High winds on the Divide

High Winds on Arapahoe Peaks #4. Colorado, 2014

It was pounding up there yesterday! And we (Dana Bove and I) were only up on Sugarloaf Mountain at barely 9,000’…but you could see horrendous snow plumes from the summits and ridgelines above. If anyone happened to be up on Arapahoe Peaks then, you can probably find their remains spread all over Dorothy’s farm about now!

Check out this page from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration…HERE. It shows that we regularly get 70, 80, 90, and even 100 mile per hour winter Chinook winds sweeping down from the high country into Boulder. The NOAA chart even shows some gusts in the 130-150mph range.

Holy flying cow pattie, Batman! That would be in the F2 range on the Fujita Tornado Scale (F3 on the currently-used Enhanced Fujita Scale), or a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale! No wonder trees get blown over like toothpicks in the high country every year.

Luckily, we only had gusts to 30-40mph on Sugarloaf. Piece o’ cake.

Over the Continental Divide at Flight Level 350. Colorado, 2014

Here are some tips for getting sharp images in high winds…

1. Use the highest shutter speed you can, while still getting the minimum depth-of-field required.

2. Consider hand-holding the camera and using vibration compensation if your lens has it. Obviously, brace yourself as best you can against a rock or other immovable object (trees can sway and vibrate in the wind–be aware). Sitting down with elbows on knees or, better yet, lying prone might be excellent options.

3. Look for some area that might be more out of the wind but from where you can still get the shot. Inside an automobile might work, but realize a car will move in the wind and so is not a perfectly stationary platform. Even shooting through the window from inside a building might be a consideration (but open the window for the shot if you can).

4. Wait for a lull in the wind. Winds often behave very much like ocean waves…that is, they come in cycles. Wait for that very brief calm period (or slightly calmer period) to press the shutter.

5) Tripod use: Keep it as short as possible–don’t extend the legs at all if you don’t have to. Know that bigger lenses will vibrate more in the wind than smaller lenses–even on a good heavy-duty tripod–so maybe use the smallest possible lens. Consider bearing down hard with your weight on your tripod to keep it as still as possible. (Any type of weight hanging from the hook might simply blow around in the breeze way too much.) Finally, make sure your camera strap is secured and not whipping around like a broken electric line in a bad King Kong horror movie.

Good luck!