We need to develop the local knowledge of how the wind will affect our choice of area. We have all seen SSV when there was lots of fresh snow but the best chairs were mostly closed due to high winds. Experience has taught us to obtain snow reports from the areas but to discount them based on experience. In the Calgary foothills we must learn to recognize the conditions that result in up-slope winds from the east and often result in monster dumps of snow at areas like Fortress and Nakiska but far less at the big areas to the west that normally get more powder from a typical storm from the west..

In my experience the best source for weather data is the flight planning website operated by Nav Canada. Those of you with piloting experience will recognize this as the same as what is available from the flight planning weather kiosks at airports. I just plan for a flight over all my ski areas of interest and then monitor it on a daily basis to see how the system works and learn to notice changes. All weather forecasting sites need to be monitored on a regular basis as you need to both become familiar with the sites features and also what clear weather looks like. You have to learn what clear sky over cold snow looks like to IR satellite and what the Radar ground clutter of the mountains looks like on a clear day. You will then be able to recognize the additional returns that are probably due to storm moisture.

My mountain flight instructor says that there are only three kinds of weather. It is either getting better, getting worse or staying the same. The important thing is the direction of the trend. When flying we are looking for getting better or staying the same. For powder skiing we are looking for weather that is getting worse, and usually the worse the better!

Happy landings.

Procedure for accessing aviation weather for Columbia valley - Rocky Mtn region

Copy following URL address to web browser & load page

http://www.flightplanning.navcanada.ca/cgi-bin/CreePage.pl?Langue=anglais&NoSessu&Page=rb&TypeDoc=html

go to the bottom of the page and check the clock display

Your time should match your system clock and should be local MT. UTC (coordinated universal time, also referred to as xx:xxZ or Zulu time or GMT) should read local time _6 (summer) or _7 (winter, depending on daylight saving time change). If these boxes report not available you may need to change your internet security options.

if clocks are ok then go to top of page and work down the option list and set as follows

*Departure ID CYBW (Springbank)

Enroute Airport(s) ID CYGE (Golden)

*Destination ID CYVK (Vernon)

IFR Alternate ID CYXC (Cranbrook)

Note: Depending on ski areas of interest you could also select other airports. Major airports are more likely to have weather observations taken outside of normal operating hours or to have AWOS automatic weather observation equipment. The website will report any observation sites within 50 miles of your selected track.

NOTAM INFORMATION

NOTAM check no NOTAM (notice to airmen)
Type of Flight check VFR (visual flight rules)

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER

SIGMET none
AIRMET none

CURRENT WEATHER

SFC ANAL check latest check previous
Satellite visible check (VIS) check infrared (IR)
Radar check PCPN rate none echo top
METAR / TAF check plain language and/or check standard
PIREP (pilot reports) check none (these are usually reports of turbulence and icing conditions at higher altitudes)

FORECAST WEATHER

Graphical FA check CLD & WX check ICG, TURB & FZLVL
SIGWX Charts none
N ATLC TURB none

WINDS AND TEMPERATURES

UPR AIR ANAL check 850 hPa and check 700 hPa

UPR Winds (charts) check = FL180
UPR Winds (FD) check = FL180
Volcanic Ash none

ASAP features
Altitude set just below ski area summits
Departure time start time of period you wish to view
Estimated time enroute length of time period you wish to view

We are most interested in
Horizontal winds barbs
Moisture content
Icing
Mean sea level pressure
Air temperature
Unless you have a slow internet connection it is easiest to “Select all ASEP Products” as the report will ask you to select individual charts desired for viewing.

Submit

Note: The METAR (meteorological aviation report) and TAF (terminal aviation forecast) selection provides option for plain language or standard (compact coded for teletype use)
Pilots generally prefer the compact coded information as (after training it can be read more quickly and changes and trends can be more easily seen as they are developing.) These websites provide METAR decoding information.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/booty.weather/metinfo/codes/METAR_decode.htm
http://www.met.tamu.edu/class/METAR/quick-metar.html
This website provides decoding information for the GFA (graphic area forecast)
http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/msb/manuals/manair/html/chapter4/chap_4_e.html
This website provides information regarding the FD (winds and temperatures aloft)
http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/msb/manuals/manair/html/chap_3_e.html
This website has information on interpreting weather-satellite images
http://funnel.sfsu.edu/satlab/satlab_initframes.html
These websites provide more complete information on aviation weather observations.
http://www.met.tamu.edu/class/METAR/metar.html#INDEX
http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/msb/manuals/manair/html/index_e.cfm


Other good local weather links

www.wunderground.com/Aviation/
www.wunderground.com/ski/
Columbia text
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/textforecast_e.html?Bulletin=fpcn13.cwlw
Golden
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-34_metric_e.html
Cranbrook
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-77_metric_e.html
Banff
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-49_metric_e.html

Kicking Horse auto raw data
http://www.kickinghorseresort.com/winter/conditions/rawdata.asp
This is an automated weather station located at the bottom of the Stairway chair, (elevation 2060m). This station updates the website every hour all 24 hours and maintains live data for previous 24 hours. You should also monitor this site regularly so you can see the changes and trends. It is especially handy as you can get a fresh weather report late at night or very early in the morning. Unfortunately this site can require a lot of scrolling when viewed on a small screen and the header line does not remain visible when viewing the current observation.

Date -
Time - this seems to be set one hour slow
Batt Volts -
Avg. Ta_C – average temperature of previous hour
RH – average relative humidity of previous hour
h2o MM – fallen snow melted
Int HN – interval stake zeroed approx 9 am
Storm HN – storm stake zeroed between storms
Mstr HS – season stake shows total snow pack depth
h2o 0530 – interval stake zeroed approx 5:30 am
Wind Spd - kph
Wind Avg.Dir – degrees true
Wind Gust – peak gust of previous hour

Avalanche.ca is the best source of snowpack information and should also be monitored on a regular basis in order to be able to forecast snowpack stability. Like other weather you must learn to identify trends and weather events like hoar frost or rime ice and grauple that may cause weak layers that will lead to instability when loaded with additional snowfall.
http://www.avalanche.ca

Sunshine
http://www.skibanff.com/conditions/snowreport.php
Panorama
http://www.panoramaresort.com/mountain/snowreport/index.htm


Most ski areas also have web cams which allow you to see the weather during the day.

Jet stream
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/jet_stream/index_e.html
http://squall.sfsu.edu/gif/jetstream_pac_init_00.gif
http://www.weatherimages.org/data/imag213.html


Satellite vis_ir
Satellite GEOS west large vis_ir
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/data/satellite/goes_wcan_vvi_100.jpg

Satellite GEOS west medium animated vis_ir
http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/satellite/index_e.html

Mountain Weather Education
http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/classroom_practical_mountain.php

NavCan local area aviation weather manuals
http://www.navcanada.ca/NavCanada.asp?Language=en&Content=ContentDefinitionFilesPublicationsLAKdefault.xml
BC local area aviation weather manual (NavCan)
http://www.navcanada.ca/ContentDefinitionFiles/publications/lak/bc/BC31E-V.PDF