Why Did California Break So Many Records This Winter Even Though It Was La Niña? I am sure by now you are well aware of the record-breaking winter that California just experienced! To put this into perspective, the high terrain of California’s current snowpack is in the range of 195% to 300% of the normal average for this time of the season. Even more interesting is the snow water equivalent (amount of water locked up […] Weather Matthew Oliphant | April 25, 2023 0 Comments
Why Didn’t a Ski Lift/Tram Ever Get Built on Mt. Rainier, WA? Imagine taking a ski lift from Mt. Rainier’s Paradise station at 5,400 ft to the 10,000 ft Camp Muir level where you would have endless terrain to snowboard or ski. One could certainly see why this precise location would be so enticing and attractive to set up a permanent ski lift. You could easily argue that the south part of […] Brains Matthew Oliphant | March 21, 2023 0 Comments
Winter Play Options at Mt. Mazama, AKA Crater Lake National Park, OR When you think of winter recreation in the Oregon Cascades, your thoughts and imagination might immediately spring for Mt. Hood (Wy’East), Mt. Bachelor, Three Sisters Wilderness, Hoodoo, or the Willamette Pass area. While these areas are fantastic and hard-to-beat places for winter adventuring activities of all kinds, there is one legendary spot in Oregon that flies under the radar and […] Backcountry Matthew Oliphant | January 31, 2023 0 Comments
Which Cascade Peak in Oregon Hosts the Southernmost Active Glacier? Before we jump into the main topic of discussion, let’s first understand what specific characteristics you can expect to see with an active glacier. A vibrant and robust glacier will embody various components pertaining to the movement and flow of ice. Some of these iconic features and behaviors you can expect are icebergs, crevasses, ice falls, and ice caves. Any […] Brains Matthew Oliphant | January 11, 2023 0 Comments
The History of the Lost Ski Area on Lassen Peak, CA Lassen Peak is the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. The area around the peak was established as Lassen Volcanic National Park on August 9, 1916. In a stroke of luck, Mathias Supan was the owner of the southwest area of what eventually became Lassen Volcanic National Park as he used the minerals at modern-day Sulfer Works to sell as […] Brains Michael Pitts | December 8, 2022 0 Comments
The Science Behind Problematic Pink Snow An annual summertime sight in alpine environments, pink snow, also known as watermelon snow, often lingers on late-season snowpack and glaciers worldwide. Though it may be appealing to try and take a bite of the brightly colored snow, it may forecast a more sinister warning about our warming environment. The bacterial phenomenon behind pink snow helps to accelerate the melting […] Brains Andrew | July 6, 2021 0 Comments
Seattle, WA: Most Snowfall in a Single Day in 52 Years Seattle, WA got some serious urban snow last weekend. On Saturday, February 13th, Washington state’s largest city got the most snowfall it had seen in one day in 52 years. In total, 8.9 inches fell on the city, according to Seattle’s official weather reporting station at Sea-Tac Airport, which followed up 2.2 inches that came down on Friday. The last […] Weather Alex Mangels | February 18, 2021 1 Comment
NOAA: 2-8″ of Snow Forecast in Washington’s Mountains Friday-Sunday NOAA is calling for 2-8″ of snow to fall in the Cascade Mountain of Washington State Friday – Sunday this week. Snow levels are forecast to drop as low as 4,000 feet over the weekend which will mean snow for Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass, & Mt. Baker ski resorts. “Snow levels will lower to 4,000-5,000 feet by Friday with cooler […] Weather WeatherBrains | September 25, 2019 0 Comments
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