 |
 |
|
Downhill Weather
Utah may have the greatest snow on earth, but quite frankly it's not the kind of snow ski racers want.
|
(Feb. 2, 2002)------ Downhill skiers don't like that light fluffy stuff the rest of us enjoy when we ski or board.
They like it hard, almost icy.
So grooming the hill for alpine ski racing --- especially the speed events -- is very difficult, especially if Mother Nature gets involved.
KSL Meteorologist Len Randolph takes a look at one ski venue that requires careful weather forcasting and lots of work.
Len: "Okay Swampie, what is the perfect day for the men's and ladies' downhill events?
Tim "Swampie" LaMarche/Race Director, Snowbasin: "OH PROBABLY ABOUT 14 DEGREES, CLEAR AND NO WIND."
Those are the IDEAL conditions Swampie is praying for.
He is responsible for the one venue where the weather can wreak havoc during the Games--the Downhill and Super G courses.
He approaches it day-by-day.
SWAMPIE: "A LOT OF IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE WEATHER IS GOING TO DO."
Indeed, Mother Nature has some serious input here.
Len Randolph/Weather Specialist: "THE DOWNHILL SKIER. SPEED IS THEIR PROFESSION. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY WON'T GO SUPERFAST UNTIL THEY ARE IN HARMONY WITH THE FORCES OF NATURE."
SWAMPIE: "I BELIEVE AT LAST YEAR, DURING THE MEN'S WORLD CUP, THEY WERE A LITTLE OVER 80 MPH WHEN THEY CAME UNDERNEATH THE LIFT LINE AND INTO THE FINISH."
Imagine being on those skis, rocketing 80 miles-per-hour. Now you get a sense of why good weather isn't optional--it's mandatory.
You see, ALL other venues involve only a small segment of a mountain. Here at Snowbasin, it's the WHOLE mountain which has to be taken into consideration.
SWAMPIE: "UH, IT'S A BIG MOUNTAIN. WE'VE GOT ALMOST 3,000 METERS OF VERTICLE DROP."
Pockets of fog, wind or snow at any point along the course will stop the race. That is why the Downhill and Super G are scheduled early on during the Games.
Len: "Who decides the course is ready to ski?
Swampy: "WELL IT'S PRETTY MUCH UP TO THE F.I.S. RACE DIRECTORS THAT WILL BE HERE."
The one force making them the most nervous invloves one of those infamous Southwest flows, kind of like what hit Utah on Monday.
Imagine Snowbasin's mountain acting as a big rock in a stream. Southwest flows blowing across the west basin slam into this rock and rise over it.
As those parcels of air rise into cooler air, the moisture is lifted with the air up and over Mount Ogden's west side. That moisture becomes too heavy and falls, falls as massive amounts of snow at the rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour, wreaking havoc on Swampie's newly-prepped course.
Not only is THAT happening, but another theory is that wind also pushes up both Ogden and Weber Canyons almost like "eddies", thus adding to the effect and prolonging the storm.
If that happens...
SWAMPIE: "WELL DURING THE GAMES TIME WE'RE GOING TO GET ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS GEARED UP. WE'LL HAVE ABOUT 70, 80 PEOPLE OUT ALL NIGHT SIDESLIPPING. AND ALMOST 30 SNOWCATS, FROM THE WINCH CATS AND FREEGROOMERS AND EVERYBODY--WE'LL JUST CALL IT THE CHINESE FIREDRILL AND JUST GO TO TOWN."
Despite the new snow, and firedrill or not, he's confident the course can be readied...Quick!
SWAMPIE: "I THINK WE CAN BE READY IN THREE OR FOUR HOURS."
So let's just hope Swampie gets the perfect forecast--Clear, calm and cold.
Len believes that the forecast looks good, however we are a week away.
Adoption