Friends of NWAC Update
January 2011
Greeting all and Happy New Year! Hope everyone's 2011 is off to a good start with lots of time out in the snow. Despite the current warming, we certainly can't complain about the winter to date...even if it hasn't quite lived up to all of the La Nina hype...yet. The fact is that the snowpack is right around average for this time of year in the Cascades and well above average in the Olympics.
That being said, a lot of the big dumps have gone south and walloped the Sierras...which are at about 200% of normal. So what's going on? Well...in meteorology speak, the long wave trough and ridges have set up a little farther west off the coast than they normally would during La Nina, and this has resulted in warmer weather and a bit more rain up here than would be expected... and more precipitation to the south...which at 9000 ft in the Sierras translates to a bunch of snow. But the good news is that La Nina doesn't really have an effect up here until January, and indeed it looks like things are going to change. If the models are correct, the second half of January could be interesting (read: deep!). No promises, but....
The Friends of NWAC
Funding Update
We received some bad news recently from Olympia. Governor Gregoir's proposed budget for the 2011-13 biennium cuts $47 million from State Parks' budget. Included in this is $75,000 that has been passed through State Parks to NWAC every year. FOAC will be working hard in Olympia during the current legislative session to restore this funding...but we will need your help!
Please stay tuned to our Facebook page and e-mails like this for updates and opportunities to help...whether by contacting your legislator or donating to FOAC to support our efforts. We are optimistic that we can get this funding restored, and, thanks to your help, we are in a relatively good position to fill the funding gap in the short term.
However, it is becoming more and more clear that the future of NWAC will rely to a larger degree on private funding. If you value NWAC's services, we hope you will think hard about how you can help support the program in the years to come.
Vertfest 2011
The holidays are over and the winter has arrived in earnest...and that means Vertfest 2011 is coming up...Feb 12 and 13 at Alpental...yep...2 days this year!
Come join us for a weekend of clinics, demos, films and of course the biggest rando rally in the Northwest! It all begins on Saturday, February 12th at Alpental with ski photography clinics with Grant Gunderson and Jason Hummel, side country steeps clinics with pros and guides from Pro Guiding Service, and avalanche awareness clinics with the Alpental Ski Patrol.
Once the fun is over on the mountain, come join us for the Backcountry Film Festival at the North Bend Theater in the evening. There will be awesome gear raffles, a chance to check out the latest product showcased by our sponsors and time to enjoy a beer and food in our beer garden, and of course some great backcountry films!
Sunday the 13th is race day, so don't drink too much on Saturday at the film fest!
For more details checkout the official VertFest Facebook page for all the up-dates, details and info as it becomes available!
To purchase tickets, click here.
Thanks to Outdoor Research for once again leading the charge to pull this event together as a benefit of FOAC!
Get ready for 'HurtFest' 2011...same Vert, more Fest!
Avagoogleanche
It's an internet world these days, and we get a lot of avalanche related info coming across our computer screens at FOAC world headquarters. Chances are some of you are tuned in and get much of the same info, but for those who aren't, we thought we'd share some links we have come across. We strongly encourage you to take a look at this stuff...you'll be smarter in the backcountry:
For a good general tutorial on avalanches, check out The Avalanche Site produced by our neighbors to the north.
For one individual's somewhat unique take on traveling in avalanche terrain, check out this article on "Living with Deep Instability" on Outdoor Research's cool Verticulture site.
For a good primer on digging snowpits, check out this video on Backcountry Magazine's site.
In the market for any new avalanche gear? Check out Beacon Reviews, a very thorough site about avalanche rescue equipment.
Check out this great tutorial on Avalanche Weather Forecasting
Here's a good article on strategic shoveling.
And finally, for a fun interactive exercise about avalanche types, check out this site by National Geographic.
Upcoming classes
We've made an effort to include just about every avalanche education opportunity in the Northwest on our
Calendar. Check it out for upcoming classes including the following in the next couple of weeks:
Jan 18, 7:00: Free avalanche awareness class at Redmond REI
Jan 19, 6:30: Free avalanche awareness class at Seattle Mountain Hardware store
Jan 19, 7:00: Free avalanche awareness class at REI Tacoma
Jan 19-21: Women's Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Course, with Pro Guiding Service
Jan 22-23: Level 1 avalanche class with Foothills Mountaineers
Jan 21 - 26: Intro to Ski Touring & Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Course, with Pro Guiding Service
Jan 22: 2-Day Avalanche Awareness Class with Ridge Explorations at University of Puget Sound.
Jan 26-27 and 29-30: Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Class with Timberline Mountain Guides in Portland/Mt Hood
Feb 2, 5-6: Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Class with Cascade Powder Cats
Feb 4-6: Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Class with Northwest Mountain School
And finally...
The third annual Snowball Dinner and Auction is on the calendar...Friday, April 15. Save the date and stay tuned for more info!
Thanks for the support!
The Friends of NWAC
Got a friend who would like to receive updates on NWAC? Help us get the word out by forwarding this e-mail below.
