Newbie Tips - Deciphering Telemetry

Welcome new member Fes, aka Bittergourd.

And thank you for asking the following question:
"How do I read NWAC telemetry data (is there a key to deciphering it into more layman's terms)?"

This would be a good opportunity for all of those that use this data (hopefully even the NWAC folks, when you get a moment from your busy schedule) to not only help the newer folks interpret the data, but also explain why various parts of the data are important to you and how it helps you in your trip planning and knowledge base as your backcountry travel progresses.

Thanks, in advance, for sharing your valuable knowledge.

Thank you for the welcome, Ron.

Looking forward to the replies and any information provided.

Hi Bittergourd,

I usually check for a few things:
1. wind direction (it's in degrees, 270 would mean coming from the west)
2. wind speed
3. temperature
4. precipitation amount

why?
1. see what aspects might be wind loaded (if it's a west wind, usually the east facing slopes would be more heavily loaded)
2. see if winds are strong enough to transport or affect the snow, or see if I even want to go up (20+mph transport I've heard)
3. See how dense the snow might be
4. I'm usually sceptical of the precip. values, but maybe I shouldn't be. Either way, it's nice to see if the resorts are telling the truth. Also, the 24hr totals seem to be reset at 400am.

Around hood, I like to check all the sites to see if there are any trends or local differences. I also like to compare my thoughts with the NWAC analysis. They seem to be right on, but they cover such a large area. I also like to see what the forcast is, then check what actually happens.

Recently, a ski partner has been teaching me the ways of finding the goods. The telemetry is one of the valuable keys. Along with elevation, aspect, wind sheltering, fitness, timing, motivation.

Diving in and trying to absorb as much information as possible has been my MO. But making good correlations and decisions from all that info isn't easy. I spent a few years figuring it out on my own from experience and reading things like freedom of the hills. The level I avy course was good validation for constantly watching and basically being obsessed with the weather.

Steve

My analysis of the telemetry:
- I use the same 4 elements as Slo-Steve when looking at current conditions. When planning a trip, I factor temperature and moisture plus wind over time to assess potiential avy hazard (and quality of skiing!).
- I also frequently use the round "last 10 days" button to get a history of events. I find that having a sense of the timing of precip and temp changes over the last 2 layers of snow is a pretty good starting point for predicting hazard in the Cascades. The caveat is abnormal seasons (like this one in December) where temps stay very cold for weeks and weeks. Then you have to worry about more than the last two layers...
- I find telemetry useful when deciding to ski lift served instead of touring due to high hazard.
- Remember the telemetry is a planning tool and is no substitute for on slope evaluation.

Recently, a ski partner has been teaching me the ways of finding the goods.  The telemetry is one of the valuable keys.  Along with elevation, aspect, wind sheltering, fitness, timing, motivation.


Steve

....That about sums it up!

Weather note: finches are singing outside my bedroom window this morning, in the snow.

Thank you all for replies. I guess I have a lot more reading to do.

I wound up taking the 100 level Mountain Safety class at Baker and the teacher recommended picking up the book Snow Sense. Have a skier friend that I can refer to for help on reading the info.

Need to find partners to start going to the backcountry with eventually but need to be properly trained for the conditions first.