Ross combines love of powder, meteorology
Do you ever wish you had your personal weather forecaster, ready to dish the best data about pending storms and snowfall? I’ve found mine in the form of local diehard powder skier Julien Ross, who began working this season for the forecasting site OpenSnow.com.
All skiers are weather watchers, and this is particularly true for Ross, who has turned his passions both for skiing and for weather into a sideline career.
Though his main gig is working as a consultant and coach for charitable organizations nationwide, this 44-year-old Santa Fean now works as the New Mexico forecaster for OpenSnow. This is a respected website that provides free five-day forecasts four to five times a week and even daily during storm cycles. Longer forecasts and other features are available for a small annual fee (see below).
We met at Ski Santa Fe on Jan. 17 to talk during chair rides, and to make some runs on the fresh, wettish snow he had precisely predicted days ahead of time. Ross also was on point about the winds that would pick up at about noon, turning the mountain into a fog-shrouded, wailing whirlwind of blowing snow and biting cold. We stayed in the calmer woods, where the snow still lay in foot-deep drifts and continued to fall off the trees as
they swayed in the blasting gusts.
Ross said he was introduced to skiing by a neighboring family, the Nelsons.
“Zoe was my buddy and first brought me up,” Ross said. “I couldn’t hang with them at the time — they were some of the best skiers on the mountain — but they showed me the beauty and thrill of the sport.”
In fourth grade at Carlos Gilbert, Ross joined in the weekly public schools ski program.
“Its low cost and logistical help gave me continued access to skiing,” he said. “It was love at first turn. And, I also fell in love with nature and weather. I was fascinated with severe storms, and was a weather nerd even as kid.”
Ross went to Northern Arizona University, where he took some meteorology courses, so it’s been a lifelong hobby. Ross’ passion for skiing ignited in his 20s, then came along OpenSnow, which was founded about nine years ago in Colorado and he became a huge follower.
“For me, it’s a passion to read forecasters’ analysis and predictions,” Ross said. “So I’ve been in touch with them over the years, and Joel Gratz, the founder, said to stay in touch and that one day he might get his shot.”
It wasn’t until this year that “the stars just kind of lined up” and Ross got his opportunity.
“They believe deeply in having locals — people who know the mountains and the community — write the forecasts,” he said.
The job pays a small salary but it’s more than that. It combines Ross’ two loves.
“It’s a great joy and honor to write the New Mexico Daily Snow report,” Ross said.
His detailed reports encompass all eight major New Mexico resorts. He does not write up Wolf Creek, but includes it in his maps because he recognizes that many New Mexicans ski there.
Getting it right is a tough task, as the Intermountain West is said to be the most difficult region in the nation to predict weather, with many major weather systems converging here. Storms come from a variety of direction — south, southwest, west and northwest, and even occasionally off the Great Plains.
The latter tend to favor Angel Fire and to a lesser extent Red River. Ski Apache picks up more southerly storms, while the Jemez benefits from storms from the southwest and west.
“Taos is a really interesting mountain,” Ross said. “They can do well with wind directions from many sources, and both Taos and Santa Fe benefit from being so high. You get a lot of orographic lift,” which is the process of precipitation condensing in a rising air mass as it is forced upwards by land forms, “and cold temperatures.
“Sometimes in Northern New Mexico, with northwest airflow you get very cold temperatures but not the moisture you need. But when cold and moisture line up, we can get some of the finest powder in the world.”
Ross gleans information from many different sources, including the National Weather Service, ski area reports, plus commercial and private forecasters. He often reviews five or six models and looks at all factors influencing snowfall.
‘We look at all those ingredients, then try to piece together a picture of when, where and how the storms might develop, and where to go to find the best ski conditions,” Ross said.
Despite all this research, he admitted “It’s never a perfect science,” and often presents a wide range of possibilities.
“I tell people that it’s great to study up and read, to be informed, but at the end of the days, I say, ‘Get out!’ ” Ross said. “Put yourself in position that if it is a big day, you’re there. And guess what? Even if it doesn’t snow as much as you’d hoped, you’ll still have a great time out in the mountains.”
To see Ross’ free reports, go to opensnow.com/dailysnow/ newmexico. You can also download the OpenSnow app for free and access NM Daily Snow through your phone. You can also get the upgraded version for $19 annually, which includes 10-day forecasts (versus five for the free version), cams access and Daily Snow updates via email when posted.
CONDITIONS AND EVENTS
Ski Santa Fe has a cushy 72-inch base, with almost every run open.
Taos Ski Valley has a 62-inch base with most runs open. The Kachina Chair has yet to spin.
Angel Fire reports a 33-inch base. From Jan. 31-Feb. 1, it hosts the final World Champion Shovel Races, ending a 41-year tradition of crazed fun and derring-do. The competition, part of the resort’s ambitious first annual Winter Carnival, is open to anyone age 6 and up.
Sipapu has a 31-inch base. Red River, with a 37-inch base, has all runs open. Pajarito Mountain has a 31-inch base, and hosts Beer & Bands on Saturday, with craft brews from Bathtub Row Brewing starting at noon, and live music from Escape on a Horse from
3-5 p.m.
Sandia Peak checks in with a fat 40-inch base; Ski Apache with 39 and 37 of 55 runs open. Enchanted Forest Cross-Country Ski and Snowshoe Area reports a 69-inch base and all trails open.
Wolf Creek has 69 inches with all runs open. Crested Butte has a 47-inch base with some of its Extreme Limits terrain open.
Telluride reports 44 inches, Monarch Mountain has 52 inches and all runs open, and Purgatory checks in with 48 inches.