Both Kyle and Lamoille canyons have high mountain peaks giving them late sunrises and early sunsets: Both have a main north-south canyon. A difference, however, is that the primary place for developing snowfall into glaciers is in the main north-south canyon, the entire canyon in other words, at Lamoille.

By contrast, the Kyle Canyon's snow-accumulating region is only along the upper reaches of the steep western wall of the canyon because of the warmer climate in the south of nevada as compared with the north-central part of the state. This suggests that there would be more snowfall in Lamoille, it would stay longer, and it would accumulate over a larger area. Therefore, the accumulation rates would be drastically different in the two canyons.

A look at each of these canyons makes this clearer. First a look at the glacially carved U-shaped valley that is Lamoille Canyon, seen from the base of its southern peaks. The glacier formed here would slide smoothly downhill and turn to the left to meet the West Branch canyon about 3 miles from where the canyon disappears from view in this photo:

By contrast, Kyle Canyon, seen here from the base of its eastern range of peaks (Mummy Mountain) has steeper sides and its western wall, where snow accumulates, is in sunlight a good part of each day because Mummy terminates about 2/3 of the way down the eastern canyon wall, thus not blocking early morning sun as effectively as might be.

Mount Charleston, at right, is roughly the same height, a little higher even, then the highest peak in the Ruby Range. The western canyon wall remains above 10,000 feet the entire length of the canyon, but the south rim of the canyon is considerably lower, whereas the southern rim of Lamoille Canyon has some of the highest peaks in the range. All of these topographic differences likely pale in importance to the difference in mean annual temperatures, however, between these two widely separated canyons. And perhaps this is the main reason to not be too reliant on what is seen in Lamoille as a trustworthy analogue for what may be seen in Kyle.