UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO DIG OFF THE CANADIAN COAST THIS MORNING AND IS PROGGED TO DROP OVER THE WESTERN CONUS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. THE MAIN IMPACT OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BE GUSTY WINDS WITH SECONDARY IMPACTS BEING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES AND CHANCES FOR SHOWERS.

WEST WINDS WILL BE INCREASING THROUGH THE DAY TODAY AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW. MID LEVEL WINDS AND THE UPPER LEVEL JET ARE PERPENDICULAR TO THE SIERRA AND MODELS ARE ALL SHOWING A PERIOD OF DOWNSLOPE WINDS OCCURRING ON THE LEE SIDE OF THE SIERRA LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE STRONG THERMAL AND PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL ONLY HELP TO ENHANCE THE WESTERLY WINDS. WINDS GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ARE LIKELY ALONG THE SIERRA FRONT WITH 60 TO 80 MPH THROUGH SIERRA RIDGES. WILL CONTINUE ALL WIND HIGHLIGHTS AS THEY CURRENTLY STAND…BUT WILL START THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR TAHOE EARLIER /AT NOON/ AS WINDS LOOK TO PICK UP SOONER THERE. THE STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT FIRE WEATHER IMPACT AS WELL. PLEASE SEE THE FIRE WEATHER SECTION OF THIS DISCUSSION FOR MORE DETAILS. WINDS MAY ALSO CAUSE REDUCED VISIBILITY IN BLOWING DUST.

WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY ON WEDNESDAY UNTIL THE COLD FRONT SWINGS THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE DAY. WINDS WILL TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT…SLOWLY DECREASING IN INTENSITY. WEDNESDAY ALSO BRINGS THE BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WITH PLENTY OF COLD AIR MOVING IN ALOFT INCREASING INSTABILITY AND THE JET PUNCHING INTO THE REGION BRINGING ADDITIONAL FORCING. HAVE INCREASE POPS ACROSS NORTHERN ZONES WHERE MODELS HAVE BEEN PAINTING THE HIGHEST QPF THE PAST FEW DAYS AND THE BEST FORCING IS PRESENT. HAVE KEPT IN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY AS THIS WILL BE THE TIME OF GREATEST INSTABILITY.

BEHIND THE FRONT…TEMPERATURES WILL FALL ON WEDNESDAY TO ABOUT 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THEN…AS THE CORE OF THE UPPER LOW MOVES INTO THE GREAT BASIN…HIGHS WILL FALL EVEN FURTHER ON THURSDAY TO ABOUT 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE COLD AIR MASS WILL MAKE FOR SEASONABLY COLD MORNING LOWS…WITH THE COLDEST MORNING ON FRIDAY AS PARTIAL CLEARING TAKES PLACE.

Look for temps to cool down after today. We should have much cooler day-time temps beginning early next week as a series of Lows moves down through the Pac NW.

…BREEZY TODAY AND FRIDAY FOLLOWED BY MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND…


STRONG…COLD LOW PRESSURE IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL MOVE TOWARD THE AREA TODAY AND FRIDAY. THIS LOW WILL PUSH A STRONG COLD FRONT ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 40 MPH STARTING TODAY AND CONTINUING FRIDAY AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT.
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO AFFECT THE AREA TODAY…MAINLY EAST AND SOUTH OF RENO.

BEHIND THE FRONT…MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY WILL BE IN THE 50S AND 60S…WHICH WILL BE 30 TO 40 DEGREES COLDER.

IN ADDITION…SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AS THE LOW SETTLES OVERHEAD LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. WITH THE COLD TEMPERATURES…SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE SIERRA ABOVE 9000 FEET THIS WEEKEND. ANYONE PLANNING TRAVEL IN THE HIGH SIERRA THIS WEEKEND SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR WINTER-LIKE CONDITIONS.

Reno Discussion:

DRY WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PERSIST BEHIND TODAYS DISTURBANCE UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING. THAT IS WHEN ANOTHER MUCH STRONGER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION. THAT SYSTEM WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT INTO THE NORTHERN CWA SATURDAY AND THEN THROUGH THE REST OF THE CWA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. FOR THE NORTHERN CWA…THE FRONT WILL COMBINE WITH A SHARP VORT MAX AT THE BASE OF THE UPPER LOW TO FIRE UP NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A CLAP OR TWO OF THUNDER SATURDAY. BY SUNDAY…THE UPPER LOWS COLD POOL WILL SETTLE OVERHEAD FOR MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND DIURNALLY INDUCED THUNDERSTORMS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA.

