Snow Level

[deadlyshot19]

I am just curious if anyone out there has found an accurate way of finding snow levels or even freezing levels in different areas that have peaks with out weather stations? I'm trying to find out if a new area that I want to hike into is going to be passable or not. If I can't find any info I guess I'm hiking until I can't go any further :-D

[Iltasyuko]

Ski resort cams and highway cams help for some locations.

[Darksith]

Find local...ask local

Lots of locals here

[Lastcar]

Someone posted this last week. Seems fairly reliable, wind, cloud cover and temps seemed fairly accurate this last weekend I was out. Wasn't into the snow line so cant attest to that.

You can find pretty precise locations.

I found the wind thing interesting, allows you to know ballpark what you may be seeing from the winds. There were a couple times on this last trip where the wind was blowing different than I thought it would, and I was able to adjust in advance.

https://www.ventusky.com

[mike31154]

Mountain weather is often unpredictable, changes fast. Nevertheless, I've used the following site as a reference before heading out. Just need to find a major peak in the area you plan to go & type it into the search box. Choose any of the elevations listed in the Forecast box for details.

http://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Queest-Mountain

While you're at it check the avalanche forecasts for the area. While the avalanche info itself may not be of interest, it still gives a good idea of snowpack, weather etc. Even if you're not a skier or sledder, if you're going to venture up there, it's wise to be prepared.

http://www.avalanche.ca/forecasts/kootenay-boundary

[deadlyshot19]

Awesome! Thanks for the help, those are all very useful sites.

[boxhitch]

Found mountain-forecast to have limited listings, but they say they will add mountains, will have to try that sometime.
Have used the sister snow-forecast.com lots, more specific to resorts or back-country ski ops like Mustang Powder or Monashee Powder or K3

[tigrr]

Boots to the ground because it is never the same way 2 years in a row. Light dusting around me at the 2700 to 2800 ft level. Other 2800 ft mountains have 2 feet of snow. Any hints in the general location?

[mike31154]

I did mention mountain weather can & will change fast. One drainage to the next can be quite different regardless of info provided by a forecast. 50 meters in altitude can be a world of difference on a road up in the alpine. Winds in particular will swirl around depending on the geography. The links provided are all good resources to give you a general idea of what to expect with regards to freezing levels. That in conjunction with forecast precipitation helps determine the altitude you can expect to run into snow. If the FSRs you're planning on traveling are in an area being actively logged you'll be able to get higher than you need for hunting scenarios late in the season.

I was out in an MU3 area south of Chase yesterday. Forecast for the day was precipitation beginning in the afternoon. In the valley the precip was of course rain. Went for a long hike in the morning, dry for about 2 hours, then snow and later rain even up higher. Winds kicked up in a nasty way around 2 pm & fog/clouds rolled in. Got soaked, couldn't see more than 50 yards. Got back to the vehicle, drove down the FSR about a Km, broke through the fog, winds died down. Had a tea, explored more of the FSR network and as I drove higher, once again encountered snow on the road, a good deal more than what was up there when I drove down earlier.

[Flingin' Sticks]

As someone said earlier, asking a local is probably the best way to get information on current snow pack and snow line. That being said, there are a few good resources that you can use to cobble together a good picture of current mountain weather and expected forecasts.

One of the few resources that can tell you snowpack information in some areas of the province is actually the BC River Forecast Center. They keep track of real-time snow depths as a means of managing flood risks.

http://bcrfc.env.gov.bc.ca/data/asp/realtime/index.htm

As for weather forecasts in mountain environments, three resources really jump out. I use all three of these quite a bit later in the season before heading into the backcountry to ski or sled.

1. Avalanche Canada (www.avalanche.ca) - not only do they provide key avalanche safety information, they also put together a fairly comprehensive mountain weather forecast at the macro level - while it may not give you specific precipitation or wind for a single mountain/drainage, it gives you a really good idea of what kinds of systems will be impacting the weather in the coming days, and more importantly what it means for snow conditions.

2. Environment Canada (weather.gc.ca) has some good information, both with regards to local temperature/precip, as well as regional/provincial weather radar. I usually check this first for the specific area I'm heading to.

3. SpotWx (www.spotwx.com) - this is the mother lode that allows you to get fairly specific, local weather information. You just pick your location on a map and decide which weather model you want to use (based on length of your forecast, ranging from 2 days to 16 days). The output takes a little bit to get used to, but with some practice you can get hourly weather information for your specific mountain range.

Nothing beats good, local information, but Hopefully these resources are useful to you if you can't make observations yourself.