When the main lots are filled by 8:30 AM on a non-holiday weekend, it’s going to be a busy day around Alpine Meadows. But we already knew that, as we ran into serious traffic along West River Street in Truckee at 7:30 AM. The lots were completely full at both Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley shortly after 10 AM. Did that stop people from coming? No, when we left around 1:00 PM today, the traffic coming into Squaw Valley was still backed up for several miles on Highway 89 toward Truckee. Roseville, we have a problem, if you know what I mean.
Just how many freakin’ passes did these guys sell this year? – Mark at UnofficialAlpine.com
Employees must have been directed to mention that there were several special events on the schedule at Alpine Meadows today, as they all mentioned it right away. Races were held on Kangaroo and Yellow, while the big mountain competition continued on High Yellow. You may have noticed where kids’ racing is involved, the whole family comes along, even the grandparents that might take one run and then hang out in the lodge the remainder of the day. Yeah, the lodge and food services were all a madhouse today. Somebody was raking in the dough today for sure.
Now all of that is off my chest, let’s talk about the skiing. With the mountain at 120% open (alternative facts), there was plenty of space to spread out today. If you knew where to look, it was easy to just avoid lift lines and people. Unfortunately, we won’t be sharing those locations with you. You have to get creative yourself. We did head right to Sherwood this morning and stayed only until Jim arrived to do line control, indicating it was time to move on. After that, we didn’t stand in a line the rest of the day, and had some runs completely to ourselves. You could completely forget it was a very busy day until you rounded the corner anywhere near the lodge or the Summit lift and said “Holy ^&*@”.
North facing pitches are still nice and chalky winter snow. We even managed to find some short patches of powder turns today with zero hiking. The groomers were also totally on point today and very fun for ripping big arcs, as long as you stayed away from the main runs. Some of those runs looked just as busy as Highway 80 will look tomorrow evening.
As some other people have pointed out, we have reached a tipping point in Tahoe. The carrying capacity is routinely being exceeded…not just on holiday weekends, but every weekend. Something needs to change. You can’t just keep selling a million season passes and then turning people away and telling them “Sorry, the park is closed.”
Traffic sucked, lots full by 9A, but the funny thing…lift lines and crowds were pretty benign. Not complaining, but do people come up and not ski????
Unreal, its beyond the tipping point on the weekends and the even mid week is getting unrealistic. How many freaking passes did they sell? How does KSL even try to rectify this? They can’t! Its broken. I actually feel sorry for the weekend warrior’s who keep coming up, gold pass in hand, then told to go home.
There is no way out of this right now, at least for this season. KSL needs to rethink the season pass policy. We know they are going to continue to sell as many passes as possible. Maybe, call me crazy, but maybe, if they were to change the format of the passes to a weekend and holiday pass, a mid week pass for locals and a limited number of gold passes that could possible be some kind of option? With an option for cheap tickets on black out days depending on your pass? Fuck, I don’t know, just a thought!
I heard they sold over 40000 season passes
feels like it
I was told that last year they sold 70,000. I believe the man who told me as he is in the loop, truly. A parking lot in Truckee, with busses running full time, another in TC, KB, Reno etc. The investment needs to be made. They also fired the 35 year director of parking and traffic control at Squaw, Rob Kronkite, just a couple of weeks ago. He used to get 16,000 day pass skiers parked back in the early nineties by 10 AM and out by 6 PM, but he’s just too expensive to keep around. There was a larger lot then, but for Christ sake not that much larger with all of the underground parking. KSL is failing in so many ways I am still amazed that the city crowd is not fed up as much as we are. I certainly here the complaints on the chair rides with them, or did before I was banned for voicing my opinion. I guess they are used to spending so much time in their cars commuting at home that this seems reasonable here as well.
Erik, I was also banned from Sqauw’s Facebook page for voicing my opion and suggestions last winter. After their recent letter, I would expect that anyone voicing negitivity will be banned from their Facebook page.
Instead of firing the parking manager who was only making like $23 an hour and doing a good job. They should have fired the VP’s at Squaw and Alpine who are in charge of mountain operations?
How about Andy’s superiors at KSL shitcan him??? He’s the one who really needs to go.
Sounds like someone needs to do an interview with that guy. I bet he has lots of information that Squaw would love to muzzle. Since he got fired he probably could care less about the propaganda machine that Squaw has become. Anyone know how to get ahold of him?
Rob Kronkite quit, he was not fired.
