Even the slightest increases in temperature could have serious implications for Pacific Northwest snow and water issues.

The richness of the rain made me feel safe and protected; I have always considered the rain to be healing—a blanket—the comfort of a friend. Without at least some rain in any given day, or at least a cloud or two on the horizon, I feel overwhelmed by the information of sunlight and yearn for the vital, muffling gift of falling water.

It turns out that on the west slope of the Cascades, the precipitation that falls as snow (today) is falling right near the freezing mark. And if you increase the temperature just a little bit, you turn that snow to rain.

We look at snow temperature and also the moisture content of the snow. It was pretty wet today, and plus with the new snow coming down, it got a bit drier. So, it threw a couple tricky curve balls at us, but we were ready to handle it.

Far from being a serious bid to build an Asian-Pacific colossus, the bid is a crude maneuver to stop Patrick competing with Toll in Australia. Patrick doesn't need Toll.

We do these jumps hundreds of times in the water before we go on the snow, so it's not as dangerous as it may look to spectators.