxx (A Creative Harbor)

    ps. thanks for coming by ~

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  20. Not much snow in Poland either this winter.
    Thank you for stopping by at Polonica: Home Again.

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  21. That looks so beautiful when we are surrounded by rain in England

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  22. seems like a lovely place. We have similar nature but only up north. Where I live it is mostly flat so I´m not used to skiing.

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  23. The last 2 years we've been saying the same thing - Where's the snow?? This year is much better for us.

    I know how badly you want it so I'm sending up a prayer to the snow angels for you!

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  24. i always wondered how they made the snow when they talked about seeding it. I guess I kind of thought they dropped something in the sky from a plane.

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  25. Hi Linda, I forget to tell you how to see your layout as far as the comments on your blog go. You need to go to your settings on the left hand side column of your page; you will see "posts and comments", and "settings". In the part where it says "location", there is a drop down menu...you have the option to have it "embedded", which is what both you and I have, or to use the popup window. Since you have it embedded this will make it easier for people to comment (the ones who are having issues with the popup windows). Hope this helps. :)

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