Earlier this summer, we talked about the company working to bring hologram ski goggles back into the world. It’s been quite a long time since the old Scott hologram goggles could be spotted around the ski slopes and throughout other extreme sports. Did they really serve any purpose other than looking sweet? No, but they did look sweet, and that’s what ALL SZN hopes to bring back into the world.

When we last discussed ALL SZN, they were just a kickstarter campaign with around $11,000 raised. Today they have a fully functional and pretty sweet website where you can (obviously) purchase the goggles, learn about the company, and find out a bit more. They also have a Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where you can stay up to date on their gear. But you’re probably not here to learn about that, you’re here to learn about the goggles themselves.

ALL SZN Blink 180°

I managed to get my hands on a pair of the Blink 180° goggles (with the limited edition strap) and I can confidently say after a sunny day on the Colorado slopes that they look sweet. There’s no doubt about that in my mind. They bring back the fun of the original hologram goggles without making them look dorky or overly 90s. They look, frankly, very 2023.

Fit wise, they’re quite comfortable. I choose to wear my goggles under my helmet and I didn’t have much of a problem with the strap or band adjusters underneath. A silicone wave inner layer on the band does a great job at preventing the strap from slipping around on your head, and the strap adjustment is plenty easy.

The Lenses

In terms of the lenses (the real meat and cheese of this product), the ALL SZNs are excellent. Like I already mentioned, they look sweet from the outside, no doubt about that, but on the inside, you can only just barely make out a bit of the hologram. My biggest concern with these goggles was whether or not the design would be a distraction for the wearer, but you can only spot slight portions of it if you’re actively looking. When you’re on the slope, actually moving around, you definitely won’t notice it.

The lenses did great in the light, too. It was a fully gorgeous sunny day here in Colorado, and the ALL SZNs did a great job at keeping the sun and glare out of my eyes. Plus, I had no problem with fog, even with mt mask pulled up over my face. I’m always a bit uneasy about fully magnetic lenses in ski goggles, but the ALL SZNs features some pretty darn hefty magnets. The lenses require a descent amount of force to actually remove, so losing them after a fall is unlikely. Magnetic lenses means it’s easier to swap them out, a huge positive towards the design.

Final Thoughts

Final thoughts? The ALL SZNs are sick. I really don’t have any complaints. They look sweet, they feel sweet, and they work darn well.

As of today, ALL SZN has four lenses available to the public. The Blink 180°, featuring a red design with some sweet mountains on the lens, the Out Cold, featuring a vibrate purple mountain design, the Carvey Two-Face, featuring two separate colors split down the middle, and the Orange Topo Tint, featuring a low-light topographic design perfect for those cloudy days on the mountain.

The goggles themselves run for $165 (which obviously includes the frame and a lens), and the additional low-light lens (currently works only on the Blink 180°) is just $40. For a pair of goggles with 100% UV protection, magnetic lens swapping, and anti-fog & scratch resistance, I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.

Related: Gear Review: Helly Hansen Kids’ Vertical Insulated Bib Pants and Kids’ Legend 2.0 Insulated Jacket

As the weather starts to become colder and images of snow at the highest peaks start filling our screens, many Colorado skiers start desperately trying to figure out exactly what this upcoming ski season will look like.

Obviously it’s impossible to truly predict how much snow we’ll be getting in March when it’s only September. We might prep for a devastatingly dry year only to have it dump the whole season, or we might prepare for an epic year just to see a few small storms throughout the cold months. There is no way of knowing for certain.

But we can look at data and trends from previous seasons. What has high precipitation in the summer meant for snow in the winter? How has a shorter period of over 90 degree days affected how cold it tends to get in the winter? How do specific patterns, like El Niño and La Niña, tend to affect our ski season? Those questions can’t give us everything, but they can give us a bit.

This year, after three consecutive La Niña years, the world is headed into an El Niño winter. For many areas of the country, this means warmer temperatures, more rain, and less of the good stuff (deep pow pow). For others, that means plenty of snow. Unfortunately, for the mountains of Colorado, it could mean literally anything. But what does it mean for Denver? 9NEWS Meteorologist Cory Reppenhagen has the answer:

So there you go! It could mean quite literally anything for the mountains. Sorry to disappoint. Those living in Denver can expect plenty of snow, though! Great, right?

