Latest News – Wallowa Avalanche Center

This summer for me personally has been enjoyable as I’ve worked toward moving WAC forward to become a more permanent entity recognized within the region and nation.

I’ve submitted a WAC season summary to The Avalanche Review newsletter published in October. The Avalanche Review is the premier trade magazine circulated amongst all avalanche practitioners nationwide. This will further remind all about our existence and gain support for the good stuff we do.

After submitting a formal proposal to the USFS locally we are awaiting word on how some type of partnership or relationship will begin between WAC and the USFS for the next winter season.

I am just completing a research paper entitled, “Investigation of the Wallowa Mountains Snow Avalanche Climate”, for presentation at this falls ISSW (International Snow Science Workshop) held in Squaw Valley, CA. This was a project that further educated me on the history of the Wallowa snowpack and climate.

And of course I traveled quite a bit by bicycle and camper; some to visit with other avalanche professionals and some to enjoy a most pleasant summer across the nation.

WAC is now planning our winter schedule and soon we will have some preliminary offerings available on our website. We have already had a light snowfall on top of Mt. Howard. Won’t be long. Don’t forget to check out our latest weather data from atop Mt. Howard.

regards,      Keith

Full weather data from Mt. Howard (8150′) can be found on our Local Weather button, click on Mt. Howard Weather Station. This weather station has the following data: Temperature, Wind (direction and speed), rainfall, humidity and barometric pressure. Wind is what we (WAC) have desparately been looking for at a representative high elevation within our mountains for use in alerting folks to winter-time snow transport on ridges and summits.
Weather Station Sponsors: Wallowa Avalanche Center, JosephOregonWeather.com, Wallowa County Sheriff’s Dept., and Wallowa Lake Tramway. The above sponsors worked cooperatively to develop a fully functional weather station atop a tower on the uppermost tramway building on Mt. Howard at 8150′ elevation. This was completed on a beautiful day in early August by Julian, Scott and Keith.
Look for a complete report soon of highlights of the equipment, photos of installation day and how the data gets to you.

Julian was our tower guy for the day. Julian is on our Board of Directors. Note weather station instruments just above his right shoulder.

Scott Hampton (our technical advisor) using his ingenuity during weather station installation day

OTHER NEWS:
WAC met this month with Bill Junnila who is the General Manager of Anthony Lakes Mtn Resort. WAC intends to work cooperatively with Anthony Lakes to receive data from them and report such data and conditions for the backcountry terrain surrounding the resort there.

More soon. Have a great end of summer.  regards,  Keith

Our July Board of Directors meeting yielded lots of good stuff that all of us have either completed or are in the midst of preparing for next winter.

WAC met with our Senior Advisor, Don Sharaf who offered some great suggestions for improvements which you will likely see on our website this winter. Julian is busy planning for some major changes to the environment that our website runs within and just might be implemented for next winter.

WAC submitted a proposal to the USFS Enterprise Office intended to get the wheels rolling on development of a partnership between WAC and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

Our weather station deployment is now imminent. During next week (weather permitting) WAC, along with our very supportive community group (JosephOregonWeather, our Sheriff’s Office, and Wallowa Lake Tramway) will be placing a complete weather station on top of Mt. Howard at 8150 feet. This station will provide the following data: Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Current temperature, Humidity, Barometric pressure, and Rainfall.

This data will be available free of charge on www.wallowaavalanchecenter.org ‘Local Weather button’ but also on www.josephoregonweather.com. Look for data availability late next month (August).

Check back often as we keep updating this blog with the latest. Hope you summer is going well ‘cuz ours sure is.

Keith

Many meetings have been scheduled to advance the cause of WAC and propel us into the future.

Throughout the month of July we have planned to meet with:

• The USFS Enterprise Office until the unfortunate loss of the entire office. We will schedule later when things have settled down.
• The Director of the National Avalanche Center
• Our Senior Advisor
• Several other avalanche center directors or longtime avalanche practitioners of note

Results of these meetings will help direct us into the future and develop a sound relationship with our local Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

In addition we are developing relationships and soliciting assistance from folks in the snowmobile community and Anthony Lakes Ski Resort.

We continue to work toward the installation of weather instrumentation through a cooperative effort with Wallowa County Sheriffs Office, Wallowa Lake Tramway and Scott Hampton of JosephOregonWeather. This endeavor, when operational, will provide important weather data from the summit of Mt. Howard. More details will surely follow by the end of this month after exploratory trips up there yield our installation schedule.

Stay tuned…..

Keith Stebbings

While summer seems a little slow to come in Northeast Oregon, the snow is melting rapidly, making time for us to focus on improving our product for next winter. Work is underway to improve the workings of our website, including a transition to a Content Management System which will give us greater flexibility in updating content to provide the most relevant, up to date information. A new system to interface with our observers is also underway, working towards disseminating observer information in a more efficient manner.

