Snow! Perfect snow, powder day

Snow! Light, fluffy, white, and slow moving, real snow. Not wet, not sloshy, nice soft snow. When the snow piles up on the boughs like seen above, we know its quality. As we all have known since we were children, snowflakes have six points on them. This gives them "loft". Loft means the flakes stack up on each other at different points leaving space between flakes. When the air temperature is colder, 32° or below, the snow in Girdwood is drier with lower water content. This is what makes our snow so powdery, fluffy, and lofty. 

Its a beautiful day in Girdwood, all the skiers and riders have got to be loving it! The temperatures in Glacier Valley are just at freezing and they are expected to fall this evening and tomorrow. 

Wind effects on mountain top snow

All day Thursday there were ferocious winds through Glacier Valley, Portage Valley , and the Turnagain Arm. Gusts were as high as 70 miles per hour, the bulk of the wind blowing continuously. When the wind blows for extended periods of time with little precipitation falling, the snow is being blown around. Not only is the snow blowing around, its moving very fast. These high winds, and wind in general, happen frequently in the Chugach and Kenai mountains. After the storm dies down, if there is not further precipitation, we can see crusts that have formed on the mountain tops. 

Above is a photo of Mt. Alpenglow and nearby mountains. There is a light spot visible on the ridge of the mountain coming toward us in the photo. Below is a photo that points out the area I want you to see. This is a snow crust. Although it does not look like it in this representation, when I saw it originally, the snow crust was very bright due to the sunshine. The clouds were moving enough to change the effect of sunlight as I watched. Some clouds were moving east, some west. There is still a big disturbance over the Gulf of Alaska today. 

Basically, the snow has polished itself. I found this to be the case in Moose Meadows today as well. A late afternoon attempt at cross country skiing left me thinking I almost needed ice skates. The surface of the loop was extremely glassy making a good deal of scratchy noise against the skis. Yikes! I wanted toothed grippers on my poles too! The afternoon was lovely never-the-less due to some blue sky in the west past the Glacier Creek valley. I have added a new resource site in the list below. The National Snow and Ice Data Center, very informative for us in snowy climates. 

Snow rollers, rare phenomenon when wind, precipitation, and temperature are just right

We drove to Portage from Girdwood today to visit a friend and see her place. It was snowing, yes, and there was a winter weather advisory, yes, but it was not windy in Girdwood. We thought we could get over there, it is only 10 miles away, and back before the storm became too strong. We all should know better, there is no second guessing the weather when mountains are involved. 

As we neared Portage, we could tell the wind was stronger. It was so fierce in Portage (Bear Valley) that this amazing snow phenomenon was being formed. Driving down the Portage Glacier road felt like semi-controlled hydro-planing and the water was making a more dull sound against the under carriage of the car than what I am used to hearing from rain. 

After our visit in Portage, we realized we needed to drive back to Glacier Valley before sunset as the visibility was decreasing in Portage. As the car made its way back to paved road, I noticed the road surface was textured, not just wet and not just snow. You might even think it looks like a choppy lake surface. These photos reveal what the car experienced on the way out of Portage Valley: snow rollers! 

Of course I did not identify this cold weather phenomenon until I returned home and did some research. I believe these are miniature versions of larger snow rollers that occur on mountain sides or in fields. Wind blows snow that may be sitting on a layer of ice or frost that the snow does not stick to thus ‘rolling’ up like a carpet or a cinnamon roll. There are loads of photos of large dry snow rollers on the internet. I believe the phenomenon I saw in Portage Valley could also be classified as snow rollers.

The conditions in Portage Valley the day these snow rollers were captured: snow mixed with rain, temperature ranging from 29° to 34°, wind blowing with gusts to 60 mph. There was a layer of ice and water on the roadway when the snow began. The rare combination of the wind at just the right speed as snow hit the ice or water on the level road enabled the snow to collect and move in little cylindrical shapes across the surface. 

