It’s starting to feel a lot like winter. Storms are coming every few days, and the sunset is coming surprisingly early. It’s weird to say that “I can’t believe the sun is setting so early,” but I say it, and I hear others saying it too. Really? The sun has been setting at this time, on this day, for about the last 4-5 billion years (or at least a few thousand years, according to some…). How is it so hard to believe that it’s getting darker at an earlier time? Maybe we need to eat fewer calories to keep our brains in good health.
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Forecast: some very light snow for the northern mountains on Saturday afternoon through Sunday, and cooler temperatures for the plains and front range foothills on Sunday compared to today and Saturday. The next big snow potential is on Tuesday into Wednesday, when another storm will move through the state in a similar way to last Wednesday’s storm (although the upcoming storm will be colder). All mountains (and valleys) should get in on the snow Tuesday into Wednesday, with the best chance for the most snow in the southern half of the state. The plains should see some more snow as well, concentrated mostly south of Denver. Snow totals could be over 12″ again across the southern mountains and plains.
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You could win free posters from PosterBrain (make your pictures into posters), an iPod from One Button, ski movies from Level 1 Productions, schwag from Outdoor Divas, and much more! Get your tickets for The 2009 Snoball next Friday, October 30th. BONUS: Buy a ticket by midnight on Monday, 10/26, and on Tuesday I’ll pick two winners who will each receive a free poster from PosterBrain.
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Last Wednesday’s storm was the “real deal upslope” event along the eastern mountains. Why, you ask? The answer reminds me of a quote from “Hot Shots!” (1991) the movie:
Topper Harley: Those are some long legs…
Ramada Thompson: I just had them lengthened. Now they go all the way up.
In the same way that “Ramada’s” legs go all the way up, so too did the upslope wind on Wednesday, October 21st.
On the plains and adjacent foothills, a wind coming from the east and blowing to the west will move “up the slope” as it hits the higher terrain. The more wind forced upward by the terrain, the more snow (or rain) is condensed out of the clouds. On Saturday, October 10th, the upslope wind only extended up to 9,000-10,000ft. Boulder and points north received about 5″ (to more than 15″) of snow, but this snow only fell up to about 9,000-10,000ft. Above this altitude, it was warmer, the sun was the shinning, and Loveland ski area at the Eisenhower tunnel (11,000ft) was dry and warm. Compare this with the latest storm on Wednesday, when the upslope extended to about 16,000-18,000ft. Up to 17″ of snow fell in the southern foothills and over a foot fell east of DIA. But most telling of the upslope depth, the snow reached all the way up to the divide, putting the chain law into affect for Loveland Pass and giving Loveland ski area a few inches of the white stuff.
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Cuchara. That’s all I’m going to say. Ok, that’s a lie. “Hi, my name is Joel, I’m an only child, and I like to talk.” It’s hard for me to stay quiet, so here’s the secret.
- First, pick up this book: “Powder Ghost Towns“, written by Colorado author Peter Bronski.
- Next, locate the lost ski area of Cuchara.
- Then, keep an eye on The Colorado Powder Forecast and other weather sources to figure out when it’s going to dump down there.
- Hint: if Wednesday’s storm occurred in December or January, I likely (to the tune of 17″) would have taken the day off and traveled south from Boulder into southwestern Huerfano County.
- Disclaimer: The skiing in “Powder Ghost Towns” is backcountry and un-controlled. Know your avalanche safety before you go, though many slopes are low angle.
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Skiing Personals. As a single Jewish male, I’ve taken to the internet at times to find a chica. Since I enjoy Matzo Ball soup, I’ve used www.JDate.com to find Jewish girls. Has it worked? Mostly no, but maybe once or twice. For most of us, finding a member of the opposite sex that skis (or snowboards) is a big thing, since we spend all our time in winter looking for snow.
This week, I was initially happy to find a new website called www.SkiingPersonals.com. Maybe this is the key to finding a skiing mate? Well, I’ve always been skeptical of online dating (based on some bad experiences), but usually the website looks like the real deal even if the matches are less than stellar.
In the case of www.SkiingPersonals.com, however, I think they’re trying too hard to be the “real deal”, since their tagline is “Legitimate Online Dating for Skiers & Snowboarders”. Any time a product’s official marketing copy refers to the product as “Legitimate”, I start having doubts. Big doubts.
What something that is legitimate? Try out the enforcement of marijuana laws in the Abasin parking lot.
