snow?

[Scott_J]

What are the guesses for Washington. When and where will the first skiable snow arrive???

[thelawgoddess]

sisu_suomi said:

When and where will the first skiable snow arrive???

 

colorado. heh, heh.

[Scott_J]

thelawgoddess said:

sisu_suomi said:

When and where will the first skiable snow arrive???

colorado. heh, heh.

 

 

You might be right on this one. I have a sis in law that writes software for some weather type bus in Colorado and she mentioned that this winter is supposed to be cold and wet in the entire west. The western states of Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Idaho usually get freezing temps before we do here on the coast. I hope Alaska gets a good year 'cause if its the case I am gone, gone, gone for at leat two weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

[AlpineK]

I talked to this guy from Alaska this weekend, and he told me winter is underway up north.

[pete_a]

Four out of the five past years (last year being the one exception) there's been enough new snow on the muir snowfield by mid-late October to cover up all the dirt and suncups. I don't want to jinx it but I bet that by late October the glaciated terrain up around Hadley Peak, the muir snowfield, and the lower glaciers on Baker will be smooth and white.

Its gonna take a couple good storms to fill in the cracks on the muir snowfield though...damn hot dry summer.

 

[Figger_Eight]

Even money we can be skiing by Halloween.

[JoshK]

sisu_suomi said:

thelawgoddess said:

sisu_suomi said:

When and where will the first skiable snow arrive???

colorado. heh, heh.

 

 

You might be right on this one. I have a sis in law that writes software for some weather type bus in Colorado and she mentioned that this winter is supposed to be cold and wet in the entire west. The western states of Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Idaho usually get freezing temps before we do here on the coast. I hope Alaska gets a good year 'cause if its the case I am gone, gone, gone for at leat two weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, this is the typical pattern. colorado get snow first, then it starts flying here, then by january we have 150" bases and they are skiing on 16" bases with man made snow. But despite it all they claim they are the skiing capitol of the U.S.!

[Beck]

hey sisu, i have a perfect equasion for freshies by halloween that usually works. it totally depends on a good set of northern low pressure cells moving across the region and a certain nightime temperature range... i am not going to post the factors here but will call you with the details. usually you can drive the car right to the snow if things are favorable...

[Scott_J]

Its snowing in Marquette area

**********************************************************

Heikki Lunta

A Modern Copper Country Folk Hero

 

 

 

The unusually mild and snowless December the Copper Country of Michigan is experiencing this year, is reminiscent of a similar winter in 1970. That year it took the extraordinary efforts of the mythical character, Heikki Lunta to remedy the situation. His unique expertise seems to be needed again, in particular for the Heikinpäivä celebration planned for January 30, 1999.

 

 

 

In 1970 the Range Snowmobile Club of Atlantic Mine, Michigan had planned a snowmobile race for the fourth of December, a time of year when there is nearly always ample snow on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The members of club had been working hard to make the event a success, but the most vital commodity was lacking – snow! A Hancock radio station, WMPL, was sponsoring the event, and station staff was also very concerned. In an attempt to rally community support despite the conditions, a radio-time salesman, David Riutta, concocted the character "Heikki Lunta", getting his inspiration from the well-known county/western singer Hank Snow. In twenty minutes Dave wrote the words to the now legendary "Heikki Lunta Snow Dance Song." The tune to which Dave applied the lyrics had already been with him for awhile, so the entire composition took less than one hour.

 

 

 

Dave returned to the radio station and with the assistance of the station owner, Bob Olson, another well-known Copper Country persona, the legend of Heikki Lunta was born. The fictional Heikki Lunta was said to live in the back woods of the Finnish farming community of Tapiola, Michigan, twenty miles south of Houghton. Furthermore, he was reported to have the ability to perform a dance, which would cause the snow to fall from the skies. The talented radio team took to the airwaves and caused a sensation throughout the Copper Country community. Heikki Lunta was an instant hit, and miraculously it began to snow-and snow and snow! Ironically the snowmobile races had to be postponed because there was too much snow.

 

Heikki Lunta's fame grew, and the snow dance song was sent via

 

UPI to stations around the country. The exploits of Heikki Lunta were mentioned on "The Today Show " and "The Tonight Show." Riutta was invited to winter events as far away as California to sing his magical snow song. Family responsibilities and his employment, however, prevented him from making these trips. A recording of "Heikki Lunta Snow Dance Song" was produced, and the first 3000 copies sold in a short time.

 

 

 

As with any sudden success story, there was a downside. Perhaps Heikki Lunta danced too much, because the snow kept coming. Strained relations began to appear between the pro-snow and the anti-snow camps. Riutta recalls one incident where he was confronted by a large lumberjack, who was so irked by the amount of snow Heikki Lunta had brought, he expressed the desire to "clean

 

Heikki's [Riutta's] clock". It became apparent that there were others in the community who actually believed the playing of the snow dance song would produce snow. When the winter seemed to be getting a bit too long, Riutta felt compelled to compose a sequel tune, "Heikki Lunta Go Away," which became the flip side to the second pressing of the record.