This gives me mixed emotions. On the one hand, snow rules, and if large amounts of Denver snow means large amounts of mountain snow, sweet! But that’s not what it means. If anything, I fear that this just means worse commutes for less of a reward, but we’ll just have to wait and see!

Featured Image Credit: Breckenridge Ski Resort via Facebook

As clean water becomes more and more difficult to access across the western United States, understating our snowpack is going to become more and more important. I’m not talking about the snowpack size, I’m not talking about the snowpack stability, and I’m not really talking about the snowpack consistency. Instead, it’s snow water equivalent (SWE) that’ll matter the most. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to measure that in massive quantities. At least, not yet.

NASA’s SnowEx program has separated the world’s snow covers into different classes, taking wind, precipitation, temperature, and more. Seven of those identified snow classes have been identified as gaps in what seasonal terrestrial SWE remote sensing techniques can measure. The goal of the program? Find ways to fill these gaps with a focused airborne and field campaign, with the hope that it could eventually lead to satellite observation.

“In March, scientists traveled to research sites in the northern tundra and in Fairbanks, Alaska. Ground crews looked to validate data collected from airborne instruments, while the flight crews continued collecting snow data in order to see what instruments best measure snow globally. The goal for SnowEx is to determine the best remote-sensing techniques for a potential future satellite. Snow data is extremely important and can tell us things like how much spring runoff can be expected, which is vital for water resource management.” – NASA Goddard

Related: The Physics Behind Snow Guns Explained

SnowEx

Despite snow’s unique importance to the global Earth system, no single satellite-borne sensor has been demonstrated to accurately measure all of the planet’s snow water equivalent. Seasonal snow cover is the largest single component of the cryosphere in areal extent, covering an average of 46 million km2 of Earth’s surface (31% of land area) each year, and is thus an important expression of and forcing of the Earth’s climate. In recent years, Northern Hemisphere snow cover has been declining at a rate greater than Arctic sea ice. More than one-sixth of the world’s population (~1.2 billion people) relies on seasonal snowpack and glaciers for their water supply. Snowmelt-generated water supply is likely to decrease this century. Snow is also a critical component of Earth’s cold regions ecosystems where wildlife, vegetation and snow have strongly interconnected fates.

SnowEx – what is it?

SnowEx is a multi-year field experiment, which includes extensive surface-based observations to evaluate how to best combine different remote sensing technologies to accurately observe snow throughout the season in various landscapes. By dividing the world’s snow covers into different types, we can match the appropriate tools to each snow type and confounding factor. The various snow classes take into account the wind, precipitation, and temperature regimes these snow covers evolve within, and that depth, density, number of layers, grain characteristics, metamorphic trajectories and melt sequences differ across these various types of snow. Each snow type contributes in an important way to the hydrology and climatology of the Earth.

We identify seven gaps that represent breaks in the continuity of our knowledge of seasonal terrestrial SWE remote sensing techniques that have great relevance for advancing global snow science and, if addressed, could ultimately lead to a spaceborne snow mission concept. In addition, techniques found to improve seasonal terrestrial snow estimation have the potential to advance estimation of snow on sea ice, and perennial snow on glaciers and ice sheets. These gaps, that could be filled with a focused airborne and field campaign, are:

1.  Forest snow

2. Mountain snow

3.  Tundra snow

4.  Prairie snow

5. Maritime snow

6.  Snow surface energetics

7.  Wet snow

Forest Snow: An estimated area of four million km2 of forest in the mid-latitudes and 11 million km2 of boreal forest (i.e. higher latitudes) is impacted by seasonal snow, which plays a crucial role in global biogeochemical and ecological cycles. Our ability to measure snow in forests has been limited because existing remote sensing technologies cannot fully see snow through tree canopies and masking effects of tall vegetation makes it difficult to quantify the albedo and surface temperatures. Newer sensing techniques have unquantified accuracy under forest conditions.

