Playa Conditions 2014

[FossaFerox]

Flash flood warning for the county tomorrow night. Fingers crossed...

[Eric]

That is exatcly the reason it would great. Of that 70% how many are just here for "EDC on steroid".

This from a sophomore who has never experienced an epic white-out in BRC - experiences in these conditions you might have had outside of BRC are valid for you, they do not apply when you're in the middle of a temporary city - while you might have your home fully prepared, the camp next to you might not, and their loose shit is going to come flying into your space at 70mph. In 2006 there were some micro-burst storms that shredded our new dome cover (which was properly vented, and attached by then 12 year veterans) and the dome over Recycle Camp had a partial failure (and they know what the fuck they're doing). Domes that weren't properly staked have rolled down the streets, smashing & destroying vehicle windshields. Tents have been lifted & blown away (I watched one go up in a dust tornado one year). It's a force of nature.

Some of my favorite memories are from white outs (like the Friday night one from 2012, or the one in 2010 that kept the entire 3:00 side of the city from seeing the Man burn - while it was clear on the 9:00 side, apparently - or 2007 when their were intermittent whiteouts through the week), but that doesn't mean an unprepared population needs the full wrath of the playa delivered upon them. I'd be happy if it was just windy enough to keep everything covered in dust all week.

[Fan C]

You have a good point about others, I've lived in the desert almost my whole life.

Fortunately or not the weather is out of our hands. I'd suggest preparing for the worst haboob like conditions, though one should have last year and every other beautiful year before that.

Less hereon eplaya than other places it seems like many seem to expect it to be like last year.

I'm thinking abstractly and long term when I say a shitty year will be good for the burn. Otherwise why not just have burning man in the suburbs.

That risk, the harsh environment is becoming one of the few things separating BM from being "just another festival".

[skippy3k]

You have a good point about others, I've lived in the desert almost my whole life.

The dust storm hits everyone at the same speed, regardless of where you've lived.

[Train Wreck]

Probably 70% of the crowd and 50% of the camps this year have never experienced one.

That is exatcly the reason it would great. )

So,in other words,you are happy to see danger and harm come to the city in order to thin things out a bit?

I'm happy to be reminded that in life, and especially while in the desert, I am not in control.

[Token]

2002 had the biggest whiteout I have experienced. It was epic. 3 days. Jots were flying and walking around the playa that year.

There were other years that had one-day jobbies that were also fun. Can't really remember specific years anymore, they kind-of blend together allot.

One big wind storm overnight before gates opened, 2008 or 2009, was especially fierce. 'Bout half of anything that was built by that point was damaged or destroyed.

You get lots more "Weather" if you build stuff and spend a few extra weeks out there every now and again.

[ACfromSAC]

2012 had a pretty decent wind storm that lasted most of the day and night. Other than that, I've only experienced minor dust ups. I'll take wind and dust over a major rain downpour ANY day.

[zorro sings]

How about rain and wind in 2000? I call it"rain"but in actuality was small globs of mud dropping from the sky such was the amount of dust in the air.We were not real surprised when we came back to Reno and saw a good amount of snow in the mountains.

As Token points out 2002 was no picnic.We,and many others,never opened up again after Thursday 3 PM.

In 2004 you could have experienced a 36 hour non stop charmer. And so it goes.

I remind our campers that part of your preparations should include being able to visualize being stuck for hours on end with nothing to do but wait it out.The helplisness gets to some people.

[Eric]

These are some smaller storms I've managed to capture - I seem to remember 2007 having a few of them.

[media]

this is why you vent your dome covers (luckily the dome was staked really well):

[media]

Open playa in 2010:

[media]

[VultureChow]

Eric,you've been holding out on us. Kitty is cleaning your BEARD!!!

[media]

I swear I'm not stalking your channel; it popped up at the end of the first video.

[Simon of the Playa]

if i remember correctly, in 2000 the lust monkeys of xara got whacked by a Dustnado of "epic" proportions and quickly upended their entire camp at the 200 corner...

they were thereafter known as dustmonkeys, as most of the survivors were living out of the back of box trucks, huddled and forlorn...





i think it was 2008 that there was a 12 hour doozy on monday after gate opened which coated EVERYTHING with 1/2" of dust....Ev...er...y....th...ing...


me personally, i love that shit...




i really do.

