So its HALLOWEEN which is great because there’s adorable & scary costumes and lots of candy, but also because it means the ski season is right around the corner! What’s the story on Halloween? It has roots in age-old European traditions. It originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Wild! Read more at the end of this missive.
Anyway back to skiing…we’ve got a great line up of adventure ski camps with the best instructors in the nation, beautiful hotels, delicious meals, and fun people!
Snowmaking Basics by Sugar Bowl (where storms also dump tons of natural snow)!
There are four vital ingredients needed for machine-made snow: water, compressed air, cold temperatures and low humidity. Snowmaking can begin at remarkably high temperatures if the humidity is low enough. In order to evaluate the combination of temperature and humidity, snowmakers refer to the wet-bulb temperature.
When the temperature drops below freezing the watch begins to determine if the snowmaking system should be fired up. In this region, snowmaking can begin around 28 degrees F (26 wet-bulb), but the quantity of snow produced at this temperature level is usually minimal. At just a few degrees colder and percent humidity drier (26 degrees F/22 wet-bulb), the quantity and quality of machine-made snow really starts to improve. The colder and drier the conditions get, the more snow the guns can turn out. The outside air temperature is a rough guide for determining when snowmaking can begin, but it is the relative humidity that will determine the quantity and quality of the snow that can be produced. The magic number is 20 degrees wet-bulb. As temperatures drop the snowmaking team will start using electronic telemetry from monitoring sites across the mountain to assess the conditions. When the team determines that the time is right, they will start up the equipment and begin making snow. Interesting, huh? Thanks for the explanation Sugar Bowl!
If you missed this super cool event at the beautiful Cedar House Sport Hotel, come this Thursday to Alpenglow Sports store in Tahoe City to hear Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC)’s 2nd annual “Voices of Youth, Now and Beyond”. Attendees will be inspired by ARC youth participants and alumni reading metaphorical poems, sharing stories from their lives, and providing insights from ARC’s wilderness programs (incl rock climbing with NASTC).Last year at this event, students shared stories about battling depression and anxiety, overcoming family challenges, and dreaming about life after high school. As one student wrote after performing her poem, “the poem allowed me to learn about embracing and accepting my feelings as I learn to love and accept myself.”
This event is a fundraiser, and community members will be asked to financially contribute to ARC’s mission to empower underserved youth through integrated literacy and wilderness experiences. Donations of gently-used outdoor gear are also needed and welcome. Tickets/other events at Alpenglow Sports
We had a great time last week at the Cedar House Sport Hotel with SAC (Sierra Avalanche Center), Chris, Patty, and Randall Osterhuber (above) of Donner Summit Avalanche Seminars. “Being Avy Savvy” was the topic. Keep an eye out for our next Winter Speaker Series event at the Cedar House Sport Hotel!
For a bit of armchair ed, check out these great videos by BCA about avalanche avoidance: BACKCOUNTRY BASICS VIDEO SERIES
Enjoy your autumn!
Thank you to our Sponsors:
Rossignol, Patagonia, Hestra, Clif Bar, LEKI,
Black Diamond, Smith Optics, BCA!
IF YOU READ THIS FAR…. A little more history of Halloween to close out! The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. The commercialization of Halloween started in the 1900s, when postcards and die-cut paper decorations were produced. As for the trick or treating, or “guising” (from “disguising”) traditions, beginning in the Middle-Ages, children and sometimes poor adults would dress up in the aforementioned costumes and go around door to door during Hallowmas begging for food or money in exchange for songs and prayers, often said on behalf of the dead. This was called “souling,” and the children were called “soulers.”Now go get “dressed up” in your ski clothes, see if they fit, and sign up for some NASTC camps