Mountain Snow: Mountain snow acts as a natural reservoir where water during the cold season is retained and later released as snowmelt. Mountainous areas provide disproportionately more streamflow than corresponding lowland areas downstream [Viviroli et al., 2007], and in many mountain ranges globally the majority of precipitation falls as snow. The primary challenges of measuring snow in mountains include deep snow, high spatial variability, and topographic shading. Physical processes that govern snowpack mass and energy balance in mountains can vary over multiple length scales, depending on gradients in elevation, slope, and aspect. In that sense, mountains may be considered a special subset of topographic complexity.

Tundra Snow: Tundra is the most representative biome of arctic land regions underlain by permafrost, covering ~8 million square km (~5.4% of the land surface of the earth vs. 7% for boreal forest). Warming promotes thawing of permafrost which affects the hydrology of the arctic through a deeper active layer (the upper portion of the tundra and permafrost which thaws during the summer), increased soil moisture storage, warmer soil temperatures, increased evaporation, and release of long-sequestered carbon. Tundra snow also affects iconic wildlife such as caribou and Dall sheep who depend on adequate winter forageable area and shallow snow for migration. The snow measurement challenge in tundra areas is tied to the relatively thin snowpack (<1m depth, and 0.35m is typical), huge metamorphic changes inside the pack over the winter (due to thermal gradients >100K/m) cause large contrasts in snow microstructure, and a rapid melt (e.g, 1 week). 

Prairie Snow: Prairie and tundra cover over 16 million square kilometers, or about 10 percent of the land surface area of the planet. Prairie snowpack is generally shallow, and microwave observations have shown promise. However the subsurface characteristics (e.g. soil moisture, vegetation) can significantly impact the signal. As this snow climate is generally mid-latitude, lower elevation, and generally warmer, wet snow is also an issue, especially in fall and spring. 

Maritime Snow: Maritime snow covers over 3.6 million square kilometers, and provides a significant source of water to coastline areas. Snow in these regions is generally deep, and often wet due to rain-on-snow and warmer convective events. Remote sensing techniques are also affected by vegetation and the common occurrence of cloud cover in these areas. In part due to the challenge of wet snow and maturity of techniques, maritime snow has received less attention during previous snow remote sensing efforts. 

Snow Surface Energetics: Understanding changes in SWE over short (hourly-seasonal) and long (annual-decadal) time scales requires accurate assessment of the snowmelt energy balance. Remote sensing can provide insights into the thermal state (via snow surface temperature from IR sensing) and melt state (via albedo from spectral imaging spectrometry) of snowpack. In some regions (e.g., very cold snow zones), it is possible that climate warming may be manifested in changes in the snow surface energetics years or decades before changes can be detected in the form of declining SWE. The snow surface temperature and albedo are physically linked, as temperature is one factor controlling snow grain growth, and reduced albedo increases snow temperature (or can cause snowmelt once at the melting point).

Reductions to land surface albedo – due to loss of seasonal snow and/or decay of snow albedo – has important consequences to global climate through albedo feedback. Air temperature projections using the current global circulation models are challenging especially in forested and mountainous regions due to large uncertainties associated with snow albedo feedback. There is a pressing need to obtain high quality observations of snow surface albedo in these regions, but landscape heterogeneity complicates our efforts. There are also challenges associated with representativeness of either ground-based, airborne or satellite albedo measurements (Román et al., 2009; 2011; Wang et al., 2014), with the angular dependence of both sun and sensor further challenging accurate retrievals. 

Wet Snow: The spring snowmelt period is a critical time for monitoring snow for both water resources and flood forecasting. An accurate estimate of the snowmelt magnitude and the timing of melt runoff is important for water management, however many remote sensing techniques cannot “see” through wet snow. Furthermore, altimetry and differencing methods require an estimate of snow density to convert depth to SWE often obtained from models, however the spring melt period is also when most model uncertainty is high (Essery et al. 2013).

These measurement challenges are further exacerbated in maritime snow and snow in transitional zones which can experience wet snow throughout the winter season due to rain on snow or melt events.

Image Credit: NASA Goddard via YouTube

It’s been a brisk start to the day here in New Hampshire, as it almost feels like Fall.

