Today was just about as windy as advertised. I was stunned to see that all of the fence in my backyard was still standing this morning. I was equally stunned to see that both Roundhouse and Scott chair were able to run this morning. While high winds were buffeting the mountain, the direction of the wind initially closed only Summit and ABC. Yellow and Kangaroo closed soon after. Roundhouse and Scott ran for half the day. Only Subway, Meadow and Big Carpet finished the day.
The Remote Data for Ward Mountain verifies that it was both windy and cold. The windchill at the top of Roundhouse was somewhere around -2°F this morning. If you could get to the top of the mountain, it would have run about -15°F, that’s if you could stand up in the hurricane force winds.
Surprisingly those winds provided for a nicely buffed out surface on the groomed runs. Due to the headwind, I found it difficult to maintain much speed. I straight-lined most of my 6 runs and still only maxed out at 39mph. This is why racer’s don’t wear baggy pants or have hooded jackets. After 6 runs, I knew I had spent more time on the hill skiing that I did driving today. That animal Randy kept at it until nearly noon.
Looking ahead, there still seems to be three storms in the pipeline. Most of the models runs today came up with drier solutions, with systems staying a bit more offshore. The point forecast for Friday now shows 1-2 inches instead of 6 inches. That has been the story of this season. Something will be better than nothing. Maybe it will look better tomorrow.
Big thanks to you and Andy- I’m a dedicated Alpine skier for the past 10 years and appreciate all your posts so much.
Awww…thanks!