Here at Whittaker Mountaineering we've been enjoying a warm and sunny holiday weekend thanks to a strong inversion that has occurred throughout the Southern Cascades. For those not familiar with this weather phenomenon, it basically causes temperatures at lower elevations to become cooler than temperatures at higher elevations. While everyone in the Seattle/Tacoma area is experiencing highs in the 40's and dense fog, it is almost 60 here at the shop with clear blue skies above. Head up the road to Paradise at 5420 ft and you will find temps in the mid 60s and intense sun. That's a typical summer day!
Word of this inversion and a clear road to Paradise have brought in people from all over that have been just itching to play in the snow. It might not be fresh powder at this point, but there's plenty of it! Check out what NPS Climbing Ranger Stefan Lofgren had to say about the incredible conditions:
Grab Your Ice Axe and Head for the Hills!
All right folks, this is it! You can ski 7,500 feet of vertical this weekend at Paradise!
Rarely during the winter does the weather turn so nice for so long! I made a run from just above Ingraham Flats (11,500') to Longmire (2,700'), and that's almost 9,000 feet in one run. As you'll read later in this post, I wouldn't particularly recommend skiing the lower 1,500 feet, but 7,500' isn't too bad, is it? With this intense temperature inversion in effect, it may be warmer at 5,500' than at 2,700'. In fact, at Camp Muir on Thursday morning, the temperature was 46 degrees! I could almost smell this coming weekend's barbeques in the Paradise lot, the sun tan oil, and the kids having a great time in the newly groomed snowplay area.
Wow! Hopefully some of you got out to enjoy the goods that Paradise had to offer. And if not, well there's still plenty of time left. Now I can't guarantee another inversion like this one, but I can tell you that the MTTA trails are in great shape for those of you that are looking to get out and enjoy some cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Want to get the family out to do some snow tubing? The kids (or the kid in you) will love the snowplay area at Paradise where you can tube and sled to your heart's content. Not equipped for these kinds of activities? We can set you up with rental skis, boards, tubes, snowshoes, clothing, tire chains - just about everything you need to get outside and enjoy the winter weather. Check out our rental page for more info. Now quit reading about this stuff and go do it!
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