Crystal Mountain received 17 inches during yesterdays storm however strong winds and warmer temperatures kept the fluff factor down. Whistler has received over 35 inches in the past 2 days!    The Sierra will see a 12 hour window of heavy snow beginning on Saturday morning up North until a cold front drops down by afternoon.  Most areas especially Northern Lake locations will see a quick 9-12 inches by late Saturday night.  The Wasatch gets some leftovers on Sunday with 3-5 inches likely over Park City and 4-7 in the Cottonwoods. 

Colorado will finally see some snow however only after record warm temperatures plummutt late Sunday/Monday where spotty snow amounts will reach 7-9 inches in many areas favored by Southwest Flow (4 Corners), followed by Central and Northern Colorado when the winds shift to the West Monday morning.  The Front Range may even see some wrap around moisture Monday with temps only in the low 40′s.  

The Chase:

Friday:  Northwest resorts with several feet of heavy wet snow (Crystal is slightly higher so might be a better pick)

Saturday:  The Northern Sierra late in the day (Squaw might be a good pick since high winds keep KT 22 running).   Oregon will see heavy snow during the day so Mount Hood will be a winner!

Sunday  Solitude with 4-7 new during the day on top of groomers!  The Bird will be pretty rough underneath!

Monday   Colorado might not make the grade but if I had to guess, Crested Butte? If you can fly Whistler BC gets another 15 inches during the day! 

Powder Fund Drive:    The Facts:   Powderchaser thus far has received $192 in the fund drive with a special thanks to those that I emailed recentl.  My goal is to re coop my web fees this year which still leaves me hoping that I can get to my goals of even reaching 50% of my 2012 costs (2K).   My philosophy has been to offer a grass roots service to help you sort out your powder chase!  $20 will go a long way towards allowing me to meet my goals!   If you chased powder and soaked up face shots than as you know you caught the dream.   I would rather follow the NPR model of providing you daily powder news and predictions and letting you support the site!  This is the first time I have reached out to my limited subscriber base so please help keep Powderchasers alive!

After a very busy week with spots in the Sierra such as Kirkwood picking up an amazing 95 inches in 5 days and Snowbird ranking in 42 inches of light fluff last weekend the weather pattern this week will remain wet in the Northwest and Sierra however amounts will be light to moderate with each event slowly building to heavier potential by next weekend. I see good opportunity to chase in the Southern Cascades by mid week and perhaps even better by next Saturday?

A tribe of powderchasers from Boulder and Steamboat (Blake, Ben, and Anonymous) managed to drive from Colorado to Kirkwood before the last dump get hung up with the law in Lovelock NV for 24 hours, and still managed to get bailed out for 1st tracks at Kirkwook last Saturday with over 2 feet from the night before. They stayed for the full 95 inches and drove 20 hours straight back on Monday night in order to keep their jobs just so they can hit the road again for the next epic dump!

The Chase:  The opportunity exists for 3-6 inches of medium density snow in the Cascades this week every 24-48 hours so my picks would be Tuesday/Wednesday as the freshies build slowly and perhaps even higher amounts by next weekend. The Sierra will see light snow on Sunday (3-6), and a stronger system on Tuesday night (7-9) with strong winds!  Heavier snow is possible in the Sierra by next weekend.  

The Rockies will see 3-5 inches in the Wasatch on Sunday night and Monday with 1-2 inches in Northern Colorado.  The Chase looks better for next Sunday/Monday with a cold front bringing a good chance of moderate snow to the Wasatch, Tetons, and Northern Rockies.  

Enjoy the fresh snow and stay tuned to Powderchasers for any updates posted on the website.

Powderchaser Steve

Just looking at snow data this morning finding 12 inches overnight at Alta/Snowbird, 60 inch storm totals at Kirkwood (Last 2-3 days), and up to 10 inches at Park City where snow is falling heavily.  Temperatures were very warm under SW flow last night so early powder seekers in the Wasatch will be on a 10 inch dense layer with cold fluff (Another 5-10) on top since 3AM when the temperatures started to drop.  The San Juans of Colorado are just now getting into the action with my expectation of 14-20 inches by Monday morning. My picks in Colorado  would be Wolf Creek, Durango, Crested Butte and perhaps Telluride.

Snow in the Sierra is winding down with another 3-5 inches possible by tonight.

The Wasatch will see another 5-10 inches today and a secondary low will crank out another 4-8 after midnight tonight. Monday will be another powder day there with openings of terrain that were closed today due to strong Southerly Winds and fresh snow from tonights moderate impulse.

  The Colorado Central and Northern Mountains unfortunately will only see 3-6 inch amounts from this storm from I-70 North and primarily from 4PM today to 5PM on Monday.  Winds shift to the NW late in the period so there is a good chance of heavy snow showers over I-70 on Monday.

There was a tribe of powderchasers including Boulder based Blake that chased this storm from Colorado  to Kirkwood last week and are headed back to catch the deep in the Wasatch for Monday!   His goal is to make it back to Boulder by Tuesday night for work however from my experience Powder often takes priority. My guess is that as all snow ends by Tuesday he will make it! 

High Pressure takes hold mid to late week. 

Powderchaser Steve