El Niño

We went up Sunday for the first time this year, since it has pretty much rained non-stop since the 1st. Dylan has been lobbying hard, but I just can't get excited about skiing in the rain. Moreover, I'm getting fussier about conditions as I get older. I guess my love of snow is becoming conditional...

Here's the problem: El Niño. The Natioanal Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides the following definition for El Niño:

El Niño is a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the Tropical Pacific having important consequences for weather and climate around the globe. El Niño is characterized by unusually warm temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.

NOAA further describes these "important consequences" as increased rainfall across the southern tier of the US and in Peru, which has caused destructive flooding, and drought in the West Pacific, sometimes associated with devastating brush fires in Australia. Readers who want a more detailed description can visit NOAA's El Niño website.

Important consequences indeed. Like no snow in the Cascades. We're up to 87" on the season; in 2008, we had 152" by Christmas Eve. Things are a little grim right now.

January 10, 2010

February 8, 2008.

January 10, 2010. Success from the Eagle Peak Accelerator.


We're making the best of it. The good news is we've achieved break-even on the season passes. The bad news is, well, conditions are bad.

It's been a bit foggy up at The Pass.

I.

II.

III.

Dylan and Marty.

Dylan gives a two thumbs up. Hey, we're riding, aren't we?

Marty wags his tongue at the snow gods.

The WARP racers are taking over the mountain. I poach the course whey they're out to lunch.

Method Man strikes again.

Here's the long-range forecast from almanac.com.

JANUARY 2010: temperature 44° (2° above avg.); precipitation 7" (1" above avg.); Jan 1-4: Rain, then sunny, cool; Jan 5-12: Misty, seasonable; Jan 13-15: Rain, mild; Jan 16-19: Heavy rain, seasonable; Jan 20-23: Rain and t-storms, windy, mild; Jan 24-26: Sunny, cold; Jan 27-31: Rainy intervals, mild.

FEBRUARY 2010: temperature 46° (2° above avg.); precipitation 2" (3" below avg.); Feb 1-8: Periods of rain and drizzle, seasonable; Feb 9-12: Partly sunny, mild; Feb 13-15: Showers, cool; Feb 16-18: Sprinkles, mild; Feb 19-21: Heavy rain, seasonable; Feb 22-28: Sunny, warm.

Not promising. I generally don't trust forecasts, particularly ones that go beyond what you can see on a satellite image.

Some have postulated that I jinxed the season by making bold comments back in November. I knew this was an El Niño year before that, so I had tempered my expectations on the issue of snow. Plus, I'm not superstitious.

That said, I think it's time for a sacrifice to the snow gods.