Hello Skiers and Riders,
The good news is that the rock hard ice surface has softened over the past couple of days. Last night it rained again. This morning clouds and high winds closed most of the mountain at Alpine Meadows. The exception was Roundhouse. Low clouds hid the upper mountain for much of the morning and created the typical flat light conditions on the lower mountain. At noon sun was peaking through clouds and lighting up the slopes a little better. Winds were blowing and expected to increase later today, however they did not seem to be exceptional at the top of Roundhouse. Temperatures have been above freezing most of the day and in the forties at the lower elevations.
We were not sure that it would be more than a one run day when we walked out of the locker room, but the surface conditions were better then we guessed keeping us on the hill for an hour or so. Conditions were spring-like. The two groomed runs (Dance Floor and Weasel) skied as if they were spring corn. God’s Knob was smooth and soft. I skied it slowly searching for rocks and tree tops. Blue Trail (Werner’s Schuss) is filled with small moguls with a soft topping. Coverage was okay on this run until you reached the lower section (below the base of The Face) where patches of bare earth are showing through. I needed to slowly pick my way down to avoid skiing off the snow. Some of the off piste slopes were sticky from the small amount of snow that fell yesterday. To be honest, if felt like Memorial Day on the hill today. Open rivulets, brown patches of snow, and bare earth made it feel like the end of the season and not the beginning. A pictures taken this morning are attached.
Snow appears to be in the forecast for Friday. Let’s keep hoping for a couple of feet to get us back on track.
A sorrowful note for long time Alpine Meadows Skiers who knew Tom Barker and his family. Tom, who owns a home in Alpine Meadows, and is well know to many of us as an avid skier, was caught in an avalanche at Mt. Rose on Sunday. Unfortunately he did not survive. His enthusiasm for skiing will be missed on the slopes of Alpine. Best wishes from many of us in Alpine to his family.
Enjoy your day,
Andy Wertheim
I also found the snow to ski like corn today, especially in the way it stripped wax off my skis. For me, it was another day of Yellow fever. The flat entry to Yellow was a bit sticky and that kept many people away, but once you reached the breakover, it was smooth and silky rounded bumps. Just a little bit of billygoating was required at the exit onto Tiegel Flats. I would note that tomorrow may be a good day to wash your cat or get a head start on your tax preparation. Snow levels are expected to be near 9000 feet in the morning with strong winds. You definitely want to check lift operations before heading to the mountain. – Mark
I thought you were a teacher…or did I get that wrong? Regarding an element in your first paragraph, the proper punctuation requires a semicolon following “after” and then a comma after “however. Get with the program, man! This is an issue that makes world peace and hunger, to to mention the election of the supreme douche bag and pathological liar Trump pale by comparison.
My apologies to Mark whom I thought penned the bit I referred to. Turns out it was Andy, that infamous real estate agent and dirtbag ski bum, although not necessarily in that order.