NO SNOW!!

Seems to me that the stable maritime snowpack we enjoy out here requires the warm temps and occassional rain on snow events like we experienced last week. <br><br>I prefer the cold smoke as much as anyone, but if that's all we got then we'd be Colorado or Utah, and have to deal with a much more unstable snowpack out here. <br><br>Plus we would not be skiing well into the summer months, so I suppose its a toss up.<br><br>FWIW: I do believe that greenhouse gases raise global temps, just not certain on the overall effects.

There have been years where even the snowy Mt. Baker Ski Hill haven't had snow. In the 50's and again in 77 or something. But my question is; why put ski areas at elevations such as 3000'-3500' in a place where the fluxuating snow levels give you a good enough base,(half the time) but make for horrible snow conditions on the lower half of the mtn. half the year, on a good year!! I guess people are satisfied with this though, as I have never heard anyone question it!!!!!!! Go up, thats where it snows! I wonder if, in the future, these ski "hills" we have will close due to global warming, just as many low elevation areas in Europe are doing at present. Signed: Rocket Scientist.

Because one of those ski areas is 20 min from my front door off of a major (and relatively well-maintained) highway and the season's pass cost me like $280. Buy me a pass at Crystal and I'll go there.

???ski,<br><br>Before selling your car - of course maybe you want to anyway - read this about weather, global warming and even skiing.<br> www.forskiers.com/articles/6.asp

The intersesting thing about global warming is that yes the earth is warming, but it warms and cools all by itself regardless of our wishes. There is no proven fact that man is causing it. Contributing maybe but even then there is no proof.

So unless you plan on walking to your favorite ski area, keep the car.

<br> www.forskiers.com/articles/6.asp

"Mt. Pinatubo, for example, the last time it erupted, spewed more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the entire history of man!"

 

<br><br>While NASA says:<br> earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaN...01/200104234686.html

"Shindell looked at volcanic activity from 1959 to 2000 and identified volcanically active and non-active years. The researchers concluded that because volcanic forcing is intermittent and decays rapidly, it seems unlikely to have contributed greatly to the long-term observed warming trend. Large volcanic eruptions such as Mount Pinatubo in 1991 inject aerosols into the atmosphere and have a global cooling effect during the years following an eruption. "<br><br><br>Anyway, the current weather doesn't prove anything either way. Or else 9 days ago, as I was getting face shots in low density snow at Stevens, I was seeing proof we were entering an ice age...<br>

I've got a weekday season pass for Crystal... so I'm a little bummed by this heat wave. Over time I've learned to work with the weather, respect the weather and wait for opportunities. <br><br>Several years ago I was on the Muir Snowfield on the last weekend of July. The wind was so strong that fog was jetstreaming over the rock ridge above Pebble Creek. Halfway up the snowfield I came to my senses and turned around. I had ice hitting me in the face at about 50 mph. I was thinking in terms of survival and this was late July! Well, I guess that's the lesson about the mountain making it's own weather.... But around here anything can happen any time of the year.<br><br>I think the main difference between Summer and Winter in the PNW is long rainy days and short rainy days.<br><br>Here is a link to a map of the Jetstream:<br> www.accuweather.com/adcbin/jet_maps_large?nav=home

This Jetstream along with the California high pressure area controls our PNW weather Summer and Winter. When the Jetstream is pointed right at us, we get the Pinapple Express (rain from Hawaii). In Winter, when it cuts back and forth giving us cold weather on the downstroke and warm weather on the upstroke, we get snow as the dividing line between colliding weather systems crosses over us. Right now it's curving around the North of us in combination with a high pressure buildup. If this high pressure doesn't go away then we are going to have some nice California weather around here... but no snow.

I'm not sure about Global Warming, but I do know that we used to see more snow around here and the glaciers are receding - and that 10,000 years ago, the spot where my house sits was under a chunk of ice a mile thick.

Things change.