Rain, Mauna Kea, Skiing, and Altitude Sickness

[TomK]

Yes, high winds are forecast for Friday. Note that even if the road is cleared of snow and ice, MKSS will close it if winds are above 55 mph at the summit (or gusts higher than 65 mph).

http://mkwc.ifa.hawaii.edu/current/road-conditions/

The current snowfall is being accompanied by high winds, especially last night, so there will be quite a lot of drifting. Not sure how much that'll affect possible skiing conditions but I expect up to 12 inches of snow in total will have fallen by Thursday morning.

[TomK]

70+ mph winds tonight with snow and ice. Not a good place to be.

[PaulW]

12 inches! I hope the webcams still work tomorrow.

[1voyager1]

I know how winds affect snowfall.
When I first began working and living out in Dutch, I sat there all day at work looking out the window watching the snow come down heavily, ALL DAY LONG.
The snow was accumulating very deep in the road ways between the buildings.
They plowed snow all day long so the facility could keep working.
My car was completely buried.
I couldn't see it.

I was snorting and steaming to go skiing.
When I got off work, I ran to the bunkhouse changed cloths, put my skis on and headed out.
As I came around the last building skiing towards to mountain I was dumbfound to see that the high winds had swept all the new snow off the island.
Everything was bare except for the old patches of snow.
The winds had swept the island clean.

Winds will also blow the snow into sheltered lee areas.
Where I come from, wind packed snow needs time to stabilize to alleviate avalanche danger.
How long all depends on the conditions following the snowfall.
Which brings an important question:

When the snow builds up deeply in large lee areas up on MK, do they ever produce avalanches?

[GoingFeral]

I, too, am anxious to make a few turns on MK. Goodes and Scarpas cocked and loaded. I did some reconnaissance earlier this summer and the north face extending down from true summit (the knob due east of the road high point) appears to be the longest, steepest and most continuous fall line in the summit area. It collected a long, ski-able drift last winter.

I spoke to a park ranger at the upper parking area. She said I shouldn't hike to the summit knob out of respect for Hawaiian spiritual beliefs. I asked if it was against the law. She said no.

Do people ski the north face from the summit proper or stay on the cone just south of the lower parking lot? How much grief and misery will I bring on myself by venturing out to the summit knob?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

How much grief and misery will I bring on myself by venturing out to the summit knob?

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it still make a sound?
- Jehookah Jarmon, Gorvenstof, Ukraine

"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm." -James Madison, The Federalist Papers, 1787

[Rob Tucker]

If a skier falls on A'a does he make a sound? You betcha.

[1voyager1]

Road is not open yet, probably won't be before tomorrow, and possibly not 'til Sunday.
Winds look to be best on Sunday.

I spent most of yesterday pulling gear out, cleaning it up and tuning edges and bases.
Had a moment of panic when I couldn't find my ski vises, and found that my skin glue had dried out.
All came out well when I finally located the vises after a frantic search.
Then, in a rare moment of well planed forethought, I had re-glued the skins before putting them away after their last use.
Bibs and longjohns were a bit musty, so I washed them.
Boots and liners needed a heavy dusting of anti fungal talc.
They smell much better now.

@ GoingFeral

I have to agree with HoTPE and Rob.
Your plan sounds a bit "all balls, no brains" to me.
Plus, what is your plan to get back to the top, or off the mountain?
Are you thinking of making the climb back to the top after a long descent?
My assumption from your hint as to your gear is that your using heavy AT gear, or maybe you've been pretty much of a resort skier.
Not my idea of a good time at that altitude without O2.

I have driven the upper road, not much inviting terrain with all the broken rocks, boulders and A'a along the north face.
There are undoubtedly routes that can make it doable.
Do you know where they're at?

If I remember right, winds were mostly out of the N for most of the snow fall period.
The snow may be scoured pretty thin in some areas.
I'd want a very good base under the fresh snow.
That's not likely to happen here, especially not this early in the season.

My plan is much more conservative, several short drops of several hundred feet with frequent stops to catch my breath in an area that looks as if it has few large rocks or boulders and was probably sheltered from the winds to allow the snow to accumulate.
Of course, my assessment has been from, topos, photos and web cams.
Eyeballing it may change everything.

I do not see long drops with many linked turns as being compatible with the altitude and my present conditioning.
Unless you've been in training getting ready for this, I doubt if your up to it either, even if you may have as much as 50 years on me.

But, in the end do what you gotta do, reap the rewards, and be ready to pay the price if you screw up.

Edit;
One of my cardinal rules:
Climb from the car and ski back to it.
Never, ski from the car, then climb back to it, except in rare circumstances.

[GoingFeral]

Voyager,

My plan is actually "Go big or go home".

I'm a little past my prime and want to have an epic adventure that will make me stretch, maybe do something new, while I still can.

Plenty of AT skiing notches in the belt. Active 20+ years in Southcentral AK and 20 years in WA/OR. Trip leader in The Mountaineers.

My Goode's are carbon fiber and are one of the lightest skis for their size. Scarpa Spirit 3's are a good compromise of weight and burl. Dynafits are unmatched for lightness and performance. BD Ascensions round out the unsprung weight.

I'll wait a couple of weeks until the sun melts through the thin spots and leaves the deeper drifts exposed and easy to follow. When the sun softens the crust about 10 or 11 AM, the corn should be delightful.

I think I can handle the skiing but I'm not from this place and don't want to step on any toes.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

From the comfort and oxygen rich environs here at slightly above sea level, I could see both Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa had a beautiful cap of snow on them this morning. I'm enjoying it even without the skiis.

"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm." -James Madison, The Federalist Papers, 1787