TEMPERATURE WISE…BY SUNDAY HIGHS WILL FALL TO 10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE WITH 60S TO LOW 70S FOR THE VALLEYS AND 30S AND 40S FOR THE HIGH SIERRA. SUNDAY NIGHT COULD BE QUITE CHILLY INDEED (ESPECIALLY IN THE SIERRA VALLEYS) ALTHOUGH THIS IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT UPON CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHTER WINDS AS THE UPPER LOW EXITS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. STAY TUNED FOR MORE FINE TUNED LOW TEMP FORECASTS AS WE GET CLOSER TO SUNDAY NIGHT. SNYDER

.LONG TERM…MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY…

FEW CHANGES MADE AND JUST COOLED THINGS OFF A BIT FOR MON/TUES AS WITH SOME NEAR SFC NORTHEAST WIND/PRES GRADIENTS TEMPS ARE NORMALLY SLOWER TO BOUNCE BACK FOR LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL. OTHERWISE… CONFINED MENTION OF PRECIP MONDAY TO EASTERN AREAS AS LOW IS QUICK TO MOVE OUT. BY MID-WEEK…MODELS/ENSEMBLES IN REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH RIDGE REBOUNDING OVER DESERT SOUTHWEST WHICH WILL RETURN US TO TEMPS ABOUT 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL BY THU.

A little stoke for the warm weather this week. Check min. 1:08>!

On A Mission. Is there a better name or ideal in surf? I’ve been using OAM products for awhile now, primarily leashes, and this summer they were nice enough to send me some products to test out on a recent C. America trip. Comp, Regular, and Big Wave leashes, Keith Malloy ECO traction, double soft racks, and a World Mission board travel bag.

Fortunately, we had perfect testing conditions, mostly non-stop large and fun surf, point breaks, and lots of travel through deserts, jungle, numerous airports, via various vehicles, etc. We put things through the ringer, basically, and all of the OAM gear stood up to the test. Granted, it was only about 5 weeks worth of abuse, but even a month or so gives you a pretty good idea of the general quality of the product, and OAM passed nicely.

Leashes







OAM sells/brands their leashes by wave size, and I was able to try out all different sizes, given the swell. The only condition we didn’t really have was below head high. And the only difficulty I had was with a Comp leash un-velcroing at some inopportune moments a few times in some larger surf, well bigger than spec’d. These are great leashes, but they definitely perform best in the conditions they are designed for.
I particularly like OAM’s double-layered neoprene ankle cuffs, which are soft and stay soft and the double-swivel, key in larger surf and in situations where you find yourself scrambling for air. Leashes come in almost conceivable diameter and length.

From OAM:

Stress Relief Molded Cord End: Gives you a strong connection between the cuff and urethane.

Flexible, Soft, Ankle Cuff: Uses the highest quality double layered neoprene and webbings for increased comfort and flexibility.

Double Swivel: Reduces cord tangling.

Detachable, Short, Rail Saver: Makes sure that a 6′0″ leash doesn’t turn into a 7′0″, and a double Velcro quick release feature makes swapping leashes an easy process.

Key Pocket: Self explanatory.

Molded Stand Off: Keeps the cord away from your feet.

Stainless Steel Hardware: No corrosion.

Easy to Grab Pull Tab: Practical and rider designed.

On A Mission Comp Leashes will never let you down and ALWAYS lets you focus on surfing, not your leash.

Also check out their glow in the dark leash - sweet!

Keith Malloy ECO Traction

I used a Keith Malloy ECO traction pad, which I really liked and think is the way to go if you’re going to buy a traction pad. This pad is made from 100% recycled materials and it performs no differently than a 100% un-recycled product. Key highlights for me include the lower profile of the arch support (I like a fairly minimal pad), the grid pattern, which is super-tacky, and the nice thin progression from the front of the pad to the middle, easing the transition from board to traction when moving your feet. I found the glue/adhesion mostly good, though I did have some normal minor peeling at the forward edge that easily stuck back on. I would be confident putting this pad on any board as it is versatile enough for a variety of different waves and conditions.