That’s been especially true at the summit of Mt. Washington, which saw its first below-freezing temperatures since early June. In addition, they saw their first ice glaze and SNOW of the 2023-24 season. The Mt. Washington Observatory reported that the snowflakes and ice glaze were limited to elevations above 6,000 feet. For perspective, the summit of Mt. Washington is 6288 feet, which is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States. The snow and ice glaze melted quickly today as temperatures rose above freezing.

Unfortunately for winter lovers, warm temperatures are set to the Granite State over the weekend. I don’t mind it, as we haven’t had many warm days this summer up here. I’ll probably be ready for winter after this weekend’s warmth though.

Image Credits: Mt. Washington Observatory

Welcome to the 2023-24 ski season. Just kidding, but it’s always exciting to see some summer snowfall at ski resorts.

On Monday, Pomerelle Mountain Resort in Idaho shared something white on its webcam. It appears like they received a dusting, but a snow reporter would probably measure it as two inches. Obviously, with it being summer, this melted quickly during the daytime. It’s still exciting to see though, and it means that we’re inching closer to winter.

With Pomerelle’s base elevation being at 7760 feet, this means that it can get more snowfall than lower-elevation ski resorts in Idaho, with the Indy Pass partner averaging 500″ of snowfall each season.

Pomerelle is a bit quieter in the summer, but it does have some activities. Its main activities include mountain biking trails, disc golf, weddings, and other events. Each summer, they host a mountain biking race. Called the Pomerelle Pounder, it’s part of the Utah Gravity Mountain Bike Series.

Dan Jones, who was one of the competitors at the race, described what he liked about the course to KMVT:

“It’s always a fun course because it’s not open year-round, so I think the lack of maintenance makes it more rugged and downhill, so it’s always a good course to come up and enjoy.”

Mountain Stats

Trails: 24

Lifts: 3

Skiable Acreage: 500

Vertical Drop: 1002 feet

Night Skiing: Yes

Location: Albion, Idaho

Image Credits: Pomerelle Mountain Resort

We’ve all heard about Corbet’s Couloir, the infamous ski run at Jackson Hole, time and time again. It’s probably one of the most iconic ski runs in North America, if not the most. Every year, skier after skier makes their way to the edge of the beast only to turn around in fear.

But the occasional fearless skier, or just straight up professional, will take the plunge, sometimes landing an incredible run that gets the crowd hype, sometimes taking a brutal tumble that still usually gets the crowd pretty hype.

Compared to what it looks like in the summer, though, a snow covered Corbet’s looks like a kiddy playground…

There doesn’t seem to be much recreating in Corbet’s Couloir during the summer. Climbing seems dangerous because of loose rock, and it’s certainly too steep to hike. Peaking over the edge is probably enough. Someday, though, I’m sure some insane mountain biker will drop in with no snow (they’ve already done it on snow).

Related: Skier Sends In Into Corbet’s Couloir in Jackson Hole

Image Credit: Jackson Hole via Instagram

A really cool program out of Deschutes County, Oregon is back after hiatus due COVID-19. For $100 anyone looking to sharpen their driving skills in slick winter conditions can do so in the dog days of summer.

Central Oregon Daily reports the program includes one hour of classroom instruction followed by three hours of hands-on driving in the skid car. Ski car instructor, Michael Johnston, had this to say about the specialized setup:

“There’s a wheeled frame and hydraulic dolly that attaches to the frame of a regular car. By elevating the car, we can take traction away from the tires and make it skid and slide like it’s on ice and snow any time. It can be on bare pavement. We can use it during inclement weather. It doesn’t matter what the weather is, we can make it slide like its on snow and ice.”

Trainees learn everything from the proper use of antilock brakes to understanding the differences between operating a vehicles with rear wheel drive, front wheel drive, four wheel drive systems and electronic stability control.

Absolutely love this program and think it would be an excellent addition to any municipality that experiences winter driving conditions. Great value and honestly something that looks like a fun way to spend and afternoon.

To learn how to be 100% in control of your vehicle, 100% of the time visit the Deschutes County skid car website.

