We've written previously about the remarkable skill, ingenuity, and determination of the highway workers who keep the California's roadways clear of snow when intense winter weather blows in, but this week provided a good demonstration just how demanding the job of a Sierra Snowfighter can be.
Consider: At elevation 6200 feet -- "lake level" for Tahoe-area locals -- thirteen inches of fluffy stuff fell on Thursday, February 22. That was followed by another 17 inches on Sunday, another 13 inches on Monday, 11 inches more on Tuesday, and the forecast now calls for another foot or so to arrive during the next 24 hours. That's easily 5 feet of fresh snow in less than a week, although at higher elevations the storm totals already exceed 7 feet.
Telstar Logistics sent a forward exploration team deep into the snows last weekend, and they returned (alive) with the photo above. In the days ahead, we will deploy into the backwoods, to take the full measure of the new precipitation by traversing it via snowcat. Complete report to follow. Stay tuned, and stay warm.
We spent last week at Donner Summit and got about a foot of new snow, then came back Saturday before the big one hit. Looking forward to snowcat pics!
Posted by: Brian Cantoni | 27 February 2007 at 09:51 PM