Some of our Valued Sponsors
Forward email
This email was sent to jetjohnso@aol.com by friends@nwac.us |
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
Friends of NWAC | 15600 NE 8th Street, # B1-711 | Bellevue | WA | 98008
January 2011
Greeting all and Happy New Year! Hope everyone's 2011 is off to a good start with lots of time out in the snow. Despite the current warming, we certainly can't complain about the winter to date...even if it hasn't quite lived up to all of the La Nina hype...yet. The fact is that the snowpack is right around average for this time of year in the Cascades and well above average in the Olympics.
That being said, a lot of the big dumps have gone south and walloped the Sierras...which are at about 200% of normal. So what's going on? Well...in meteorology speak, the long wave trough and ridges have set up a little farther west off the coast than they normally would during La Nina, and this has resulted in warmer weather and a bit more rain up here than would be expected... and more precipitation to the south...which at 9000 ft in the Sierras translates to a bunch of snow. But the good news is that La Nina doesn't really have an effect up here until January, and indeed it looks like things are going to change. If the models are correct, the second half of January could be interesting (read: deep!). No promises, but....
The Friends of NWAC
Funding Update
We received some bad news recently from Olympia. Governor Gregoir's proposed budget for the 2011-13 biennium cuts $47 million from State Parks' budget. Included in this is $75,000 that has been passed through State Parks to NWAC every year. FOAC will be working hard in Olympia during the current legislative session to restore this funding...but we will need your help!
Please stay tuned to our Facebook page and e-mails like this for updates and opportunities to help...whether by contacting your legislator or donating to FOAC to support our efforts. We are optimistic that we can get this funding restored, and, thanks to your help, we are in a relatively good position to fill the funding gap in the short term.
However, it is becoming more and more clear that the future of NWAC will rely to a larger degree on private funding. If you value NWAC's services, we hope you will think hard about how you can help support the program in the years to come.
Vertfest 2011
The holidays are over and the winter has arrived in earnest...and that means Vertfest 2011 is coming up...Feb 12 and 13 at Alpental...yep...2 days this year!
Come join us for a weekend of clinics, demos, films and of course the biggest rando rally in the Northwest! It all begins on Saturday, February 12th at Alpental with ski photography clinics with Grant Gunderson and Jason Hummel, side country steeps clinics with pros and guides from Pro Guiding Service, and avalanche awareness clinics with the Alpental Ski Patrol.
Once the fun is over on the mountain, come join us for the Backcountry Film Festival at the North Bend Theater in the evening. There will be awesome gear raffles, a chance to check out the latest product showcased by our sponsors and time to enjoy a beer and food in our beer garden, and of course some great backcountry films!
Sunday the 13th is race day, so don't drink too much on Saturday at the film fest!
For more details checkout the official VertFest Facebook page for all the up-dates, details and info as it becomes available!
To purchase tickets, click here.
Thanks to Outdoor Research for once again leading the charge to pull this event together as a benefit of FOAC!
Get ready for 'HurtFest' 2011...same Vert, more Fest!
Avagoogleanche
It's an internet world these days, and we get a lot of avalanche related info coming across our computer screens at FOAC world headquarters. Chances are some of you are tuned in and get much of the same info, but for those who aren't, we thought we'd share some links we have come across. We strongly encourage you to take a look at this stuff...you'll be smarter in the backcountry:
For a good general tutorial on avalanches, check out The Avalanche Site produced by our neighbors to the north.
For one individual's somewhat unique take on traveling in avalanche terrain, check out this article on "Living with Deep Instability" on Outdoor Research's cool Verticulture site.
For a good primer on digging snowpits, check out this video on Backcountry Magazine's site.
In the market for any new avalanche gear? Check out Beacon Reviews, a very thorough site about avalanche rescue equipment.
Check out this great tutorial on Avalanche Weather Forecasting
Here's a good article on strategic shoveling.
And finally, for a fun interactive exercise about avalanche types, check out this site by National Geographic.
Upcoming classes
We've made an effort to include just about every avalanche education opportunity in the Northwest on our
Calendar. Check it out for upcoming classes including the following in the next couple of weeks:
Jan 18, 7:00: Free avalanche awareness class at Redmond REI
Jan 19, 6:30: Free avalanche awareness class at Seattle Mountain Hardware store
Jan 19, 7:00: Free avalanche awareness class at REI Tacoma
Jan 19-21: Women's Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Course, with Pro Guiding Service
Jan 22-23: Level 1 avalanche class with Foothills Mountaineers
Jan 21 - 26: Intro to Ski Touring & Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Course, with Pro Guiding Service
Jan 22: 2-Day Avalanche Awareness Class with Ridge Explorations at University of Puget Sound.
Jan 26-27 and 29-30: Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Class with Timberline Mountain Guides in Portland/Mt Hood
Feb 2, 5-6: Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Class with Cascade Powder Cats
Feb 4-6: Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Class with Northwest Mountain School
And finally...
The third annual Snowball Dinner and Auction is on the calendar...Friday, April 15. Save the date and stay tuned for more info!
Thanks for the support!
The Friends of NWAC
Got a friend who would like to receive updates on NWAC? Help us get the word out by forwarding this e-mail below.
Some of our Valued Sponsors
Forward email
This email was sent to jetjohnso@aol.com by friends@nwac.us |
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
Friends of NWAC | 15600 NE 8th Street, # B1-711 | Bellevue | WA | 98008