I was in line for the cashier behind a non season pass kid who was charged $4.10 for a small bag of cheetos……. KSL are laughing right now!
Unfortunately this will only stop when we hit a dry winter season like 14/15 otherwise we better get used to this!
Inexpensive pass. Great snow. No crowds.
Pick 2.
Invite the Board of Supervisors to a conference at Squaw some bluebird powder Saturday. Better yet, let them try to drive back over the hill on a blizzard Sunday. That should take care of the village development.
No, no, no no… Kirk Uhler skis Jackson Hole, or at least that’s what he lectured us about at the BOS meeting.
Meanwhile, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland – KSL’s public proxy, Wirth, has been courting the globe at the International Travel Symposium, talking about a grand Olympic vision.
And down in The Biggest Little City in the World – The attorneys at up-for-sale Mt. Rose are harassing city staff and the non-profit junior ski program about buying the city-owned Sky Tavern ski area. The future owners of Mt. Rose / Sky Tavern are quietly wringing their hands with glee, because, after all, there’s great ski-in ski-out real estate potential at Sky Tavern.
Someone will tell you what you want to hear now, and somebody different will tell you how it’s going to be later (only maybe its really the same folks speaking through a different puppet). Booth Creek, East West, KSL, Vail. Sound familiar? The folks who fly in on their corporate jets from out of town speak of the locals as neanderthals who have yet to evolve to lose their tails and stand up on two feet (2002 and 2006 quotes from 2 sources). They’ll wine you and dine you as they whisper in your ear, then they’ll kick you out and slam the door in your face after they’ve had their way with you.
Sierra Watch, Placer County, City of Reno, People – stop the madness. Reno/Tahoe was doing just fine before WallStreet-orado came to town. Let’s save a few ski areas – big or small – for the local and regional community. Community minded and community led ski areas rock!
If we’re going to grow, let’s grow local and let’s grow smart.
Pretty simple, no more building until there is a real transportation system built in Tahoe and I am not talking buses. Monorail/train type system with central parking lots in key locations is required. Maybe add a $100 charge to all pass sales through out the region and that money goes directly to financing the transportation system.
I love the idea of a monorail system through the hwy 89 canyon, but that’s a 30 year pipe dream.
On the shorter term, consider a dedicated third lane on hwy’s 89 and 267 for public transit and emergency vehicles only. Create/enlarge existing interconnected transit centers near Donner Summit, Truckee, Tahoe City and Kings Beach, servicing all local ski areas. Charge a flat rate RT fee for day users. FREE seasonal pass for locals and resort employees. Lastly, add a double lane round about at the Squaw intersection to keep traffic flowing.
The only way to get people out of their cars is to not only make it so onerous to drive, but to make it so convenient not to.
Historically 89 from Truckee to Tahoe City was a railroad before an automotive one. Who could have ever known what a better system that would prove to be.
I would pay more for a pass. Unfortunately, the ticker/pass revenue has always been the lowest $$ on the balance sheet. It is all the other stuff that locals don’t buy like lessons, rentals, parking, food and lodging that makes the money. So the more people who have passes, the more $$ they make on the other stuff. Simple economics, they can’t afford to have the local crowd anymore. Bigger picture, they need us because we make them look cool. Everybody wants to be us. With out us, just another NS
I think a class action law suit should be filed. They are selling you a pass on the premise that the facilities can accomadate the patrons. This is not the case. If they don’t have enough parking to accomadate the amount of passes sold, in my mind this is false advertising. They have over sold their abilities to accommodate the pass holders, thus taking your money, without the ability to provide product.
The County can enforce a parking density restriction, it’s done all the time. Oh that’s right this is Placer County we are talking about. All they give a $hit about is the TOT and tax revenue so they can spend it on their side of the hill.
80 west traffic today was epically bad at 2pm over the summit today. Wasn’t even a holiday weekend.
Obviously Mark you don’t think you are a part of the problem, but you are. I have visited this site for entertainment only the last few years, not information, as the commentary is quite amusing. The more you broadcast the more the masses follow. Individuals should gain their own information, the more they rely on sites like this the dumber they get, and we are already at a warning level in that regard. I will no longer visit this site to see what you Gapers are wasting your time squabbling about and trying to give tips on. Adios
LOL, BYE -edited- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Waving furiously)
Well darn, I understand why you edited, but that is a common variation of his name.
Welcome to Tahoe, where everything is so awesome 5/7 of the time.
No, now it’s just 4/7 of the time…see our latest post on the plight of the weekend skier.