You can see tire tracks in the surface of the precipitation for scale. I literally had to hold on to the car to capture these photos. Gusts of wind were so strong I could have been blown over. Although I did not measure these little cylinders, I estimate them to have been 15 - 25 mm in diameter. If you look closely, you can see little caps on some rollers, like little waves, where the wind is moving the snow forward to roll again. 

After seeing these little slush rolls, I could understand why the sound on the under carriage of the car was deeper than rain would have been. What a cool learning experience and a testament to the effects of mountains on weather. The wind was channeled in just the right way through Portage yet not the same in Glacier Valley. Cool.

Spring temperatures bring rain to the base in Girdwood

The blue bird spring days of this week have faded into grey rainy days here in Girdwood. The temperature this morning at the T is 34° with rain. Snow if falling at the top of chair 6, some consolation for those top of the mountain riders who have been experience tracked out snow. It appears Glacier Valley and western Prince William Sound will continue to leap into spring with rain and snow mixing for the next couple of days. Backcountry excursions may be a nice side trip this weekend. 

This weekend, March 8 and 9 is the Alaska Botanical Garden Spring Conference. The opening meeting and dinner is Friday night at the Millennium Alaskan Hotel. Gary Paul Nabhan will be speaking, his topic "Traditional Foods at Risk in Salmon Nations: Threatened Wild and Cultivated Plants." I am sure he will probably have his book by the same name available for sale. Mr. Nabhan is a world-reknown author and food activist. His teachings should be welcomed as appropriate to a region such as Alaska that is poised for potential over harvest. Alaska and has also experienced and could experience future environmental catastrophes. However, by learning from other regions' experiences and understanding the interconnections of environmental processes, we can plan wisely for our future food sustainability in Alaska. I look forward to learning from Mr. Nabhan's experience. 

Sunday March 10 is spring forward day, remember to adjust your clocks before heading to sleep Saturday. 

If you are venturing to Girdwood today or tomorrow, wear your rain slicker!

Alaska Botanical Garden Spring Conference this Friday and Saturday

The atmosphere was quite strange in Glacier Valley today. It was not fully blue bird day although there was lots of blue sky to be seen. Yet it was not really cloudy either, as the image above displays. The high pressure to the north east is holding off the low that is approaching from the west. I feel like Girdwood is in the calm between the two extremes of weather. The temperature in Girdwood was very warm, nearly 40° today. Everyone who was skiing said they were hot when they came in for lunch. Wow! It really is spring, it really is  March! 

Alaska Botanical Garden Spring Conference this Friday and Saturday, March 8-9!

This coming weekend is the Alaska Botanical Garden’s Spring Conference. The keynote speaker is author and food activist and Gary Paul Nabhan. Mr. Nabhan will be speaking Friday night between 6:30 and 8:30 at the Alaska Botanical Garden’s Annual Spring Garden Conference at the Millennium Alaskan Hotel. Visit the Botanical Garden’s website for schedule and registration information. 

Mr. Nabhan has written and co-authored many influential books relating to food sustainability, local and native food use, pollination, and farming. These include: Where Our Food Comes From; Renewing Salmon Nation’s Food Traditions; The Forgotten Pollinators co-authored with Stephen Buchmann; and many more. If you are not familiar with his work, visit Gary Paul Nabhan’s website. 

Though Mr. Nabhan is from Arizona, his teachings are appropriate to many locations. This is especially true for us in Alaska, we are similar to Arizona because Alaska has limited terrains with the appropriate climate for common crop production. There are not a wide variety of pollinators in Alaska which also places challenges on food producers. Additionally, Alaska tends to place high demands on food from the marine environment, on animal life that is. Perhaps Mr. Nabhan will put a new bug in our ears such as broadening our palates to utilize marine plants to supplement our food needs. Any sustainable local resource we can take advantage of in Alaska will lessen our dependence on shipping. Shipping food products over long miles, wether by truck, plane or boat, uses fuel that we could be apply higher purposes.

