The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning!

Given the light rain on the slopes this morning, I think I’ll talk about wind first instead. If you’d like to go windsurfing or kiting, watch Stevenson and Rooster today. As a massive upper level low builds off the coast, bringing hurricane force gusts to the coast, east gradients will build through the Gorge. It’s going to be gusty, it’s going to be cloudy, and there might be rain showers, but you might just get on the water later today.

Tomorrow afternoon brings west winds to the Gorge in the wake of frontal passage. The further east you go, the steadier the winds will be. It’s going to be very southerly, so your best chance for decent water time will be at Arlington. Honestly, I’m not going to recommend the drive, unless you are really, super desperate.

You Seattle people are going to get a great day on the water tomorrow. Enjoy!

A better bet tomorrow for Gorge people is skiing, with NOAA predicting 4-8”. I’m thinking we’ll see more than that on lee slopes, as strong winds assist accumulation amounts. If you head to the slopes tomorrow, be prepared for strong winds and possible reduced lift speeds due to wind. By midday, wind speeds should drop on the slopes.

Snow is in the forecast at Meadows for the rest of this week. Yippee! Suddenly I like El Nino a lot better…

Have a great day today!

Temira

Good morning!

What are you doing?! Get off your computer and get up to a mountain, any mountain, for some epic skiing. No, I’m serious. There’s 15 inches of light new snow, and you’re sitting in front of a computer screen? Get in your car. Go somewhere. Go up, and then ski or ride back down.

If you’re heading into the backcountry, be aware of wind-loading from yesterdays 25” averages. NWAC forecast from yesterday says “considerable” danger, but I’m guessing that may jump up a level to “high” when they update today. Be careful out there.

If you’re going to Meadows, be prepared for epic skiing and epic numbers of your friends on the slopes. I was skiing until 3pm or so yesterday, and it was fabulous. The wind was filling in the tracks, so I had nice powder turns every run. That means it’s gotta be good still! Also, be advised that although the HRM lot is open, the lift is open for uplift only. That means you’ll be taking the shuttle back to your car at the end of the day (which might be a nice time to have a refreshing après-ski beverage such as water, Red Bull, or anything else that’s legal to drink while riding in a bus).

Tomorrow sees the freezing level take a jump, but it looks like the worst of the rain will go way north of us. I think we’ll have some sprinkles at Meadows, but that’s about it.

In other ski news, Skibowl opens today, and you know how I feel about their nachos. Yum.

If you don’t want to hit the slopes, take a road ride today, but stay below 1000 feet or so. ODOT’s been graveling roads here and there…

Have a great day!

Temira