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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 28, 2015 - 06:49am PT
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Move on to another thread if you don't care to wallow in the depths of a skiers despair over our pitiful winter in the Sierra. I've always found winter to be the season of renewal rambling about mountains after the long hot summers we endure on the Western Slope. Cry California, yikes we've got a major problem. Care for some dark humor in this "Time of Dry"?
Part I: State of the Drought/State of the Mind
The serious skiers of the Tahoe Sierra and the entire state for that matter are all losing their minds. One by one the drought is taking its toll on those who count on the season for its great magical transformation of mountainous terrain into a winter playground wonderland. The Big H that's blocking Pacific storms over the home range is as if a great dehydrator is also slowing drying out ours brains, our scowls have become permanent.
Denial is a strange condition, manically as if the outcome is any different the skiers of the Tahoe Sierra each morning go to their local avalanche site and are greeted with the same all green go hang yourself advisory:
We are becoming less functional and are exhibiting little ability to manage affairs productively.
Short irrational outbursts of anger and or mean spirited ridicule is now the norm in any discussions regarding any subject. Random short tempered acts of rage such as throwing or smashing objects have been observed. Recently my own weather radio which has been center stage on my waxing table for decades was smashed to pieces in some sort of out of body experience on the floor of my garage upon hearing another dismal long term forecast.
Our local ski hills' snow is as hard as ice and its coverage as thin as pavement. A simple observation professed in a lift line as to why so many great skiers come from the East Coast given similar icy conditions nearly resulted in a fist fight. Any remark as to how beautiful the weather has been could easily result in the innocent smiling conversationalist loosing some teeth.
The local ski hill known for its great tree skiing is pathetic, one cannot help but imagine going down in a toilet bowl with fresh skid marks.
With little regard to family budgets or obligations compulsive and hasty plans are being made to the Intermountain West as tales of powder come from our brothers in the Wasatch, Tetons, Bridgers and Selkirks. Ski porn is almost too much to bear.
Any altruistic thoughts of reducing ones carbon footprint and staying home has been abandoned. Once staunch environmentalist are now dismissing any notion that such travel is contributing to climate change as if they're finishing up on their probationary period as a new employee of British Petroleum. Ultimately the Sierra Skier may very well become a part of the growing demographic of Climate Change Refugees. It seems the BIG H is superimposed on the State as permanently and distastefully as a tramp stamp, we're toast, doomed as skiers.
Here in the Trench of Highway 50 the very foundation of the Ghoulwe Mountaineering Club is being shaken as many question faith in Ningue the Ghoulwe God of Snow. Most of you will unlikely remember the annual primitive and juvenile ritual of the Ghoulwe's from years ago:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1981678&msg=1981678#msg1981678
The following year the Ghoulwe's seeing winters as we once knew them were becoming a rarity called upon the spiritual powers of Father Hammer for guidance. The holy Father suspected that there were sinners amongst the Ghoulwe's. Indeed confessions were heard and the sins forgiven, they were made pure so that Ningue could once again provide the bounty of winter.
That winter was a bust as well which brings us to this season of 2014/15. A feeling of doom had gripped the Ghoulwe's. I'm fearing open physical hostility given a recent call to burn all the new fat powder skis over 100 underfoot purchased over the past several seasons with the irrational thought that such acts have jinks these winters. Snow blowers and ski passes will likely be torched even sooner. Simple and well meaning invitations to go rock climbing or mtb riding are met with rude sarcastic commentary about ones skill, fitness level and weight gain. What little snow we did have was hoarded as long time friends have made no effort to reach out and ask who's up for heading out? Precious stashes of powder in coveted protected alcoves of cold north facing runs were kept secret. Certainly a mote point now since all have long since turned into femur breaking rutted runs for those willing to take such chances.
The Ghoulwe Elders recognizing the crisis and potential schism within the Club convened in emergency session and came to the only plausible conclusion, Ningue was dead!!! The deliberations were exhausting and it was decided to enlist the extraordinary skills of Dr. Johnsonstein to bring Ningue back to life. Indeed the corpse of Ningue was found high in the alpine above Highway 50 and brought back to the laboratory of the fine Doctor.
Dr. Johnsonstein discussed the procedure with the Ghoulwe's convincing them he can bring the beast back to life and save winter.
