The name of the game today at Alpine Meadows was being in the right place at the right time. That said, if you were at Alpine Meadows instead of working, you were already in the right place!
The morning started off much better than the last few days. The skies were not perfect bluebird, as seen in the picture above, but at least there was no dreary fog and drizzle. The clouds across the lake were a sign that a strong inversion was in place. Temperatures were in the upper 20’s along Highway 89, while temperatures on the mountain struggled to get below 35° overnight. With evaporation cooling, the snow did get in a good freeze last night, putting “quasi-springtime” rules into effect. That means follow the sun.
Without getting too specific, think about which runs get the most sun early in the morning and head there first. As things get too soft, move to the next place. As an example, Weasel Run is generally not a great choice for your first run in spring weather. One caveat to that rule of thumb is that some areas get so much sun that they get very soft in the afternoons, and therefore freeze super firm in the morning. For that reason Sherwood and Lakeview are not prime candidates for your first run.
Timing is everything. Knowing about when and where to go next is crucial. Unfortunately, we don’t have true spring corn yet. Spring corn has two characteristics that make it great. It’s consolidated, which means its more supportive and less like mashed potatoes. The second is that the crystals get larger, and the snowpack has less water at the surface. Since those things haven’t happened yet, the current snowpack gets manky and sticky faster.
Giving an example, we did 3 runs in a row on Bobby’s Run off of Scott at mid-day. After the first run we said “Hmmm, still a little firm at the bottom of the run.” After the second, we raved about how perfect it was. After the third run, we all agreed it was getting sticky, meaning it was time to move on to someplace with less sun.
Tomorrow is still forecast to be as warm, if not warmer than today. We’re forecasting some shorts and bikini tops. Assuming we get a decent freeze tonight, several runs will be even closer to corn-like tomorrow. The top contenders are Sherwood Run, Outer Limits and Bobby’s. Timing will be important on places like High Traverse, South Face and Sherwood Face.
For Sunday, everything changes again with a quick shortwave moving in again. The snow forecast has been downgraded to just an inch or two, and that’s probably a good thing, as this storm is a “one and done” nuisance. Too much new snow would have put us back into a mank cycle for a few days next week. The big story for Sunday will be colder temperatures and some winds. Saturday temps will likely hit the mid-50’s and Sunday’s will top out around 30-35. It’s anybody’s guess whether people will stay home to gear up for the Super Bowl, or come out skiing first. We miss the days when the Super Bowl was a daytime event, making it one of the best days of the year to go skiing. Sugar Bowl was selling $49 day tickets for Sunday, so hopefully many people will divert in that direction.
Monday, the chill hangs around for another day…and probably that dreadful foggy drizzle. After that, the rest of the week looks progressively warmer. The Sierra snowpack currently stands at roughly 75% of average. Fortunately the base at Alpine Meadows is still holding up, and we will keep skiing it, even if it doesn’t snow for a while.