100% Vehicle Control, 100% of the Time

Deschutes County SkidCar Training is an all-weather driver enhancement program taught with the aid of the SKIDCAR System. The SKIDCAR framework attaches to the suspension of a vehicle to allow the front and rear tires to be lifted or lowered independently with a controller. The system allows drivers to experience the inclement driving conditions that cause a vehicle to lose traction in a safe and controlled learning environment. The course is available through Deschutes County Risk Management and sponsored by the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners. Gift certificates are available for purchase through Deschutes County Risk Management.

The program incorporates one hour of classroom instruction followed by three hours of hands-on driving in the vehicle. The instructor will cover various techniques, including proper eye placement, acceleration, braking, steering, weight and energy management, as well as proper tire decisions and maintenance. Participants will learn the proper use of antilock braking systems and understand the differences between rear wheel drive, front wheel drive and four wheel drive systems, as well as Electronic Stability Control and Electronic Traction Control in modern vehicles. Participants will also discuss and practice skid/slide prevention, control and recovery.

The course is taught by retired Deschutes County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Michael Johnston, who has over 30 years of experience in law enforcement. Michael was the lead developer and instructor for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Vehicle Operations Training Program. Currently, Michael serves as a Senior Instructor for the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

Register for SkidCar Training

SkidCar Training is available to members of the general public for a $100.00 fee. Classes are offered seven days a week (starting at 8:00 am or 1:00 pm) and capacity is limited to three participants each – private classes are not available.

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Check out this Snow Leopard send it off a massive cliff in pursuit of a Bharal or wild Himalayan Blue Sheep.  The two go tumbling in the air with the sheep in the cats jaws and continue their fight as they bounce some 400ft down slope.  If only skiers were as durable as snow leopards….

RELATED: Curious Snow Leopard Investigates GoPro

“This is perhaps the FIRST ever Ultra High Definition 4K sequence of a Snow Leopard attacking and killing its prey – a Bharal or wild Himalayan Blue Sheep. The Snow Leopard unwittingly leaps off a 400 foot high cliff, locked in a death embrace with the sheep. The two tumble down a 85 degree slope, falling onto rocks with deadly ferocity. The Snow Leopard ultimately wins and stays on to enjoy its quarry over the next few days.

After 31 years of wanting to film such a dramatic sequence of a Snow Leopard, we finally got something unique! Do note the behaviour that you might otherwise miss. There is a lot going on here that we don’t notice on first glance – for example, the way the Bharal still has the strength to attempt to pull itself away from the Snow Leopard, just after the first stage of the fall, and the manner in which the dexterous big cat is able to maneuver its body to help it survive.”

FOR INFORMATION ON SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVATION PLEASE VISIT GLOBALSNOWLEOPARD.ORG:

Meet the Ghost of the Mountains

This elusive denizen of the mountains of Central and South Asia, the snow leopard (panthera uncia) inhabits parts of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Its geographic range, 60 percent of which is in China, runs from the Hindu Kush in eastern Afghanistan and the Syr Darya through the mountains of Pamir, Tian Shan, Karakorum, Kashmir, Kunlun, and the Himalaya to southern Siberia, where the range covers the Russian Altai, Sayan, Tannu-Ola mountains and the mountains to the west of Lake Baikal.

It is found in the Mongolian and Gobi Altai and the Khangai Mountains. In Tibet it is found up to the Altyn-Tagh in the north. This beautiful and charismatic great cat is largely solitary and lives at low to very low densities in mountainous rangelands at elevations from 540 to more than 5,000 meters above sea level.

The snow leopard is listed as globally Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and the species is listed (as Uncia uncia) on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora), which prohibits international trade in the animal and its parts and products except under exceptional, non-commercial circumstances. All snow leopard range countries except Tajikistan are parties to CITES but the process for Tajikistan to join is underway.

The Convention on Migratory Species deems the snow leopard a “concerted action species,” thus obliging the six range countries (India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) party to this convention to conserve and restore its habitat. The snow leopard is also protected by national laws in all of the 12 countries in which it is found.

