El Nino and La Nina events tend to develop during the period of April to June and reach their maximum strength from December through January. In June 2010, weak La Nina conditions emerged—meaning unusually cold water in the equatorial Pacific and an increase in the easterly trade winds. As of September, these conditions seem to still show growing strength. The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (http://portal.iri.columbia.edu/portal/server.pt) claims that, “there is an approximately 98 percent probability for continuing La Nina conditions.” Excellent. Now what does that mean for skiing?