Snow Wheeling Boardman Lake rd - January 21, 2012
Today's snow wheeling trip took us up the Boardman Lake rd. We had been waiting for some decent snow accumulation at this low elevation spot. Unfortunately the good weather didn't hold and it warmed up and rained heavily the night before. The result...several feet of slush! Some places the snow literally turned to water as we drove. We expected a lot of downed trees, but only encountered a few. We took a short snowshoe walk into Lake Evan. Always cool to see a frozen lake.

Hangover Run 2012 - January 1, 2012
Mother nature threw us a curve ball for the 2012 hangover run. A massive land slide took out the road. We headed north to Whatcom county to do a little snow wheeling in my old turf. It was a pretty short trip to the top once the snow was deep enough. Still haven't gotten much snow accumulation this year. Never know what to expect on New Years Day!

GoPro HD Hero2 Camera
Why a GoPro Camera? It fills the gap between a standard digital camera or DSLR, and a camcorder. I can't even begin think of all the times the "other cameras" were left behind because it simply wasn't safe to bring them or use them.

Dakine Poacher Pack
The Dakine Snow Pack family of backpacks are purpose built for experiencing the backcountry in the snow. Features are well thought-out and implemented in a way that preserves precious space, yet maintain organization and ease of access. Whether you're hitting the ski slopes for the day, or doing some serious snowshoeing or mountaineering, Dakine offers several packs designed to meet our needs in the backcountry.

Siping Tires for Deep Snow
Why should I sipe my tires for deep snow wheeling?
Siping is one of my three criteria for a deep snow tire. As you drive through the deep snow, the snow gets packed under your tire. The siping gives your tires hundreds of new biting edges. Additionally, the siping helps loosen the tire carcass allowing your tire to flex better when aired down.

Deep Snow Tires
Wider is better. Not so fast! Given equal tire pressure, a 36x12.50 and a 36x14.50 will have the same size footprint. The shape will be different, but the total area will be the same. Don't stop reading. I'm not crazy. Here's the deal...to keep things simple, lets say we have 4,000lbs vehicle. We'll assume it's perfectly balanced and therefore 1,000lbs at each tire. If the tire is inflated to a known pressure, say 5 psi(pounds per square inch), we can now determine the area of the footprint in sq/in using the following formula...

Quick overview of Western Washington Mountain Pass webcams

Stevens Pass - Elevation: 4061 ft

Snoqualmie Pass - Elevation: 3022 ft

White Pass - Elevation: 4500 ft

Blewett Pass - Elevation: 4102 ft

National Ice Center Snow and Ice Map - Current

Check out the 31 day Snow Loop.