hiking tomorrow

[subie131]

Hello,
I have a buddy who wants to hike and tent out tomorrow night. I told him that the weather was not going to be that great but he still is dieing to go.. He is very very new to hiking and I don't believe he has the right equipment for the hike anyways. He says he wants to go up and board down the new snow tomorrow morning.. I just want to get some other people's input so he might rethink it.
Thank you,
Subie131

[jmorrison518]

From tuckerman.org

Snow will continue tonight and pick up in intensity for storm # 2 tomorrow and into Sunday. Believe it or not most weather sources are still reluctant to give out accumulation numbers due to the complexity of this system. The questions still remain 1. How far west will this coastal system extend? and 2. How will precipitation intensity be banded across the region from central Maine into the mountains of New Hampshire? It seems right now that we will get about a foot from this morning into Sunday night before orographic upslope snow starts adding some inches. There is a potential to get a bunch more or a little bit less, but if forced to bet real money 12? is a modest wager. The other big news is the winds speeds we will likely see above treeline this weekend. Winds will ramp up through tomorrow and then absolutely rage on Sunday. I would anticipate the highest winds of the season blowing well in excess of 100mph for the second half of the weekend. Couple this with a 12+? of snow and you have an absolute blizzard making for a full on epic situation. Battling 80-100mph winds on a clear day is bad enough, but dealing with 125+mph winds with temperatures below zero in a sand blasting no visibility snow storm is truly hell on earth. I would also expect a HIGH avalanche danger rating for the weekend. Anticipate a busy mountain as we conclude the Holiday week with many avalanche triggers running around so expect travelers to be above and under your location. We will be discussing this situation at length in the ?Weekend Updater? on tuckerman.org tonight and in the Saturday and Sunday morning avalanche advisories.

If he is of limited experience, tell him to make sure he wears something bright, and maybe writes his name & address in permanent marker on his chest, so his family can find and identify him in the spring when the snow melts.

There's a lot more winter left. Encourage him to pick a better weather window for his winter camping fun.

[TrishandAlex]

subie,

Where, specifically, does your friend want to tent?

If you're talking low elevation, like along a flat trail and in the trees, that's one thing. Though I still wouldnt' do it with the incoming storm.

If you're talking any real elevation, and most especially above treeline, then go and physically prevent him from leaving his house.

[Knapper]

Personally, I would strongly advise not camping anywhere Saturday night into Sunday. A very strong low is heading towards New England. Wind gusts in the valleys will be reaching 50 mph across NH and ME averaging around 20 mph. On the summits, especially on the Presidentials, winds will be averaging around 100 mph with gusts up to 150 mph. Add this to low temperatures, a foot or more of snow expected, and dense fog and it makes for a very dangerous situation. He might be brave but if he gets into trouble, with these kind of conditions, I know we will not be venturing to rescue anyone until things subside Sunday night or Monday. If it were my friend, I would pleed for them not to choose this weekend for camping. More on the forecast can be found here after I update it between 5 and 6 am this morning: http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/.

[Snow Miser]

No reply from Subie131 or his buddy yet. I hope those guys took the advice listed above, and decided to stay home until better weather settled in.

[KathyC]

I'm wondering if the post was a hoax...

[Snow Miser]

I didn't think of that. It's quite possible.

[Trailsend]

I think Kathy is right, it sounds like a hoax.