Big snow coming to the Sierra Nevada this weekend

[Willie]

Drew wrote: "What these deep snows equate to is serious avalanche hazard - how much of that do you get in the Dakotas, Willie? "

We don't fool around with small snow slide. We have the continental Glaciers... might have to wait a few mellinia for them to come back but are still picking rocks from the fields from their last foray through here.

We are lucky & studded snow tires are OK in winter.

[Drew Wiley]

Well, glaciers retreated from the upper midwest long before they did here in our mountains, so even if a lot bigger, they must have been more timid! We still have a few left, hiding in their own deeply shaded high altitude nooks below sheer cliffs.

Yosemite Valley itself is due to open today with tire chain restrictions. I don't know about 4WD only. But if tour buses can't get in yet, it would be a nice time to be there.

[r_a_feldman]

Drew wrote: "What these deep snows equate to is serious avalanche hazard - how much of that do you get in the Dakotas, Willie? "

We don't fool around with small snow slide. We have the continental Glaciers... might have to wait a few mellinia for them to come back but are still picking rocks from the fields from their last foray through here.

We are lucky & studded snow tires are OK in winter.

I as on a birding trip to ND last June and our guide, from Minot, described overpasses over I90 completely filling up with drifted snow in past winters. There were still 20’ high piles of plowed snow in Fargo, even after a few weeks of 95-100 degree weather. You don’t need mountains to have bad winter conditions.

[Willie]

I as on a birding trip to ND last June and our guide, from Minot, described overpasses over I90 completely filling up with drifted snow in past winters. There were still 20’ high piles of plowed snow in Fargo, even after a few weeks of 95-100 degree weather. You don’t need mountains to have bad winter conditions.

No, you don't. Yesterday 6 hours of freezing rain coated everthing 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick in winds of 20-40 mph. Roads are a lot of fun. Then we had 3-4 inches of snow overnight. Driving this morning was OK for me. Studded snows make a big difference as long as you aren't stupid. I cold skid on the ice but had to push it to do so.

Driving to locations to photograph found a semi with trailer off the road. Slid off when he hit a small ridge of snow on the glazed ice. Took a couple of shots with the digital, moved a bit and two more - then again. Looked up and there was a guy in the cab - put down the camera and went to see if he was OK. Yep, waiting for a tow truck which had to come from about 60 miles away. Icy roads are a lot more dangerous than snow.

Great color and contrast and snowy branches. Three moose out in a field at one point. Fun to watch.

But, warm winter. Some lakes are already ordering mandatory fish house removal. Ice isn't thick enough and not safe. 54 degrees last week and 6 below tonight.

Clear aie, few people, family farms, small towns and no McDonalds for 90 miles.

[Mark Sampson]

The only word to describe going out to photograph in those conditions is "intrepid". I've lived through several ice storms in my life, and never want to experience another.

[angusparker]

This is our avalanche warning for today-* WHERE...The southern Salmon River Mountains, Sawtooths, White
Clouds, Smokys, Western Smokys, Boulders, Pioneers, and Soldier
including the mountains above the Wood River Valley and near
Banner Summit, Atlanta, Stanley, Smiley Creek, Ketchum, Hailey,
Bellevue, Carey, Fairfield, Galena Summit, and Trail Creek
Summit.

* WHEN...Until 5 AM MST Sunday.

* IMPACTS...Natural and human-triggered avalanches large enough to
bury people, snap trees, or destroy structures are very likely
to occur. Avalanches may strike roadways, trails, and buildings
in valley bottoms.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist. Travel in avalanche
terrain is not recommended. Stay of off and out from below steep
slopes, slopes steeper than 30 degrees. Avalanches may be
triggered remotely, from flat terrain above, below, and to the
side steep slopes.

I was in Ketchum last week - what a change. Hope the snow sticks around for my return!

[Drew Wiley]

What made this Sierra blizzard the past several days notable wasn't so much the depth of snow (though some places got 10 feet in just one day), but the force of the winds. Up to 190mph gusts were recorded, and that wasn't even on the higher peaks where no monitoring equipment exists!

I've been overnight atop Sierra peaks in hurricane force winds, and it is an unforgettable experience. Maybe that's routine if you're attempting Everest or K2, but you don't sleep much. The sound is like a jet right above your head all night. I was lucky to find a huge boulder at the summit with a big crack in the middle of it, just wide enough for my tent, which even there I had to hold together from the inside by my hands all night. In the morning it was completely calm, with 8 foot long icicles projecting fully horizontal off the cliff face. And what would have ordinarily been a fun glissade down a steep couloir became a hard slick ice nightmare. Cheap thrills. I deliberately did it just to find out the mettle or my tent. It flunked. Then I went out and bought a true Bibler expedition grade tent instead.