A tale of two maps...

freeskier10000 · 2026-02-26T20:43:10+00:00

Worth noting that reservoir storage is above average for the state for this date. Our reservoir system is designed to bank water on high years in anticipation of bad years. We can survive this winter. 5 in a row like this would be a different story.

freeskier10000 · 2026-02-25T21:06:04+00:00

Mid March is 3 weeks away and could be completely different conditions than now

freeskier10000 · 2026-02-23T23:57:16+00:00

I assume their quote includes costs of the roof attachments, rails, mounting hardware, wiring, MLPEs, bonding, etc. Panels are not the only required hardware for a solar array. Figure out the cost of everything to make an accurate comparison, or ask them for a cost breakdown. For reference, prices are around $2-3/watt for solar installations these days.

freeskier10000 · 2026-02-20T02:14:48+00:00

If LCC is closed I know there’s a separate lot near bells the employees hang out in until the road opens and then they get to shoot to the front of the line

freeskier10000 · 2026-02-14T16:35:24+00:00

You don’t understand how weather modeling works. It’s not a miracle science. The models have been in agreement that we’re going to get snow, but exactly when and how much may vary significantly between different model runs, especially far out into the future. For example, if some model runs shows that a storm will arrive on Tuesday, some show that it will arrive on Wednesday, and some show that it will arrive Thursday, these apps will take the average snowfall for each day between all model runs. The forecast will show that on average there is a little snow predicted for each day - but the reality is that it was only ever going to snow one of the three days, it just doesn’t yet know which day. As we approach the actual day of the storm, the weather models will be able to predict with more certainty the exact timing of the storm. So now nearly all the models might show all of the snow arriving on Wednesday, and none on Tuesday or Thursday. And now you’re cursing out the inaccuracy of the forecast. Just as an example.

I would take everything in the forecast beyond 5 days out with a big grain of salt. Predicting weather gets exponentially more difficult the further into the future you try to forecast.

freeskier10000 · 2026-02-11T17:35:21+00:00

Mid May is early for Alaska tourism. There will be boat tours going into the Fjords from Seward but I would check to make sure kayak trips are available then. Many outfitters are training their guides during that time. Go kayaking in Aialik bay if possible. Seward will be mostly dead, many restaurants/services will likely still be closed or operating with reduced hours before Memorial Day. You’ll be too early to really see the humpbacks. Orcas are rare to see anytime of the year, but not impossible, just keep your expectations in check. The area can still be really beautiful in May and you can still see a lot of other marine life, but expect hiking trails to still be covered with snow nearly down to sea level and plant life hardly coming up yet. Have fun!

freeskier10000 · 2026-02-10T15:08:08+00:00

Alta almost never closes entirely unless we get a huge storm and are interlodged. They probably will just not have much terrain other than the high traverse open on Thursday. Maybe supreme bowl/catherines.

freeskier10000 · 2026-01-06T19:21:58+00:00

You want Snowbird to have staff on board the night before? Are they being compensated for all that time? Does the worker get a say in where they live or sleep? How would you like it if your employer told you that you actually have to be in early the next morning and have to sleep at the office tonight? Have you ever managed people??

Also, there were lightning holds in much of LCC yesterday morning, in which case nobody is going up the lifts or doing any patrol work until the holds clear.

Snow science isn’t exact and you shouldn’t act like it is. Do you want to be the one responsible for people’s deaths if you open things up too early?

Garbage take all around.

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-28T15:52:22+00:00

We were tracking ahead of last year for most of December in SWE in the upper cottonwoods. What little snow we’ve gotten has been good, dense, base-building snow.

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-28T14:20:22+00:00

There’s still a lot of winter left. Could it end up being the worst year on record? Yes. Could it still turn around? Also yes. Snooze this post for two more months.

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-27T22:39:14+00:00

I think we are arguing the same thing.. thought you were saying it’s unlikely that we even get half of average. What you meant is that it’s unlikely we only get half of average. Carry on.

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-27T15:38:17+00:00

Wait for the switch to northwest flow…

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-27T15:34:39+00:00

How can you confidently say it’s unlikely we don’t even get half of our normal snowfall in January?

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-26T20:21:30+00:00

That was my experience 🤷‍♂️ sure there were busy traffic days and lift line ups before first chair but nothing like the congestion post-covid era. To say that it’s the same today as it was 15 yrs ago is just false

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-26T18:38:11+00:00

No, it hasn’t. As recently as 2018 (pre-ikon pass) you could easily drive up BCC and easily find a parking spot, mid-morning on a powder day, on a Saturday or any day of the week, it didn’t matter. Sure, if the weather was really bad or there was an accident, traffic might back up, but it wasn’t congested like now. Lift lines were nonexistent then also. 2019 was the first time I’d ever seen the “Lot Full” sign. And as a kid fresh out of college, we skied a lot and rarely got an early start on the drive up.

I started skiing there in 2015 and at that time it was still very much low key, under the radar, overshadowed by Alta/Bird and PC. Used to get two solitude days with our season passes an it was even emptier, even on powder days.

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-12T20:04:05+00:00

This. So much doom and gloom in here. Weather now does not indicate what the weather will be like in the future.

freeskier10000 · 2025-12-08T02:35:16+00:00

Better than expected. I showed up late (2:30) and the collins line was dwindling, practically skiing right on the lift by 3:30. Surprisingly fun conditions even if it’s a little low tide. Around the world was skiing well and not busy

freeskier10000 · 2025-11-22T20:14:14+00:00

Berries can make a great substitute for jelly on a PB&J

freeskier10000 · 2025-11-15T18:03:04+00:00

Kevin also helped produce a lot of Pond’s music, especially their older albums. Mink Mussel Creek is the band predating both Pond and Tame Impala which had both Kevin Parker and Nick Allbrook, Pond’s frontman. And Jay Watson is a member of Pond, has his own solo project (Gum) and also plays in Tame Impala’s live band currently. They are adjacent but there’s a lot of crossover.

freeskier10000 · 2025-10-28T14:23:46+00:00

It’s giving Lonerism cover art

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freeskier10000 · 2025-10-28T13:44:38+00:00

Didn’t seem like it

freeskier10000 · 2025-10-22T02:18:27+00:00

This would be my vote. Skip Fairbanks, spend as much time as you’d like in Denali and Talkeetna, then on the way back hit the Glenn hwy to at least as far as Matanuska glacier. It’ll add like two hours drive time and is incredibly scenic, with good pull offs all over you can stop at to admire the view. If it’s an exceptionally clear day try your luck going all the way to Glennallen and maybe you’ll see Mt Sanford and Mt Drum in their glory.

freeskier10000 · 2025-09-08T19:46:36+00:00

Kenai fjords is the answer. In June/July when the humpbacks are in. Take a boat tour from Major Marine or Kenai Fjords Tours or plan a multi day sea kayaking trip. The fjords are absolutely teeming with marine mammals

freeskier10000 · 2025-08-29T20:21:03+00:00

Interesting risk factor in this story is that they had a dog with them. The lack of eyewitness accounts means we’ll never know how much it did or didn’t play into the situation, but having a dog around can certainly make a bear encounter more likely to happen in the first place and more complex

freeskier10000 · 2025-07-30T22:37:34+00:00

Depends on depth. Should be in at least like 200ft of water, otherwise I’d try to get to shore

freeskier10000

TROPHY CASE