Well that caught us by surprise. Until this morning, nobody really expected that any precipitation would fall in the Lake Tahoe area. But fall it did, and it was the clear powder type of precipitation. In our quest to avoid any stress about traffic this holiday period, we’ve continued to just arrive early every day and take what we can get. As it turns out, the latter half of the day might have been better.
Skiing in the rain isn’t all bad, as long as you’re dressed appropriately. I’ve come to appreciate my newer Flylow gear quite a bit this season. In some ways, conditions were improved. The Sherwood Run was skiing great this morning, with the slickness of the last few days replaced by a smooth cream cheese experience. We can say the same for Weasel Run. The soft snow and sort of sticky snow even tamed Gentian Gully, where the icy moguls on the entrance and exits were smooth and soft.
The unfortunate choice was that last lap down Gentian, all of the way down. Subway is usually a slow ride, but today it seemed to take 20 minutes with many stops…in a persistent rain. Five laps in and we were done.
There’s really 3 different types of skiers and riders on a rainy day:
1) The jaded local that just doesn’t show up at all, preferring football games to clear powder.
2) The diehards that generally show up every day and take their minimum number of runs and bail when it’s just too wet.
3) Those Ikon passholders, that don’t normally ski before Christmas, and haven’t skied yet this season. They were blacked out until today. Clear powder was not going to phase them. You ski as long as you can stand the wetness, then head to the lodge to watch football. Once they dry out, back to the mountain they go.
Today we’re betting that it was mostly this third type of visitor in attendance. That would explain why the upper lots were nearly full when we left mid-day, with a solid stream of cars still coming up the road. We also heard people mention over and over, in the locker room and in the lift lines, that this was their first day of the season. Those with the dedication to stick it out were rewarded as the rain stopped and clouds did clear in the afternoon hours.
Looking ahead, there’s a few things to note:
• It’s probably going to be far busier the next 4 days that it has been the rest of the holiday season. Expect more traffic on the road and on the hill. Figure out how to minimize your stress and enjoy your day.
• The free annual demo days, sponsored by a local shop, are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Those days are exceptionally busy at Alpine Meadows. The demos can be interesting if you’re willing to go through the process. There’s a fairly narrow selection of brands, generally with a backcountry focus. I’m going to give a shoutout here to the Truck gloves guy that has been there the last few years. They have been my go to gloves for a few years and very fairly priced.
• Right now there is a 20% chance of snow Saturday, but models seem to be pumping up amounts and chances over the last runs. This system also seems to usher in a wetter period for us for the latter half of January. We’ll keep following that.
Thank you for the update and wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year