All discussion related to transportation to, from and within the Sierra Nevada. Need directions or flight information? Info on road conditions? A ride to the trail head? Can you offer a ride, or do you run a transportation business or shuttle service for the Sierra Nevada? Come on in and post the details!
I think there is more pressure now than in 1967 to plow Tioga Pass earlier. The local economy on both ends realty depend on the road being open. And it is not stacking up to be a 200% snow year either. I went in a few years ago on the first day the pass was open and had to wait at a road block for 2 hours. There are always rocks that fall as the snow melts. I ended up with a noon start instead of a mid-morning start.
The problem with any model based on historical data, is that you cannot assume the past weather is predictive of the future weather. But, yes, it is fun to make such models and speculate. Also the administrative decision process as well as funding of the snow plowing efforts are always changing. It is probably 70% weather, and 30% politics. You need to analyze election years vs. others and which party is in office! And no matter what, it is all Obama's fault.
Also the administrative decision process as well as funding of the snow plowing efforts are always changing. It is probably 70% weather, and 30% politics. You need to analyze election years vs. others and which party is in office! And no matter what, it is all Obama's fault.
Hahahaha. Both true and funny. Have you ever seen the graph of the year-end price of butter in Bangladesh vs. the year-end price of the S&P 500? It was perfect fit (indexed to a mid-80s starting point I believe) for no actual reason for something like two decades.
I went in a few years ago on the first day the pass was open and had to wait at a road block for 2 hours. There are always rocks that fall as the snow melts. I ended up with a noon start instead of a mid-morning start.
On the east side, 120 is almost always opened to the gate at the pass for the opening of trout season - last Saturday in April. That seems to be the date caltrans/mono county shoot for, and unless there is big snowfall right around then or unusual amounts of rock removal or repair to deal with they mostly hit it. But I have never heard of the road being opened to from the east to TM before it is open from the west - even in years when it is in fact completely cleared to TM from the east. If you can plan for a little extra time to start from the gate at Tioga pass, then you can plan your trip with less uncertainty.
That's a good thought Paul. Unfortunately, it'll be a challenge for me to grab 2 or 3 of my friends for even a 3-day mountaineering trip, let alone a 4-day trip. I imagine the extra 12 miles (total) from the pass would be a bit of a slog, so I'd add a whole day if I was to start from Tioga.