I encourage anyone interested in changing the way you think about food production to attend. There are a variety of presenters covering not only native plants and gardening, but beekeeping and chicken roosting! We can all be a part of sustainability, in our own ways, even if just a little bit over time. 

Clear roads and light traffic on the ski runs too!

It was a regular middle of the road day in Girdwood, 34° at the T, tiny frozen precipitation this morning, spotty sun, and a brief rain around 4 pm. Not too exciting but not too bad either. Those who came to ski had crowd free slopes again today due to most outdoor enthusiasts watching the Iditarod. Yea dog teams, let’s wish them all safe travels across western Alaska. 

The grey clouds were moving in with the intent of settling early in the evening. There is a low pressure system over southwest Alaska over the Aleutians and another low system west over the Bering moving this way. They will kick up some moisture as the rotations develop counterclockwise. That moisture should grace Glacier Valley and the surrounding mountains with lots of fresh snow. 

Excellent skiing conditions, quiet with the crowd gone to Iditarod

How about this gorgeous blue bird day in Girdwood! With crisp temperatures and perfectly groomed trails, skiers had a delightful day and night skiing at Alyeska. Glacier Valley hovered just around 34° today under clear skies. The skies are clear tonight so the temperature should drop into the low 20’s. All the surface snow will firm up and form frost crystals tonight. 

Our weather benefactor has been the edge of a high pressure zone over western Prince William Sound. Clouds will ease in overnight and a bit of snow should fall over Girdwood late night or early morning. For those wanting some quiet skiing, tomorrow should be sweet as lots of regulars will be at the re-start of the Iditarod. Saturday was fairly quiet on the slopes as well during the ceremonial start in Anchorage. 

Birds were quite active around the valley today; magpies, redpolls, stellar jays; kind of the usual with lots of high energy. 

Get  ready to start your garden and flower seeds!

Its time to start thinking about getting your seed flats ready to get starts going inside. This type of sunny day makes a great light to feed your flats. There are still a few days to gather supplies, here is what you want to start collecting: small 4” pots or flats you saved from when you purchased annuals last year; or bio-degradable pots and trays to keep them on; select your seeds- remember we want plants adapted to our cooler climate; and starting soil. 

Seed starting mix, or soil, should be fresh and sterile. Most products you purchase ready mixed are sterile. Many products will be labeled as starting mix which makes it easy for us because the soil will be light enough for tender roots to form. If you purchase your starting mix already made, it is important that you buy fresh soil mix. In other words, do not purchase mix that has sat around in a store for over a year. 

It is possible to mix your own seed starting solution from raw materials. Starting soil needs to be very light weight. It is usually made with a high percentage or 100% vermiculite. As I mentioned above, seed starting mixes need to be light and airy so it is easy for new roots to move and grow. Contrary to what you might think, starting mixes for seeds do not need to be heavy in nutrients and fertilizers. In regards to sterility, this indicated the soil should be free of weed seeds, insects, molds, or any other disease mechanism. Another ingredient to avoid is your own garden soil, which of course you cannot dig up right now anyway. Soil straight from the outdoors may contain insects or diseases and it will be too heavy for young tender roots to grow through. 

Here is a sample mixture: 1/3 vermiculite or perlite, 1/3 sand, 1/3 sphagnum moss. The one case where you could use your own soil is if you cook it first to sterilize it. You want to spread the soil out on a cookie sheet and cook it around 200° for about an hour. Then mix it this way: 1/3 sterilized soil, 1/3 sand, 1/3 vermiculite. I would err on the side of more vermiculite or perlite than any other ingredient. 

Fill your vessel of choice: flats, 4 inch pots, pie pans with holes in the bottom, whatever you want it should be about 2 - 3 inches deep. Then you need to have a tray the soil containers can sit in. The reason for this is watering the seeds. Seeds and seedlings are so tender you will not water them directly on the soil. You will fill the tray the soil vessels are resting in with water so the plants absorb the water from the bottom. 

OK, get your plan together and start selecting seeds!