Does the following headline get you as excited as it does me?
EL NIÑO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION Alert System Status: La Niña Advisory
Surely, you haven’t forgotten what that meant when we heard the same thing about this time last year, have you?
Well, rather than repeat the often overused description of calling last winter epic, let me quote the official Ski Lake Tahoe website as to the significance of a La Niña Advisory,
“Lake Tahoe was named the ‘Snowiest Place on the Planet’ mid-season during a four-day storm that delivered over ten feet of fresh snow – the highest storm total in more than 40 years. The final seasonal snowfall totals in the Lake Tahoe area crested the 800 inch mark and base depths of more than 300 inches were reported.”
O.K. Who could argue if you called that epic?
How big was it?
Well, it was so big they filmed an entire movie devoted to The First Lady of Dumpage.
So, now that I have refreshed your memory, let me ask,
“Are you ready to Rumple?”
Good, because here she comes, again. It’s official.
The government of the United States of America has recently published an advisory stating,
“La Niña is back.”
And here is the proof—if you happen to be a climatologist who studies the seasonal dynamic fluctuations of ocean temperature patterns across the globe and how it effects terrestrial weather conditions, or it other words, will it bless us once again with over 60 feet of powder:
Other than waxing my sticks and hitting BevMo to replenish my supply of 100 proof Rumpleminze schnapps, I do have one other important pre-season ritual.
No, it’s not getting serious about getting into physical conditioning. That would be like, well, it be would like work.
Rather, last week I headed downtown to view the latest Warren Miller offering, because nothing gets me stoked like watching world-class skiers flying down steep slopes that I would only be going down as a result of a massive error in navigation or extremely poor visibility, and at locations I cannot afford.
Yes, it can cost upwards of $10,000 for one week of heli-skiing and that is even above the reach of a world published travel writer such as myself.
If you’re like me, you can only pray that the Princess of Pow will actually make her presence felt this coming winter a little closer to home, say, up at Lake Tahoe.
To bolster our chances for ample powder, maybe we better cover our bases by lowering our head and also petition the Norse god of snow.
As you may recall from about this time last year, I headed up to The Church of the Perpetual Ringing Slots up at Lake Tahoe to urge Ullr to do his worst—which for us skiers and boarders would be his best.
La Niña or Ullr; to whom shall we extol our winter wishes of
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
I think I’m going to have to lean towards the lady.
Did you look at the size of her…ah…um…well, everything?!?
So excited for some of more of that La Nina! She is always welcome here…
Brad,
Gotta love the lady. She brings us the glorious powder to stoke our winter obsessions and then later melts to fill our favorite fly fishing streams.
See you on the slopes!