It’s been a relatively terrible ski season in the Northwest, with very little snow and a lot of closed lifts. In fact, the closest ski resort to Seattle — The Summit at Snoqualmie — didn’t even open until after January 1st. Well, that all changed in February, when snow finally started falling…and falling……and falling. In all, 130 inches of snow fell over a ten-day period at nearby Stevens Pass (full disclosure: that’s my resort of choice near Seattle, as it’s not terribly far away), which meant it was time for some vital avalanche control on the backside of the mountain. Fortunately, the crew tasked with clearing all the snow documented the excursion, which involves going up in a helicopter and dropping very large explosives on the giant pile of fresh powder.

[YouTube]