Thunder and lightening - JH and Targhee

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berkshireskier

Active member
Apparently, both JH and Targhee closed their lifts yesterday, for a while, because of thunder and lightening in the area. How often does that happen in February in the Tetons? Crazy warm Winter out west. It will be interesting to see if they will break weather records for high temps over the Winter months.
 
berkshireskier said:
Apparently, both JH and Targhee closed their lifts yesterday, for a while, because of thunder and lightening in the area. How often does that happen in February in the Tetons? Crazy warm Winter out west. It will be interesting to see if they will break weather records for high temps over the Winter months.
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in all fairness, thunder and lighting are a common occurrence during intense winter snow storms...
 
jasoncapecod said:
in all fairness, thunder and lighting are a common occurrence during intense winter snow storms...
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Happened to me last April at Tremblant. When they reopened it was raining at the bottom and snowing upper half. Seems like a more volatile weather pattern typical of spring. Thundersnow does happen but I have only ever seen that commonly in Utah
 
They've shut down Snowbird 2 or 3 times in the last half dozen years while I've been there due to threat of lightening. But I've only actually seen it (thunder and lightening) while I was skiing at Wintergreen, VA on a spring day about 15 years ago. Needless to say, everyone is pretty cooperative in clearing the slopes when this happens. Kind of like a golf course.
 
I've only seen lighting once while skiing, but have heard the thunder multiple times. I can't even recall the exact number of times at this point, but probably at least 9 or 10. Some back east and plenty in the west.

jimk said:
everyone is pretty cooperative in clearing the slopes when this happens. Kind of like a golf course.
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I've been at a golf course where the lightening sirens went off and not a single golfer bothered to do anything other than sit in their cart (granted this occurred only one time). I couldn't believe it, but it is true that the front moved through fast and the course re-opened ~25 min later with everyone still sitting at their respective holes on the course... Very strange and kinda concerning.
 
I've been at Alta in April a few times when the lifts closed due to thunder. My ski buddy, Bill, was on a lift once when a thunderclap went off.
 
MarzNC said:
I've been at Alta in April a few times when the lifts closed due to thunder. My ski buddy, Bill, was on a lift once when a thunderclap went off.
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Query: If you're on a ski lift when a lighting bolt hits close by, do you drop your ski pole to the ground? I'm not holding on to two lighting rods in my hands if there is lighting close by.
 
My worst experience with lightning/thunder was actually at Hidden Valley, outside of St. Louis back in 1994, I believe. A t-storm approached, and I had just gotten on the lift. A lightning pocket developed in the storm just west of the ski area, and I probably had 4 or 5 bolts within a mile while riding up the lift. This was not a thundersnow event as it was mild, so the thunder wasn't muffled like it is during a thundersnow event. Needless to say, that lift ride was not fun.
 
berkshireskier said:
Do you drop your ski pole to the ground? I'm not holding on to two lighting rods in my hands if there is lighting close by.
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I'm a lightning know-nothing but you're sitting on a steel chair connected to a steel cable and steel towers. Wouldn't that act as a conductive path even without the ski poles? Getting struck by lightning is one of the things I'd like least to happen to me along with being swept up in an avalanche.
 
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