Wind Inversions and Frozen Beer

Powder hunting season is officially open, so we loaded up to go harvest.

• The mercury read 15 below zero on the summit of Marias Pass around 8:30am.
• There was about 2-3 feet of cold dry snow in protected areas down to 5000'
• The morning was mostly calm and cold as we traveled up to the ridgeline east of Calf Robe Mountain
• We encountered a varietly of snow surfraces along the way. The textures told a story of powerful swirling and whirling winds from all directions in days prior.
• Snow depths above treeline varied from 0-6 inches on scoured rollovers to 4' wind drifts.
• We climbed up to 7400' and discovered cold light wind blowing from the NW on the ridgetop.
• We skiied a northwest facing slope into Upper Railroad Creek and discovered an intense "wind inversion". At the bottom of our run (6500'), Winds were gusting strong (30mph+) downvalley (from the west)
• We climbed back up the same slope we had just skiied and found that the most intense winds dimished as you ascended above 6800'
• As we made our way back to HWY 2, winds were picking up at all elevations and shifting from NW in the afternoon to W and WSW by 5pm.