It was another great Saturday at Alpine, with just a few modifications compared to our previous spring-like Saturdays. A forecast for partly cloudy skies turned into something that looked more like “substantially cloudy skies”. That meant that the only terrain that really softened today was terrain that was directly south facing.
After lunch, I took a couple of runs on Sweet Spot (skiers left of sunspot) and one on Gods Knob off of Roundhouse. Both of those spots have been soft in the afternoon much of this week. They were not quite as nice today. So on the front side of the mountain, pretty much all of the traffic was constrained to groomed slopes. This made things feel more crowded than they really were, as the lots were nowhere close to full, being a blackout period.
The main groomed slopes took a beating with the traffic and by 3:00, there were some slick spots and sugar piles. As we’ve said before, take an alternate route when you can. Giving a solid example, Werner’s Schuss was hammered in the afternoon, but diverting onto Boomerang offered a much better experience. I also managed to tag a rock or two on groomers this morning due to things getting a bit more scraped than usual. Fortunately, I am confident that the grooming team will put things back together for tomorrow.
I never made it to Sherwood or Lakeview today, but the reports were the same we’ve been making all week. I spent much of my morning with my nephews and grand-nephews making laps on Meadow and Subway. Sometimes, family has to come first. Teaching people to ski and snowboard can be super fun. Huge thanks to Patty R for making it all possible by giving us some vouchers. You rock Patty!
Now for Sunday…once again, things do not look as promising for Sunday. Is this the third or fourth weekend in row that we have seen that happen? The forecast for snow is still minimal, calling for a 20% chance of less than an inch of new snow. The temperatures will not be as bone chilling as some of the previous Sundays. But the wind will be the big news. At mid mountain winds may reach 30-40mph with gusts to 55mph. Ridge winds are expected to be in the range of 75-90mph. Experience tells us that this means that wind holds are very likely for Summit. Which other lifts are on hold will depend on the wind direction. Contrary to last weekend, winds are not expected to switch direction and diminish until late evening. It may be a better day for puzzles, movies and games.
For Monday…more cold air and north winds…just like the last 3 weeks.
Awww… I’m so happy that I was able to help out. Family time is the best!