12-21-17 Paradise telemetry

On Friday. Dec. 21st. 'Total Snow' on Paradise telemetry dropped from 88" to 59" in one hour on a cold day.  The following morning the park issued a press release that the snowplay area opening would be delayed due to "insufficient snow".  Traditionally, the minimum snowpack for bulldozing the tube runs is 60".  Last year the snowplay opened after Christmas vacation despite 60+" before the holiday period.  This morning there is a new header above the telemetry data:  "Total snowdepth artificially lowered 30 inches 2pm 12-21"

www.nwac.us/weatherdata/paradise/now/

I've heard of climate data disappearing lately, but this seems a strange new type of 'alternative facts'

NWAC saying it wasn't them.. No accountability at the Park Service..

Snotel data for paradise has been off this season too.

On Friday. Dec. 21st. 'Total Snow' on Paradise telemetry dropped from 88" to 59" in one hour on a cold day.  The following morning the park issued a press release that the snowplay area opening would be delayed due to "insufficient snow".  Traditionally, the minimum snowpack for bulldozing the tube runs is 60".  Last year the snowplay opened after Christmas vacation despite 60+" before the holiday period.  This morning there is a new header above the telemetry data:  "Total snowdepth artificially lowered 30 inches 2pm 12-21"

www.nwac.us/weatherdata/paradise/now/

I've heard of climate data disappearing lately, but this seems a strange new type of 'alternative facts'

The telemetyry headers says total snow was artificially reduced by 30 inches on the 21st. My initial reaction is that this was done a) by accident or b) on purpose because someone accidentally reduced the number of columns in total snow to 2, meaning 99 would be max. Anyway, one can just add 30. As far as snowplay, looking at the photos, it appears that encroaching subalpine firs are growing tall enough to inhibit grooming of the area. IMHO, the park needs to remove some of this young trees before they lose lots of the meadows Paradise is famous for.

For the last two days I had been wondering the same thing and was going to post on twitter my thoughts. I'm a business owner in Ashford and wether it's skiers or snowplay people, we lose when the Park manipulates facts to suit its needs.

Here is a screen shot I took because I thought so weird...