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Breaking News for 151C Winter Mountaineering |
UPDATE on WEATHER for Class FEB 12-14 The good news is plenty of sunny sky for the weekend, the challenging news is the evening temps will be a bit colder than normal (perhaps 15 degrees for the low) - so an extra layer might be appropriate depending on your sleeping bag comfort level. See you at the trail-head at 10:00. Previous news releases: Please check to make sure you are up-to-date.
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| Fun Life Quotes:
Embracing the expanse of the night time
sky, the majesty of towering canyon walls, the undeniable power of the
thunderstorm, and the delicate beauty of the tiger lily propels every
person still breathing to reflect on the most important questions of
life and death. It is in journeying out that we journey in. - anw |
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URGENT CLASS UPDATE: 4:00 AM SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6, 2010 Weather forecast has deteriorated and travel to the field class site is unadvised (6500 feet elevation). At this point the access road to the mountain is closed. PLEASE - call members in your ride share and have them check this site and/or their email. See forecast below from National Weather Service. So what is the alternative: class will meet on-campus at 9:00 for required avalanche video, to coordinate details for next weekend's trip, and to arrange for an 'optional' class session on Sunday if ride shares can be arranged. A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND THE TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS. * THE NEXT STORM WILL TRACK ACROSS THE REGION TODAY WITH ADDITIONAL HEAVY SNOW AND WINDS ABOVE 5000 FEET. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: THIS STORM WILL BRING NEW SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 FEET TO THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. NEW SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 9 TO 12 INCHES ARE LIKELY IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS ABOVE 5000 FEET. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF THIS EVENING WITH ONLY A FEW INCHES ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED TONIGHT. * ELEVATION: SNOW LEVELS WILL BE BETWEEN 5000 AND 6000 FEET EARLY THIS MORNING... LOWERING TO 4500 TO 5000 FEET LATER TODAY. STRONG CONVECTIVE SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON COULD LOCALLY LOWER THE SNOW LEVEL TO AROUND 4000 FEET. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER FURTHER TONIGHT... AFTER THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION ENDS. February 4, 2010 Weather watch. At this point the class plan is to meet on Saturday as planned at the rental store at 7:30 am. PLEASE check this website again Friday evening and before departure Saturday morning to check the status of the trip. The weather forecast is problematic in terms of driving conditions in the Pinos area - the mountain might be closed. Hopefully the roads will be open. Forecast is good for skiing though - snow. NOAA forecast: Saturday: Snow. High near 44. Breezy, with a south wind 16 to 19 mph increasing to between 26 and 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. Go now to this website to let me know about your ability for re-schedule options if we do have bad roads. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BZCYBLL So be ready - if we can't get there we will either change our day field trip or meet on campus to prepare for next week. Also note that the trip information is now online from the field trip links. December 15, 2009 Consult syllabus for class meeting schedule. See you on campus January 23, 2010. Also the specific chapters for reading of material for Winter Mountaineering skills are Chapters 16-20 in Freedom of the Hills text. The campus bookstore will not have the text in stock.
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