Despite the best of intentions and the poor operating room support staff the experiment had gone terribly bad when the brain was dropped onto the floor creating a huge explosion. The science is uncertain but the outcome was clear, Ningue's DNA somehow transmitted into Dr. Johnsonstein, as you can see below Ningue had transformed into human form.
A monster had been created, we are now in the depths of the most profound drought of our life time in the home range. The schism we feared within the Ghoulwe's has begun with a contingent calling for Ningue's death while others have called for restrain. A vigilantes have searched for the beast in the Trench environs of Highway 50.
Part II: A Call to the True Believers/Are We Not Skiers?
Recognizing a serious further decline in the mental health of my ski partners I've organized several local tours in hopes of saving us all as we circle the drain and spin further down into the depths of dispair. Unfortunately long backcountry ski tours in the pathetically low tide conditions have provided little remedy from the suffering. Face plants in manzanita and obstacle courses of talus in such conditions have been painful to watch often accompanied by long diatribes of profanity. Obnoxious hysterical laughter by witnesses of such thrashing has strained friendships as ski poles are hurled at the laughing offender.
Is there no end to this hell???
Why has this happened???
What could we have done differently???
Is Ningue a false god of snow???
Part III: Redemption?/Hope?
Just when nearly all hope had faded while on another tour in coral reef conditions an extraordinary event took place. We had skied a popular backcountry bowl in hideous conditions east of Kirkwood near Carson Pass. The skiing was so bad we decided just to put in some mileage and head over to the biggest peaks in the area. The old Christmas day snow was firm as a wood deck.......we headed into the alpine:
All heads were down in the faint hard skin track as we headed up toward the north west shoulder. We entered the shadow of the mountain and a cold wind increasingly blew as we gained elevation. I recalled with much amusement and some sadness the annual Ghoulwe Halloween event; climbing the couloir in costume. I glanced up toward the twin features on the mountain with fond memories of the many years long gone.
Suddenly I heard them, the distinct sharpe scraping sound of metal edges on hard snow coming from high on the East Shoulder of the mountain. We all looked up in disbelieve as a solo skier descended an unfathomable consequential line between rocks and over cliff bands. Mouths agape I shouted, "holy sh*t he's got mandatory air" as he positioned himself taking aim to launch out successfully over a rock outcropping onto a steep 45 degree icy slope. Skillfully and quickly he pulled off a series of high speed GS turns and raced by us at warp speed.
Long blonde hair flew from under the helmet. As we strained our eyes to see the skier we saw the unmistakable beautiful pear shape form of a women. The Goddess of Ski raced out into the sun and up the other side of a drainage with the great momentum she had gained on her skillful decent. She had come from the sky from beyond the top of the mountain, her awesomeness wouldn't have been any greater if she had lifted a clenched fist and her companion, a soaring eagle landed upon it. We were speechless and began wondering if what we just witnessed was an aberration like sailors lost at sea longing for land seeing a mermaid?
She vanished as quickly and as efficiently as she had appeared. Disheveled we skied back to the summit at Carson Pass and quickly asked about if anyone at the trail head had seen the Goddess of Ski. A fit youthful warrior claimed to have seen a solo women climber earlier in the day out pacing him kicking a boot track up the steep couloir to the summit.
Who is this Goddess of Ski? A deity to save winter or a mere mortal showing us old men how to get it done in this Time of Dry?
Part IV: Back to Reality
Habitually as sure as my morning espresso I pull up the forecast on my iPad. You don't need a weather man to tell you which way this wind is going to suck:
You don't have to trust my forecasts, I hope I'm wrong about the continued dry spell into February. But you can trust that I won't post about big snows until I see model agreement for days and teleconnection support for the pattern change. Trust me I want snow as bad as anyone, I'm going insane....
Stay tuned.....BA "
There's only so many turns in a life time and as one old skier I don't need this kind of competition. I had just assumed that such a life would play itself out with my tissue slowly giving up the fight controlling gravity one part at a time. Just this new year I finally proclaimed my presence at work part time something I planned for many years only to finally take the plunge into the depths of a prolonged drought.
Is the Time of Dry the new norm? I sure hope not for everyone's sake; the impact of which certainly extends well beyond my first world problem. So the weekend approaches with warming temperatures. I'll clear and burn brush in preparation for what will undoubtedly be a hideous fire season.
I'll throw the skis into the box the dog into the car and head back over to Carson Pass. Wow maybe, just maybe I'll see the Goddess of Ski?!?!?!? Or does she really exist at all? Perhaps it's nothing more than an old dry brain being haunted by ghosts of winters past remembering the way it was and the way we were.