 

 

 

During the big snow years of the late '70s Heikki Lunta was almost forgotten. Now the sunny days of the December 1998 call for the magic of Heikki Lunta.

 

 

 

[Scott_J]

1. I REMEMBER BACK IN ‘58 WHEN I WAS JUST A LAD

I WENT UP TO THE COPPER COUNTRY HUNTING WITH MY DAD

THE GROUND WAS BARE AND FROZEN SO WE COULDN’T TRACK NO DEER

SO MY OLD MAN GOT HIS KNAPSACK AND HE FILLED IT UP WITH BEER

HE SAID WE GOTTA TAKE A HIKE WAY OUT IN THE WOODS

THERE’S THIS GUY NAMED HEIKKI LUNTA HE’S CRAZY BUT HE’S GOOD

WE’LL LET HIM DRINK A COUPLE BEERS AND WHEN HE STARTS TO GLOW

HE’LL DO THE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE AND THEN JUST WATCH IT SNOW

CHORUS:

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE

MAKE IT SNOW, SNOW, SNOW HEIKKI LUNTA SNOW

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE

 

2. I REMEMBER IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE 15 YEARS AGO

ALL THE KIDS WERE CRYING CAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE NO SNOW

ACCORDING TO THE WEATHERMAN THEY DIDN’T HAVE A CHANCE

BUT THE WEATHERMAN DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE

HEIKKI PUT HIS SNOWSHOES ON AND GRABBED A CAN OF BEER

HE PUT ON HIS GIANT PARTRIDGE WINGS AND ANTLERS FROM A DEER

THEN HE GRABBED A CEDAR BRANCH AND DANCED AROUND THE YARD

EVERYBODY SAID THEY NEVER SEEN IT SNOW SO HARD

 

 

3. I RECALL A TOURNAMENT OUT AT SUICIDE

ALL THE SNOW WAS MELTING AND WE COULDN’T GET A RIDE

ONE CRAZY FINN CAME DOWN THE HILL AND LANDED ON THE ROCKS

THEY SENT HIM BACK TO FINLAND IN A HOMEMADE CEDAR BOX

WE LOOKED FOR HEIKKI LUNTA BUT HE WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND

WE COULDN’T DO NO JUMPING WITH NO SNOW ON THE GROUND

IT WAS CARL PELLONPAA WHO FINALLY SAVED THE DAY

WE DID THE HEIKKI LUNTA DANCE I THINK IT SNOWED TILL MAY

 

 

 

[Beck]

suicide bowl and Tapiola, you got me LOL ROFL

 

Sisu, you're flippin hilarious, lets give a big cheer out for heikki lunta, ullr, skadi, and sondre nordheim.

 

Who's been Atlantic mine, eh? Let's go ski the hills by copper harbor

 

you know, sisu, one time my buddy and me, we went into the huron mountians in the dead of a march winter via mulligan plains south of the yellow dog...took two weeks to wind up at the first paved road east of L'anse. we had a great trip on a cross country oddessy across the depths of the UP that was about ninety miles all told... man, those industrialist bastards that set up the huron mountain club have got it CHOICE!!! I've messed around up there a lot, we would take mountain bikes thru deep abandonded logging track into the HMC also some legitimate events and also my buddy tony was one of the boatmakers up there as well as me having lived on the yellowdog on the big bay highway as well as worked at bay cliff one summer... that was just five miles from the huron mountain club and i spent plenty of my off time sneaking into the granite cliffs and huge virgin pine forests up there and the beautiful alpine lakes tucked amidst deep glacially polished quartz gneiss and granite...

 

 

love it up there...

 

 

sisu we will go on a trip this october if the conditions are right.

[adventuregal]

Beck said:

suicide bowl and Tapiola, you got me LOL ROFL

 

Hell yeah, Tapiola is the place!!! And I thought I was gonna die last time I raced at Suicide! Hi Yoopers!

[Scott_J]

snow,snow,snow,snow...thanks Beck. I'll be waiting. Caveman is waiting, too!!!!

[Beck]

suicide bowl is the place! that was fantastic! some of the hills, yowsa...

I also liked the hill right in town there at ishpeming, i cannot remember the name of it but it was like, ten blocks from downtown? I used to go there when i worked in Ishpeming in 1990 and ski at lunch.

 

nothing like the Congress lounge and the pizza there, oh my gosh....

[Beck]

...just checked in yooper time and yes, a half an inch today on raised surfaces at lake level and 4-6 inland and up grade... the snowy season begins in da yoop once again... I'd be out skiing at the park in ishpeming right now...

[adventuregal]

Beck said:

suicide bowl is the place! that was fantastic! some of the hills, yowsa...

I also liked the hill right in town there at ishpeming, i cannot remember the name of it but it was like, ten blocks from downtown? I used to go there when i worked in Ishpeming in 1990 and ski at lunch.

 

Aall Quall??

[Beck]

let me check street names...it was near a bunch of closed down mine shafts directly south from downtown ishpeming, up on the first ridge dere..