[kittyrodriguez]

There was some pretty strong winds post-event 2012. Wednesday, I think, though it could have been Tuesday. It was bad enough that we gave up trying to break down camp. Stayed in the car for a good part of the day, and then drove over to the commissary for our last BRC meal. The wind was pushing the car pretty good. It was fun, but still a hassle, and the fortunate thing was most of the flimsy structures were already gone, so we didn't have to worry about flying pop-ups.

We will be prepared for bad weather, and might enjoy said bad weather, but I am not wishing for it. I would rather enjoy myself and see others enjoying themselves instead of hunkering down and dodging debris.

[pink]

I remember spending about 4-6 hours of one day in 2008 just huddled in my van, sweating, during one of the major white outs that year, watching the dust sift in through every crack & crevice. I do seal it up much better these days... That year the man almost didn't burn since the winds were so high Saturday night. They calmed down just enough for the burn & then kicked up again.

In 2012 our camp got hit by a microburst and the entire shade structure lifted up, & several of our galvanized pipe frame pieces bent pretty badly. None of the other camps around us were affected. And last year, Muppet's wife was airlifted out after a runaway dome struck her in the head on Wednesday pre-opening.

Really though, haven't seen a playa-wide white out since 2009 I think.

[AntiM]

I keep looking for my picture of the Calicos with snow on them. Here is one from 2010. Pretty much blew half of our set up time.

burning man 2010 007 - Copy.JPG

[Fan C]

This just hit me... I think I've been misunderstood. I'm not advocating for horrific storms, or twice as much wind leveling camps. I think it would be prudent to be prepared for even fairly light breezes to pick up a lot more dust than the past few years. Especially last years virtually dust free burn.

I wouldn't be surprised if the winds that stopped yurt building last year are also very low visibility too.

[maladroit]

There will be wind, there will be dust, and everyone there has been told they could die.

The fact that I haven't experienced a BAD storm makes me overbuild (I hope) rather than underbuild.

[FossaFerox]

I'm just worried people will be cutting corners with their structures after the relative calm. More people this year than last year seem keen on making their structure a unique piece of art at the cost of security. I get that people want to be unique snowflakes, I do, but I'd prefer their structures not blow through town like one. The dry conditions and looser pack are going to be bad enough without a major storm...

[Ano]

I sure hope that flash flood was powerful enough to put an inch over the playa. Not trying to be alarmist, but some spots were pretty nasty this year over that one holiday. It wasn't all bad, but some of it was that perfect amount of soft pack and wetness that makes it nearly impossible to stake things down. Definitely unbikeable in some places... but, as the crow flies, some of the spots were 2011 picture-perfect. Who knows. It's gonna be dusty, windy, hot, and sometimes unpleasant, with completely random and brief bouts of utter beauty that leave you totally fucking speechless. Kinda like the past few years. Maybe with a bit more dust. Who knows. 34 days...

[jneilvindy]

Do I want to go this year?

Everyone knows it's going to suck right?

[Token]

This just hit me... I think I've been misunderstood. I'm not advocating for horrific storms, or twice as much wind leveling camps. I think it would be prudent to be prepared for even fairly light breezes to pick up a lot more dust than the past few years. Especially last years virtually dust free burn.

I wouldn't be surprised if the winds that stopped yurt building last year are also very low visibility too.

Awwwww Man, I was just starting to respek' you!

[Fan C]

Awwwww Man, I was just starting to respek' you!

Oh I'm just not wanting some fucktards EZ up slamming into my rented trailer. I found a guy who will rent a toy hauler even knowing about burning man. I'd hate ruin a good connection.

[lucky420]

Looks like the playa is getting some rain tonight. Hope it lands in the right spot.

[brcprincess]

Can't seem to find any threads about Playa conditions this year. Does anyone know what the surface is like?

Thanks

[BoyScoutGirl]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=69616

[msj2u]

Can't seem to find any threads about Playa conditions this year. Does anyone know what the surface is like?

Thanks

If you use the search function, upper right, type in playa conditions 2014, you will find your answer.

Enjoy your burn,

MSJ

[trilobyte]

FYI, I'm merging the two recent threads about this year's playa conditions together.

[JayBobBoy]

Weather on the Playa!

[FIGJAM]

Who kicked the camera???

[maladroit]

The time to hope for rain was months ago. We shouldn't be trying to wish rain upon all the people heading out soon to build the event.

[Eric]

The time to hope for rain was months ago. We shouldn't be trying to wish rain upon all the people heading out soon to build the event.

Let's not forget what they had to put up with last year!