Windy on the Summit

2013-01-10 18:29:17.000 – Mike Dorfman,  Summit Intern

The Observatory’s Snow Cat Parked on the Summit

Last night when I sat down on my bed to begin a good night’s sleep, I noticed a loud humming noise-almost like someone had an extremely loud sound system turned up playing a song that consisted of one constant bass note. It was the type of sound that you feel more than you hear. For a split second, I went back to my college years and assumed my neighbors had turned up their music too loud, but then I remembered that I wasn’t in a dorm room living situation any more. Mother Nature decided to play her wind instrument last night-the Sherman Adams building. The sound was caused by wind screaming over the building, with gusts well over 100 miles per hour outside.

The wind continued through the night and made today an exciting day. Winter is getting into full swing, and the Observatory has almost daily trips visiting the summit. With a trip scheduled to head to the summit today, the snow cat was successfully able to push through snow drifts and winds gusting over 100 miles per hour to the summit.

Normally, you can sit down at a computer or glance down at your phone to see traffic and road conditions. When the Observatory’s Snow Cat drives up the auto road however, the snow cat operator knows very little of what he or she might encounter. The road is only traveled on a few times a week and snow cat drivers can encounter extremely deep snow drifts along with extreme blowing snow and whiteout conditions.

If you want to experience winter on the mountain yourself, the Observatory offers both overnight and day trips to the summit throughout the winter. There are plenty of spots still open, so we hope to see you on the summit soon to meet you in person!

Mike Dorfman,  Summit Intern