In A Sense, The Storm Has Arrived

Today was the last day of spring season for the next week. What should be the biggest snow storm of the season is on our doorstep. I can say that the storm of arriving visitors has already begun, having just spent an hour, or more, in the Truckee Safeway.

Things were quite a bit busier on the mountain today, only relative to the fact that it has been a ghost town this week. Warm temperatures yesterday afternoon, coupled with chillier overnight temperatures lead to firmer conditions out of the gate. Tilling on the groomers resulted in more golf balls than we have seen in a while. I’m sure I rode Summit with a guy from Titleist that was considering sponsorship sign placements. Sunnier exposures fared better, so we headed to Sherwood quickly, where many are afraid to tread.

If you were willing to traverse some rocks and brush, there were awesome slush bump runs skiers right of  Sherwood Face. Smoother lines, pretty much rock free, were found following the right side of the creek on skiers left of Sherwood Face. One thing is for sure, skiing on the Sherwood side is going to be “shark” filled until all of the new snow has fallen and settles a bit to reveal obstacles.

The forecast for the “big one” is still on track. The recent trend was to make things a bit more windy. The short range NAM is showing about 6 inches of moisture through Tuesday. We’re going to stand by our last forecast of about 48 inches from the storm. Things will just be getting going as lifts spin tomorrow. Snow showers will likely continue until Wednesday. Only light showers are in the forecast through the following week.

SVAM has already released a summary of what to expect from the storm. Here’s the important parts:

• The Aerial Tram (including High Camp facilities such as Granite Bistro, High Camp Marketplace, and The Terrace Bar & Restaurant) will be closed Saturday and Sunday.  We also plan to keep the Aerial Tram closed Monday through Thursday, based on the high winds and heavy snow caused by the cut-off low.
• Upper mountain lifts at Squaw Valley including Headwall, Siberia, Emigrant, Granite Chief, Solitude, Mountain Meadow, Belmont and Bailey’s are also closed through the weekend.  At this time our confidence on other upper lifts being able to operate (Gold Coast, Big Blue, and Shirley Lake) is not high, but a call will be made as the storm progresses.
• We anticipate having Squaw Creek, Far East, KT-22, Exhibition, Squaw One, and the Funiteloperating as well. Bear in mind that avalanche control will be intense and could cause further delays.
• Operations at Alpine will also be affected. At this time we are anticipating several of the upper mountain and ridgetop lifts not being able to run.

COVID-19 Concerns

We’ve seen with our own eyes the effort that is being made to maintain cleanliness around the Alpine Meadows lodge and locker rooms. Huge applause there from all of us. We all have to do our part too. Wash your hands frequently, give others space and stay home if you’re feeling sick at all.

On a normal storm day, the lodge and Chalet get pretty packed. We’ve heard many people talking about just avoiding the lodge entirely. Maybe it’s a good weekend to bring a picnic and eat in your car. It’s certainly a good weekend to leave your non-skiing/riding family members and friends at the condo or cabin in front of a warm fire.

Thanks to everyone at the mountain that are working to keep the mountain open. Skiing is a good healthy activity that gets us outdoors and reduces stress. We all need some stress reduction this week….and next week…and many weeks after that.