Part of our mission includes supporting other organizations that require snow hazard information. We have been in discussions with Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort and hope to improve our product directed at the Northern Elkhorns next winter.

Continuing our efforts to support the ECX Sled Dog Race, we conducted a late season aerial survey of the southern Wallowas. We provided ECX with images to assist race managers in developing hazard mitigation plans.

Our flight over Memorial Day weekend revealed that winter was still firmly in command of the southern Wallowas! Fish lake was still completely frozen with 100% snow cover all around it. Recent flooding has done significant damage to both the 66 Road (Fish Lake Road) and the 39 Road (Wallowa Lake Highway). If you head out there, you might want to check on current road closures!

Julian Pridmore-Brown

While I’m in Portsmouth, NH where it’s sunny and in the mid – 70’s Joseph downtown has the ground all around looking quite white rather than green. Hmmm.

Today I spent nearly an hour on the phone with Clyde Raymer, the President of the Eagle Cap Extreme sled-dog race. We discussed numerous programs that both of us will be providing during the race in mid January. WAC will be providing twice daily up-to-date forecasts for the benefit of the backcountry users, snowmobilers and the mushers and volunteers during race week. We are also working through the details of providing two avalanche awareness seminars/presentations during race week also.

Details will follow as we firm them up.  Enjoy the snow and pray for some springtime warmth.

Keith

At last weeks Board of Directors meeting the Center voted in Scott Hampton of Joseph as Technical Advisor. Scott will be assisting in an advisory capacity and supporting us in instrument installations as we move forward with our proposed remote weather stations. Scott brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with weather instrumentation and radio communications to this position. We have some great plans in the works for making new weather data available to the general public soon and Scott is an integral part in assisting us in this endeavor.

Shortly we will be announcing more specific information on what type of weather station is proposed and likely to be fully functional by this coming fall; in time for our next great backcountry winter.

Stay tuned…..

Keith

Expect one last day of unseasonably warm weather today (Monday April 19). Tuesday through Wednesday a strong cold front with mountain snow will be our weather story.

During this warm spell numerous wet slides have been occurring on nearly all aspects at mid elevations. Some can be seen from Joseph on the Chief Joseph Mountain ridgeline.

Night-time temperatures the last several days have been at or above freezing. Therefore the existing snow surface has not had time enough to refreeze and solidify. This new snow will be landing on a very wet (unfrozen) old snow surface after yet another warm day today and above freezing temps tonight. The NWS has the storm beginning as rain early tomorrow morning even at 9000 feet. See the Aneroid Mtn milepost forecast on our Local Weather button.

Be mindful that this new snow will be very susceptable to avalanching when traveling in avalanche terrain.

We will update this blog if any new information comes our way between now and the end of April. Please see our final summary (issued 4-9-10) for additional things to watch for throughout the remainder of the season.

Keith

Following suit with other avalanche centers regionally, today (Friday, April 9) is our last weekly summary of the season. The Payette Avalanche Center completed their last regularly scheduled advisory last weekend but will continue to issue an update only if conditions warrant or change significantly. The Utah Avalanche Center shuts down for the season on Sunday April 11.

We may update the home page blog with condition information if we receive enough backcountry info to warrant it until the end of April.

Please look over this weeks summary, April 9, because it has a lot of good stuff to watch for between now and when there just isn’t any snow left up there.

We appreciated serving you this winter season with the summaries, educational offerings, weather info and the like. Over the summer we will periodically place things of interest on the home page blog so check it out. Things like what’s going on with WAC staff and plans for WAC’s next season.

A BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors below and all our individual donors. We very much appreciate your dollars to keep us going.

Safe travels for the remainder of the season,   Keith and all of us here at WAC

Enjoy this last set of pictures and a video from Fergi Fest Saturday April 3. Additional pics can be seen in WAC’s previous blog entry or check out the Ferguson Ridge website found on our ’Other Links’ page.

Friday will be our last weekly summary of the season, found on our ‘Current Conditions’ page. It will contain a briefer summary of current conditions found this week up there. More importantly it will have a collection of things to look for and keep in mind when traveling in or around avalanche terrain from now until the snow leaves the mountains for good in summer.

The following link is a video of the women’s downhill ski race. Tammy Knorr was the winner and this is truly regular speed film making, NOT fast-forward!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ50doDL2YM

Brian and Charlie working out the all important pre-race logistics

Andie Lueders (L) and Penny Arentsen (middle). Andie is a very helpful volunteer of WAC and Penny is on WAC's Board of Directors

An evening of music and dancing completed the excellent festivities at Fergi-Fest!