Anchorage Went Dark.
A Chinook Wind rolled through Anchorage the other night, melting most of the snow on the ground and leaving behind dirty ice and darkness. During our dark winters, all of the snow reflects the light natural and man-made sources, making it brighter. Wipe that away and you're left with a dark, depressing scene. Driving becomes interesting, because the lines on the street that aren't covered have been scraped away by snow plows. Lanes are often guesstimates.
Fat bikers and skiers stare out their windows drinking coffee and thinking dark thoughts. All of us that actually enjoy the winter are slipping into a deep funk. We thought we lived in Alaska.
After the last couple winters, I'm not surprised. We usually get a couple Chinooks that blow through in December and January, but the snow pack is usually thick enough to survive. This year I expect this won't be the last warming trend, and it probably won't be the worst.
I'm hoping we'll get at least some snow to cover the ground in the semi-near future, if only to brighten things up a bit. I'm hoping we catch a break, and January and February turn everything around. I'm not counting on it, though.
Until then, It will be a little depressing driving down to Alyeska in the coming weeks to squire my Mighty Mite group around the icy trails and bare spots. The chances of any significant gate training are miniscule in the near future. The resort will be in survival mode on the lower mountain. My new skis will not likely see snow this year either, and my rock skis will earn their share of dings.
I can look on the bright side and say it's less snow to melt in the spring, meaning the roads will be clear sooner and I will have pavement under my tires again. I just remind myself the lack of snow won't affect the light in the trainer dungeon or at the Dome. I also don't have a lot of money invested in a fat bike. That's about as positive as I can get.
Maybe next year.
Fat bikers and skiers stare out their windows drinking coffee and thinking dark thoughts. All of us that actually enjoy the winter are slipping into a deep funk. We thought we lived in Alaska.
After the last couple winters, I'm not surprised. We usually get a couple Chinooks that blow through in December and January, but the snow pack is usually thick enough to survive. This year I expect this won't be the last warming trend, and it probably won't be the worst.
I'm hoping we'll get at least some snow to cover the ground in the semi-near future, if only to brighten things up a bit. I'm hoping we catch a break, and January and February turn everything around. I'm not counting on it, though.
Until then, It will be a little depressing driving down to Alyeska in the coming weeks to squire my Mighty Mite group around the icy trails and bare spots. The chances of any significant gate training are miniscule in the near future. The resort will be in survival mode on the lower mountain. My new skis will not likely see snow this year either, and my rock skis will earn their share of dings.
I can look on the bright side and say it's less snow to melt in the spring, meaning the roads will be clear sooner and I will have pavement under my tires again. I just remind myself the lack of snow won't affect the light in the trainer dungeon or at the Dome. I also don't have a lot of money invested in a fat bike. That's about as positive as I can get.
Maybe next year.
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