By Greg Whittaker
Mountain to Sound Outfitters

The winter solstice brought yet another round of storms to the Pacific Northwest with more layers of snow to play in for the tribe of snow people. Both storms came in warm with freezing rain at 3000 to 4000 feet, then quickly cooled, creating thin crust layers that were gradually lessened by the inches of cooler snow that fell on top of them.

Heavy wind loading also occurred, which is the result of heavy winds blowing drifting snow into the lee of ridges. If you take the time to think about the aspect (slope facing direction) and the wind direction, areas of deep snow can be found when only one or two inches of snow have fallen.

All in all, the ski industry is finally healthy in the NW. We are thankful that ocean temperatures have returned to normal in the North Pacific and the engine which provides our pacific maritime climate is again providing us with a more normal winter in Washington. With all this snow, and people stoked again, you will see a limited supply of ski and snowboard gear in the region.
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For instance, we have very few and limited sizes in season rentals.

Shop lead times are 3 days, and if you call around you'll find your local West Seattle shop has one of the best turn around times in the Puget Sound region, thanks to the dedicated and skilled crew in our shop.

Wherever you go, show your shop techs and retail staff that you appreciate them. Bring coffee, rotisserie chickens, and of course beer to help lubricate your work being done by a happy overworked ski shop employee.

Here is whats happening at all the local resorts:

Make sure you check the WSDOT Pass Reports for driving conditions.

Greg Whittaker is the owner of Mountain to Sound Outfitters your West Seattle ski, snowboard, kayak, and paddle board experts that can also rack out your car so you can carry all that gear that wont fit in your trunk. [google_ad:west-seattle_story_text_region_slot_2]