Snow Science | Nick Bliss | E32

Recorded just as the biggest snowstorm of the winter wallops Lake Tahoe with up to 10 feet of snow, the boys chat with Nick Bliss of blisswilderness.com and avalanche forecaster at the Bridgeport Avalanche Center. At just under 2 hours, this is the longest Mind the Track episode to date, but the discussion covers a lot of topics from snow safety, snowpack and avalanches to the dangers of following social media to find big ski lines, the responsibility professional winter sports athletes have when posting their adventures, apps like OnX Backcountry and Cody Townsend’s The Fifty episode about Split Couloir.  The boys discuss the recent inbounds avalanche on KT-22 at Palisades Tahoe, the dangerous early season snowpack and what this big incoming storm will do to that snowpack. We also dive into Nick’s escape from Lake Tahoe, moving down near Sonora Junction and the challenges of off-grid living. Whether you swallow this episode whole or listen to it in a few different sittings, Nick shares a lot of knowledge about snow science and being smart about traveling safely in the backcountry.  Consider donating at bridgeportavalanchecenter.org and follow BAC’s forecasts at @bridgeportavalanchecenter.

Show Notes:

2:00 – Miracle March comes in like a lion. 10 feet of snow in 72 hours!

8:30 – Swan John and Trail Whisperer road trip to Idaho to ski Grand Targhee and Sun Valley.

12:15 – PowBot returns to Frog Lake Huts and rode with Jason Smith of Blackbird Guides.

17:00 – SnoopPowDogg Snow Sizzle My Dizzle Powderiffic Snow Report

21:00 – Introducing Nick Bliss of Bliss Wilderness

23:00 – Nick’s work as avalanche forecaster for the Bridgeport Avalanche Center, teaching the Marine Corps Mountain Training Warfare Center in Pickel Meadows near Sonora Pass.

24:50 – Bridgeport Winter Recreation Area – 7,000 acres of snowmobile motorized access.

26:30 – Being more mindful of each other at trailheads, better snow etiquette.

28:00 – The concept of ethos, gatekeeping, maintaining the culture of a sport and putting in the time to be more experienced.

32:00 – Nick’s dog Owen and skiing in the backcountry with a dog.

34:30 – The problem of putting ski lines on social media with no context for danger.

36:00 – OnX Backcountry putting dangerous ski lines in the Eastern Sierra on their app.

38:00 – The difference between a guide book and an app on a phone.

40:45 – Cody Townsend, The Fifty project and the Split Couloir episode.

53:45 – Transitioning from living in Lake Tahoe to moving south to Sonora Junction and living off-grid.

1:05:30 – Hantavirus and the brain-eating amoeba in hot springs – dangers of frontier life.

1:10:45 – The Bridgeport Avalanche Center (bridgeportavalanchecenter.org) – one of the four avalanche centers in California.

1:18:00 – The process of writing an avalanche forecast.

1:23:45 – January 2024 – the persistent weak layer and dangerous snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.

1:25:30 – The importance of snow water equivalent (SWE) in the snowpack and lack of snow load.

1:27:40 – The Palisades Tahoe avalanche on KT-22, the details around it and riding inbounds with your shovel, probe and beacon.

1:37:50 – The unionization of Palisades Tahoe Ski Patrol, and the life of a ski patroller.

1:41:00 – The incoming storm and the dangers of 10 feet of new snow in 72 hours, cornice failure danger and PowBot’s story of falling off a cornice.

1:48:30 – The concept of storms coming in right side up versus upside down, atmospheric rivers and the pineapple express.

1:54:00 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?

1:56:45 - @bridgeportavalanchecenter @blisswilderness and blisswilderness.com – donate at bridgeportavalanchecenter.org