When it starts
Powder Mountain, Jan 5, 2026: the model's run on the day said 4.2" skiable (Nice day); the Ben Lomond Trail SNOTEL pillow stayed flat. Model heavy.
Model heavy. It said 4.2" skiable and the pillow did not move. Snow can settle, blow off, or miss the station, so this is not proof it never fell.
Pack going in: 30" on Jan 4, 32" on Jan 5. The storm total counts from the first reading, so snow after 5pm the night before is in it.
| Day | Call | First chair | On hill | Skiable | Starts | Pillow before | Pillow after | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Jan 5 | Nice day | 4.2" | 0.0" | 4.2" | ~6pm Sunday | 32" | 30" | -2" |
Model: the run on the day (Open-Meteo Previous Runs, best_match). PowHound does not keep superseded live forecasts, so this is not the number you saw the night before. It is usually closer.
Clocks, local time: first chair 5pm–8am, on hill 8am–5pm, skiable is both. Stay home under 2", Nice day 2–8", Full Send 8" or more.
Pillow: snow depth at the Ben Lomond Trail SNOTEL station, read once a day around midnight. A day's gain is the next midnight reading minus that day's, so it runs midnight to midnight, not 5pm to 5pm. Depth is not snowfall: new snow settles and blows around, so the pillow usually reads under what fell. Not the resort report.
Verdict: close is within 3" or 30%. Season numbers and method: llms.txt.