After a record season during the 22-23 ski season, I was exhausted. Not just from researching and forecasting non-stop and for more hours in a season than I can remember, but from skiing, shoveling, dealing with constant travel headaches, and everything else winter threw at us. I made my final post of the season the day after my 43rd birthday on May 8th.

Now don't get me wrong, I had more fun than ever forecasting last season and laughing along with you on The Flakes Podcast. But as much fun as I had during the ski season I was more ready than ever for summer to come. But now summer is almost over if you are going by the Astronomical seasons, and is over if you are going by the Meteorological seasons! 

Here is a great article written by our mid-Atlantic forecaster Zach Butler that explains the difference between the two:

Difference Between Meteorological & Astronomical Seasons | OpenSnow

Still Enjoying Summer:

As much as I get excited about the winter seasons, I have to admit that the end of summer crept up on me. They say the older you get the faster time goes, or at least seems to go. I left the last week of August to visit family back on the Jersey Shore through Labor Day Weekend. When I left it was summer and when I got back it was fall.

Heck, just last week I was on my aunt's dock in my board shorts teaching the kids how to properly clean and eat blue claws.

While I was gone I started seeing several articles being published by our team about the upcoming winter season, while I was sitting on the beach still trying the enjoy the end of summer. I was thinking, "Hey, what the heck is going on, it's still summer, I'm trying to get a tan and enjoy the beach, what is all of this winter season talk already?!" LOL.

The OG's:

As an original partner and forecaster, I've been here from the beginning of OpenSnow and was forecasting for several seasons before Joel and I met and OpenSnow was launched in 2010. Unbelievably this will be my 18th season in the Tahoe Basin and 17th season writing weather discussions! I went from a single twenty-something rolling into Tahoe for "a season" to having a business a family and teenage kids now!

Feels like a blink of an eye. So many roller coaster seasons we've experienced together from record low snowfall to record high over the last two decades. Back when there were just 3 of us forecasting, Joel, Evan and I kind of had control over when winter discussions started, and typically we started to dabble about now and slowly ramped up into ski season. 

Speaking of OG's, here is Evan (our Utah forecaster) and I enjoying summer views and brews at my place near Mogul.

Do we look like we are ready for winter yet? ha.

Our Growing Company:

Our company has grown over the years and we now have a much larger team of forecasters, most of whom are younger than I am and very anxious for winter to start. They are the ones who have been pumping out articles over the past week or two about the upcoming season, and it's awesome to see!

You can see them posted on our News page below, or on their Daily Snow pages for their regions.

News | OpenSnow

One that you'll likely be interested in is the Winter Forecast Preview.

2023-2024 Winter Forecast Preview | OpenSnow

If you are wondering what we have been doing all summer besides decompressing from the record winter, going to the beach, hiking, doing yard work, etc...and growing our team, we have been working hard through the summer as always to build new features that you have been asking for!

Here is an article that Sam wrote last week detailing all of the new features we've added to our site and app, some of which you may not yet know exist.

2023 New Feature Recap | OpenSnow

We are still a small privately owned company of forecasters and developers that live and work in the mountains, and all love to recreate outdoors through all seasons. And we use that passion in the products we're creating for you.

The Upcoming Winter Season:

I'm doing my best this week to shift my summer recreation passions into winter passions in my mind. I'm almost there. The few flakes that fell at the top of Mt. Rose during the rain storm a few days ago helped! I'm still a kid at heart and I still get just as excited about the first snow and any snowstorms! 

Now I need to hurry up with the rest of my yardwork and getting ready for winter before I get in "The Zone" behind this keyboard and obsessing over models and forecasts, and trying hard to remember to get out on the hill more than I tend to when I'm obsessing over model runs and forecasts! I'll never get too old for days like this!

Mike (our SoCal & Mammoth forecaster) and I are working together this week with our research on the current El Nino conditions and what that could mean for CA and the Sierra this winter. It has begun! I will start to trickle out our ideas in a weekly post as we head into Fall. And of course, I'll be on top of any actual snowfalls including our first chance of a measurable storm!

Even though I'm acting like a cranky old man after recovering from last winter, I'm definitely excited about this winter and what it could mean for snow and forecasting. We always have fun together no matter what happens, and I'm also looking forward to getting back behind the microphone to have some laughs with you on The Flakes Podcast as we chase snow this season!

Stay tuned...BA