As we indicated yesterday, this storm indeed came in a bit stronger than expected. Roughly 14 inches has fallen at the base as of this morning, and likely much more at Summit. The winds were also blowing strong all night up top so the snow has been moving around. That’s led to some very hazardous avalanche conditions all around Tahoe this morning. Based on that, the plug was pulled on operations for Alpine Meadows today. That couldn’t have been an easy decision during a busy snow and skate week, especially when some surrounding mountains have somewhat normal operations today.
Here’s some unofficial reports:
• A natural slide across Alpine Meadows Road closed the road around 7:15 this morning. Reportedly a couple of vehicles and a house were hit, but no injuries were reported. As of 10:00, the road was still not cleared.
• Areas of the Promised Land slid down to Subway and across Subway and Meadow, farther than had been seen in any recent time
• The entire Face slid all of the way Sandy’s Corner
There’s no doubt that the risk vs reward factor was high today for Alpine Meadows. Although a great powder day is an amazing thing, the safety of mountain staff has to come into play when it comes to making the tough decisions. Ask the family members of those that gave their lives at Alpine Meadows, which has seen some very large avalanches over the years. The same factors that make the skiing amazing at Alpine Meadows also mean that there is a serious potential for avalanches in big seasons.
Kudos to the mountain management that made the right call for today. Tomorrow is another day. The winds are potentially a problem for upper lifts again tomorrow. It’s not something that the mountain can control. If you want the sure bet, head to Northstar or Homewood, or over the hill to KT-22.
👍 Now my oldest kid can’t hate me for keeping her home from training today due to avi danger. Great call, AM patrollers and management! Love our AM family!
Thank you for this update…do you know if there is a mobile app that can alert us of AM?
There is a mobile app for SquAlpine, but whether or not it gets updated with that sort of information is the question. The track record on that is poor. The newest version of the app seems to have no particular spot for notifications.
Good call AM. We lost too many friends over the years in avalanches. They are real and they do cause damage and deaths.
Oops, I put this comment on yesterday’s post by mistake:
Agreed they made the right call. Yet during the 4 hour road closure, the “real time status” report stated the Alpine/Squaw shuttle was running, leaving a lot of people to believe AM Rd was open. CHP was not even letting local residents enter their neighborhood at Snow Crest Rd.
You and your child Read “The wall of white “. Together
Also anyone else who feels judgement towards those who make these life saving calls
Until you are caught in an avalanche , look for some one in an avalanche ,, it will be best to be happy that someone is making those calls
Shout out to Alpine Meadows! Safety first! You guys rock!
Good call. No need for any unnecessary injuries.
Can anyone tell me the source of the photo above?
A reader sent me this picture sometime in late 2015. I tried to track down the email but I could not find it…