The estimated size of the snow leopard’s distributional range is about 1.8 million km2, with the largest share in the Tibetan plateau of China, followed by Mongolia and India. There is, however, a great deal of uncertainty about the snow leopard’s current distribution, as there is about the size of the total snow leopard population, which is roughly estimated at between 4,000 and 6,500 individuals.

Fascinating research out of Switzerland where scientists at a special cold laboratory in Davos simulate the effects of wind on fresh snow to better understand the mechanisms that trigger avalanches.

One particularly interesting method Institut für Schnee (SLF) employs is scanning and 3D printing cross sections of snow taken from avalanche sites. By taking these microscopic samples and blowing them up to something that can be held in the hand, the scientists gain a new perspective on how avalanche prone layers actually function. Neat!

RELATED: Scientists Roll 1,750lb Concrete Block Down Mountain To Study Rockfalls

About the SLF

The SLF is well known worldwide as a leading research institute in its field. Along with basic research, the SLF performs applied research and provides various services, such as the Avalanche Bulletin.

The SLF carries out advanced research while at the same time contributing to the resolution of urgent social issues, such as warning of natural hazards or analysing climatic and environmental changes in mountain areas.

Research for people and the environment

• The SLF monitors and researches the condition, origin and evolution of natural hazards, snow, permafrost and mountain ecological systems.
• The SLF develops concepts, strategies and specific measures to protect populations against natural hazards, in particular avalanches.
• The SLF develops sustainable solutions for socially relevant issues, in collaboration with partners in the scientific and social sectors.
   

The SLF is part of the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, making it part of the ETH domain.

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provides valuable winter weather predictions that help individuals, businesses, and communities prepare for the upcoming season. These predictions are based on extensive analysis of various atmospheric and oceanic conditions, including but not limited to sea surface temperatures, atmospheric pressure patterns, and historical climate data.

NOAA’s winter weather predictions offer insights into temperature and precipitation patterns across different regions of the United States. By utilizing advanced modeling techniques and considering factors such as El Niño/La Niña events and long-term climate trends, NOAA aims to provide reliable and accurate forecasts.

Related: Farmers’ Almanac vs. Old Farmer’s Almanac: 2023-2024 Winter Weather Prediction

These predictions are crucial for numerous sectors, including agriculture, transportation, energy, and emergency management. Farmers rely on NOAA’s forecasts to make informed decisions about crop selection and planting schedules. Transportation agencies use the predictions to plan for potential disruptions caused by snowstorms, ice, or extreme cold. Energy providers use the information to anticipate demand and ensure a stable supply of resources. Additionally, emergency management agencies use these predictions to prepare for potential severe weather events and mitigate their impact on communities.

NOAA’s winter weather predictions are continuously updated and refined as new data becomes available. While they offer valuable guidance, it is essential to remember that weather can be unpredictable, and local variations can occur. It is advisable to regularly monitor updated forecasts and heed the advice of local meteorologists for the most accurate and localized information.

Overall, NOAA’s winter weather predictions play a crucial role in helping individuals and communities make informed decisions, enhance preparedness efforts, and minimize the potential risks associated with winter weather hazards.

NOAA has released a forecast/prediction for winter weather in 2023–2024.

The climatic normals used in the outlook are based on conditions observed between 1991 and 2020. This approach follows the convention of the World Meteorological Organization, which recommends using the most recent three complete decades as the reference period for climatic data. By utilizing these updated normals, the probability anomalies for temperature and precipitation are better able to capture shorter-term climatic anomalies compared to forecasts based on older normals.

PRECIPITATION: During November December January 2023 to January February March 2024, the outlooks largely favor above-normal precipitation across the southern tier and below-normal precipitation across the northern tier of the CONUS. That pattern is largely aligned with ENSO impacts and model guidance. From FMA 2024 through ASO 2024, the outlooks primarily reflect the consolidation of available tools, which largely follows trends and ENSO impacts. 

Temperature: Beginning in November December January 2023-24 through January February March 2024, predicted El Niño conditions result in enhanced chances for above-normal temperatures across the northern tier of the CONUS with an increasing coverage of equal chance across California, the Southwest, Southern Great Plains, and Lower Mississippi Valley. During the winter 2023-24, above-normal temperatures are favored across the East based on the statistical consolidation.