Dear Oscar, While we know you not to be a resort traveler, we were wondering if you could answer a snowmaking question for us...

... Why is it that on very cold days, fine, low-lying clouds form near snowmaking guns? Can you explain this? Your friends at the Stowe Adventure Center


Dear AC Friends,

First, let me set the record straight. I have been known to frequent ski resorts... after lifts stop running for the season! In fact, just last spring, I hiked up the trails of your very own Stowe Mountain Resort and joined my human in skiing from the top of the Chin. In fact, I have even visited the Adventure Center! Of course, I would never do that when you were open for business; that place is too crazy for me during business times.

As for the thin, blanket-like clouds that you get on snowmaking mornings, here's the deal. The phenomenon you refer to is known as "ice fog." In nature, you don't get ice fog until temperatures reach minus-40 Fahrenheit or colder. When it is extremely cold, there is generally high relative humidity too. A cold air mass can't carry much vapor. So when it gets really cold, the slightest amount of moisture causes ice fog. On the South Pole, for example, exhaust from aircraft or from the power plant at the South Pole Station cause plumes of fog because they saturate the cold, cold air with moisture.

On Mt. Mansfield where temperatures aren't nearly so cold, the ice fog you are experiencing is the result of the super-cooled water droplets introduced to the air by your snowmaking guns. A lot of energy goes into cooling these droplets as they come out of the guns. And, the water from the guns speeds the process of saturating the air with moisture, increasing the relative humidity. The result is the low-lying grey blanket that covers the mountain on cold, clear mornings after long snowmaking nights.

You may wonder how I know so much about snowmaking, the South Pole, and ice fog. The answer: I know snowmakers, South "Polies," and my brain is sometimes foggy. (Also, thanks to weather-expert John Gallagher for his input.)

And last thing: my apologies for taking so long answering this question. I was busy with my Christmas shopping.

Think snow, Oscar

Dear Oscar, I am going to be celebrating my first Christmas. I'm putting the finishing touches on my list for Santa and was wondering...

...what some of your favorite presents have been. Merry Christmas, Gracie

PS My owners won't even let me in the room with the Christmas tree. I know it smells good - but how does it taste?

Dear Gracie,

As you will learn, the holidays are a wonderful time of year... mostly because of the food opportunities that arise! In my case, for example, my humans don't feed me any human food. But they prepare a lot of food at this time of year. And when they cook, food falls on the floor. It's inevitable.

Two presents stand out for me. One wasn't exactly a Christmas present; it was a Thanksgiving present. But doesn't the "holiday" season officially begin with Thanksgiving? Anyway, last year for Thanksgiving (which happened to fall on my birthday), I got a kitten! My little brother Waffle first joined our household then. What a gift! Also, closer to Christmas last year, you won't believe the present Alison gave me. She made home-made dog biscuits! Wow! But there's more. She didn't just make me dog biscuits; she made biscuits for every dog she knows. She put them on the counter to cool, forgot about them, and then went out for the evening. Can you believe it? Obviously, it was good karma that befell me for being such a good dog all year!

Yes, I ate every cookie off the counter. What a night.

As for the question about the tree, I have one piece of advice before you start really checking it out: blame any damage on the cat.

Happy Holidays -- and best wishes for a good haul on your first Christmas!
Oscar

Snow!

As a dog, I don't watch the news or read the weather in the paper. But I am quite aware of the turn of events of the last week... it's winter!

Don't get me wrong; I haven't been complaining about the sunny 50-degree days we've been enjoying. There are lots of interesting smells out there when it's like this. My main complaint is that, during hunting season, my humans restrict some of my walks, I rarely get to run around in the woods, and I have to wear that silly orange vest.

But hunting season is mostly over, and we have woken up to fresh new snow pretty much every day this week! I may be 3 years old (and wise beyond my years, if I do say so myself), but you better believe I've been showing off my best puppy-prance everytime I stick my nose in the fluff. This dog's tail is wagging!

I just can't wait to start hiking the mountains and skiing the backcountry. I know that's a ways off (we'll need more snow), but I'm still excited. I am a dog that loves winter. I remember my first hike in the snow. I had just arrived from my birthplace of Virginia, my pads were soft and tender, and the March corn snow cut my pads. But I'm a little more grown up now... and tougher. So let's celebrate everyone... it's winter!