Northwest ski resorts are desperate to deal with their nemesis: the Pineapple Express.
You know what I am talking about...the current of warm, moist air that brings warm temperatures and heavy rain to the West Coast. The generic name for such features is atmospheric river, but in our region we call it a pineapple express since our atmospheric rivers generally have their roots near Hawaii (see graphic).
But during the last week, faced with potential closure over the profitable Christmas break, some Northwest ski operators have turned to severe and unprecedented measures to deal with the threat. Hearkening back to approaches more appropriate to shamans or voodoo witch-doctors, crazed representatives of various Northwest skiing organizations are shooting, decapitating, and sacrificing pineapples in a display of desperation rarely seen in our region.
Below is a video of the carnage, one not appropriate for the squeamish or those under 18 years old.
Meteorologists generally oppose such interventions regarding unwanted meteorological phenomena, but with recent attempts idealized in popular movies (e.g., Sharknado I and II), one can hardly fault the Northwest ski industry for taking matters into their own hands. I will be the last person to criticize them if they succeed in bring back bountiful snow to our mountains.
Anti-pineapple video games are starting to appear.
And even some foreign governments, concerned about Northwest production of apples, hops, and other food imports, are getting involved, although the measures they are calling for might not be effective.
We know Cliff! What about a long-term forecast or something...come on man.
ReplyDeleteThere is plenty of snow in Washington. Where? The Methow Valley, home of North America's largest cross-country ski area (200 km groomed, many times that backcountry and places like Loup Loup).
ReplyDeleteThe Methow picked up 8-12 inches snow Saturday night. The Weather Service does a poor job predicting weather for the Methow. See Cliff's earlier posts on the need for a radar here.
The skiing is fantastic! My wife and I got nine days of skiing in November! We had 18 inches then.
And, after last summer's fires we could really use the business. So come on over. Just four hours from Seattle, and the best IPA on the planet too (Old Schoolhouse Ruud Awakening IPA).
Loup Loup Ski Bowl between Twisp and Okanogan is open with great skiing. See us the web at www.skitheloup.com
ReplyDeleteScott Sistek's latest blog entry
ReplyDeleteis: "High confidence warm autumn to continue as a warm winter." http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/High-confidence-warm-autumn-to-continue-as-a-warm-winter-286385351.html
No humor, just weather facts.
Great comment from Targhee, which I think Cliff should consider addressing in an upcoming blog. Most of the ski world in this state focuses on the primary resorts (Stevens, Crystal, Baker, Snoqualmie) while forgetting we have other areas with great skiing. With future snow blogs, it would be great if you could also include the other lesser known ski areas in the state.
ReplyDeleteAs Targhee indicated, many of these communities were impacted by the fires this summer and could benefit from tourist dollars.
Cliff, what happened to the heavy rains we were supposed to get this weekend? Pineapple or no, I only saw about 0.15 inches of rain since Friday night (south Snohomish County).
ReplyDeleteBut I am beginning to wonder if this is attributable to global warming... It is a fact that we have is a marginal climate for skiing... Unlike the Rockies, where winter temps are generally below freezing in winter by a comfortable margin, mid-winter thaws have always been a fact of life in the Cascades, and any net warming will be very bad for skiing.
Of course I do enjoy a warm summer.