It was a classic spring day at Alpine Meadows. The only thing missing was the corn. We just haven’t had enough freeze and thaw cycles yet for good corn development on the south facing slopes. North facing slopes are still cold and chalky, while north facing groomers are getting pretty firm underneath the corduroy layer. South facing slopes and groomers are a bit more unpredictable: firm, then lusciously soft, then sticky, then refreezing as the sun goes behind the crest. Today also happened to be possibly the busiest day of the holiday weeks. The main lot filled, and the lot at Deer Park was lightly filled as well. With all of the lifts operating, lift lines were still short and manageable. Only a few select groomers were crowded, and then only at peak periods.
The big attraction today was the Alpenglow Demo, which is always a popular event at Alpine Meadows. Large selections of skis were available from Black Diamond and Moment, with smaller selections of Dynastar, Volkl and DPS. Most of the manufacturers offered up skis set up for all three types of skiers: alpine, telemark and Dynafit. All of this was free for passholders and day skiers.
I managed to get on three different tele skis before lunch, enjoying the opportunity to test out a wide range of shapes with no long term commitment or financial obligation. My pick of the day was the odd Moment Death Wish. It’s certainly not a name I would chose for a ski, but it’s a scary looking ski that oddly works. Had I chosen to buy this ski, Alpenglow gave participants a 20% off coupon for purchases at their store. On one down note, some friends that normally attend this event chose not to participate today due the $104 day ticket cost. Hopefully this event can move to a non-holiday weekend next year.
Squaw Valley should be great tomorrow because they did have the Olympics there 😉