Let's all collectively focus some positive energy for a Pacific atmospheric river blown by arctic air and aimed right at California as we move into the rest of this winter.....or we'll surely have some more hell to pay:
Berg Heil,
Charlie D.
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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Jan 28, 2015 - 07:01am PT
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winter's gone, but not forgotten.
hey, hey. my, my.
there's more to the picture than meets the eye.
-neil young
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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Jan 28, 2015 - 07:08am PT
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charlie it might be my big fault
did i screw everything up
when i put my miralax
into pages of the bible
and rolled them up and smoked it?
i never did get along
with my stepbrother jesus.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Jan 28, 2015 - 09:30am PT
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Charlie D. Thank you for sharing the granitic epic tale of all you folks have done and are doing to bring snows to the Sierra.
Up here in Idaho we have 97% of normal snowpack in the drainage Sun Valley is in & 118% of normal snowpack at Grand Targhee.
Our low-elevation Inukshuks predict decent snow in Idaho's mountains for the remainder of winter.
Come on up!
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Dave Johnson
Mountain climber
Sacramento, CA
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Jan 28, 2015 - 01:57pm PT
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Too Funny! Sad but true, Charlie D., sad but true.
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clarkolator
climber
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Jan 28, 2015 - 02:33pm PT
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Charlie, I did what I could. Cleaned out the garage and put all my worldly possessions out in the yard for a week. Alas, it only produced an inch or so of snow.
Maybe if everybody puts all their stuff outside...
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crankster
Trad climber
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Jan 28, 2015 - 02:54pm PT
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Went bike riding in Truckee today. Great story, crazy group.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Jan 28, 2015 - 05:55pm PT
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This is Snowy Mountain in the Dacks ,just the other day.
Normally there is feet of snow there by now.Your snow deficit is not unique .We received 2-3 inches in that "blizzard".
My hopes for a good season here are deflated.
I too will hit the road.Colorado awaits.
Great writing and I feel your pain Charlie.
Cheers and Gisse,Wilbeer
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2015 - 07:31pm PT
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Fritz, get those Inukshuks in some sort of harmonic convergent force that can send some snow our ways......but save some for yourselves I'll be at Grand Targhee in less than two weeks.
BTW can't believed I raced up the hill this morning given the 3" (three inches) we had last night, actually it exceeded my expectations which it always does.
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Jan 28, 2015 - 07:46pm PT
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but but but, today was EPPPICCCK!
We didn't see any Snow Goddesses. But we happened across several Snow Doggesses
Even the Evil East winds could not touch us today
Behold my 3"
Fin
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Jan 28, 2015 - 08:14pm PT
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We have received almost no snow for the month of January . . . the temps have been 10-20 degrees above "average" as well. The precipitation has been coming later in the last few years, hopefully it will balance out between Feb.-April.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Jan 29, 2015 - 03:46am PT
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I hope so ,Kalimon.
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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Jan 29, 2015 - 05:14am PT
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The "Time of Dry" How sad that is. I really feel your pain Charlie and my heart goes out to you and your ski buddies.
Not so good at the moment here in NW Wyoming either. A great start to winter and then virtually no new snow in January and days of inversion only to be broken by a heat wave. No new snow in view on the horizon. The "Time of dry" how sad.
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OTC
Social climber
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Jan 29, 2015 - 08:38am PT
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Clarkolator: Feng Shui goes deeper than that. Get the bike and
and adjust the machine. Then, hopefully it will snow.
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Jan 29, 2015 - 09:25am PT
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R³ ain't helping us either Charlie...
Warm air sucks!
Nice report and I feel the same way... But at least we have a base to work with...
Colorado looks good... ;)
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i'm gumby dammit
Sport climber
da ow
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Jan 30, 2015 - 11:11am PT
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still good out there and everyone seems to have given up
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 30, 2015 - 08:05pm PT
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Bravo gumby, brovo brother........the Goddess of Snow and YOU have shown me the way!!! Getting after it in the "Time of Dry", I'm skiing tomorrow.
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 20, 2015 - 08:27pm PT
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Just returned from a magical week of skiing in the Tetons...
Man is it bad here, I mean over the top once in a live time bad news......mid February and I'm heading to Lover's Leap's East Wall tomorrow. One thing about climate change it can be good for a rock climber even a situational depressed one. Just can't seem to shake a sense of doom.
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