From OAM:

$38

Features:

-4 piece pad

-Arch support: 8mm

-Kick: 26mm

-Thinner, lighter, grippier EVA

-Diamond Grid – Our diamond grid pattern consists of tiny 1/8” thick squares which rest on top of diamond shaped foundations.

-EVA Arch Bar – The arch bar acts as a support mechanism for your back foot

-Rolled Tail Kick – All of the OAM kicks slant at a 115 degree angle to provide optimum resistance for back foot pressure. OAM is the originator of rolling grid surface over the kick, leaving a clean, finished look.

World Mission Board Bag
I’ve used a lot of board bags from a number of different companies over the years, and the OAM definitely has its place with the best of the bunch. I was fortunate to use the World Mission, their big daddy travel bag, and it performed really well: no dings at all, and it’s easy to load, stuff, and close with their “S” zipper. I used a 7′6″ model as I had some fun shapes with me as well. Four boards no problem. This bag can haul a lot, and given its size, it’s relatively lightweight compared to a lot of other models - no wheels, no extra padding in the tail, etc. The bag’s minimalism helps at the check-in counter weigh-in. This bag is designed primarily for shortboards. I had a mx of boards, and the extra weight from the funshapes when lifting, lugging, dragging. If you think you’re going to travel with mostly funshapes etc. then you may want to opt for a bag with wheels. Also, when traveling with fewer than three boards, the bag is fairly bulky and needs to be strapped down tightly - not a big deal, as it adds extra padding, but it’s definitely big for just two boards. Being the paranoid traveler I am, I added a bunch of padding to the tail and nose just to make sure nothing happened. I don’t know if I would simply throw my boards in without extra padding. One other note: there aren’t many storage pockets in this bag, given its size and purpose. When I travel with a bunch of boards, I like to have lots of places to stash fin keys, wax, fins, leashes, hats, etc. The World Traveler comes with one set of mesh pockets on the bottom of the bag near the tail. I’d like to have more on the inside of the top cover, like other bags. Here, mesh pockets are really accessible, especially when you use your bag as storage during your trip. Typically the bag winds up just outside you cabina, tent, or truck, and you go back to it for things each day. So it would be great if they added more mesh fin pockets. That said, this is a great bag, really sturdy yet light that boasts some really useful features. Short board only - this is a great pick for big travel.

From OAM:

$240

The On A Mission World Mission Board Bag is made for lugging 6+ boards in its durable 600D polyester construction. World Mission keeps your boards from getting banged around with 1/4″ of foam, and keeps the coil zipper from rusting by making it out of non-corrosive metal. OAM’s signature ‘S’ zip design is present on the World Mission Bag, as well as internal and external synch straps and a removable board divider.

Double Soft Travel Rack

Once you’ve reached your destination, if you’re going to be surfing a zone, that is, base-camping it somewhere and then driving to various nearby breaks each day, it’s key to have soft roof racks. These portable travel roof racks are designed to pack up relatively small, go in your bag, and then act as your roof rack for the duration of your trip. Everything you need is included: straps, foam racks, cams, etc. These fit almost every model and make of car/truck/vehicle out there. You can always get away with a simple strap setup, but then you also need to worry about denting the roof, denting the boards, always having towels for protection between boards, re-rigging each time, etc. Not that much fun. Soft top roof racks make it simple to throw your boards on and. Just set up when you arrive and you’re good to go.

OAM’s soft racks are ultra thick and plush, super-durable, and very easy to attach and synch down. The only drawback is that they are somewhat bulky to travel with. I used a double rack (both sides of roof) and probably could have used a single. A double is really only useable as a double. These racks can also be used as your leave-on rack for home too, though they might be a bit easy to steal, depending on where you surf. The racks attach with one long strap that goes through the car - each rack has a separate locking synch down with neoprene cover.

From OAM:

$55

With crocodile clips for easy fastening this soft rack will fit almost any car.

Single Rack

Holds 1-3 shortboards or 1-2 longboards.

Double Rack

Holds 1-6 shortboards or 1-4 longboards.