So the storm we first saw on model runs Saturday morning continues to have survived through 7 model runs, and is now within the 7 day window. It may just happen. Unfortunately it’s not the storm that the California ski season really needs. What looked promising at first has evolved into yet another inside slider system with limited moisture. Will 1 to 3 inches really make a difference? It also doesn’t appear to offer any hint of a pattern change either. A similar system appears in the models 16 days out. So the upshot is, spring skiing will continue, with a possible interruption next weekend.
The question has been answered as to whether people have given up on skiing yet, and the answer is no, they have not. Parking lots did fill again at Alpine Meadows on Saturday, and some areas of the mountain did get pretty busy. Sunday was much less busy. That said, it was not impossible to escape the masses. Perhaps word got out that Sherwood is a tad rocky, or people saw that the grooming team farmed another massive amount of snow at the top of Lakeview to refresh some of the Lakeview runs. That made Lakeview quite a bit more popular than Sherwood for much of the weekend. Lines were reported to be pretty long there in the mornings, with relatively no lines at Sherwood.
Having brought out my rock skis this week, I’ve spent about 3/4 of my time at Sherwood this week with only a run or two on what’s left of the Sherwood groomed run. The rest of my time has been spent turning small moguls into large moguls. The bonus is that if you stray from the main Sherwood face, you can literally ski a line all day without much competition. Meanwhile, the Sherwood groomer looks like Highway 80 at Clipper Gap on a Sunday evening.
Who knows how much longer things will last at Sherwood? It can’t be too long as the temperature forecast through Friday has crept back up into the 50’s. There’s a lot of rock showing at Sherwood, and it’s absorbing a lot of heat. That not only melts now faster, it means that new snow will have a tough time accumulating unless we get a miraculous amount of snow in a short period of time.
If you like High Traverse, I would also recommend that you get it while you can. Sun Bowl and Big Bend Bowl still have pretty good coverage, but SP Bowl is looking quite a bit more spotty, offering plenty of closeout lines. I’m a big fan of the fully groomed trail for hiking to Upper Saddle. There’s no more postholes and I don’t have to worry so much about being in the way of the young and fit, as there’s plenty of room to pass. It’s a really easy hike, with just a little bit of scramble over bare patches at the Saddle. We’ve heard some good reports from the sunny side of Bernies and Estelle this week for those that want a longer walk.
We’re rapidly heading into multi-sport season. We checked out of Alpine a bit earlier today and went for a bike ride. Some friends are talking about kayaking on the lake…or driving to Utah.
Anyone who’s been up here a while knows not to put away his or her shovel yet. Nevertheless I’m not betting the family jewels on a “Miracle March” or an “Awesome April”. There was an April that saw 26′ of snow but that was a long long time ago like the Twenties or Thirties or maybe even during the Gold Rush days.
Even the Nordic skiing is getting thin although this morning the staff, Alpenglow and Brendan and Doug and the grooming crew did a great job putting on a 20 k race at the Taco City Cross Country Center albeit it being “the toughest — read “most uphill climbing” — course ever set there.
Rock climbing anyone? Due to the new normal, i.e. climate change and the snow situation, you really need to have a lot of arrows in your sports quiver.
I think the front side of the mountain will hold up quite a bit better than Sherwood and Lakeview side. There’s some rocks beginning to show, but just a couple of big storms could do a lot to bring the fron side back.