We’re Missing Skiing, But We Get It

Photo courtesy of SkiAlpine.com

The March Miracle that many were hoping for has continued into this week. The snow continues to fall at Alpine Meadows. Unfortunately, the snowfall tracker at SkiAlpine.com has not been updated since the 14th of March, so the numbers are unsure. There are unofficial reports of up to 120 inches at the crest, which far exceeds our guesstimate of 48 inches in this storm cycle. The remote data site does show about 48 inches of increased base at the bottom of Roundhouse.

Is there hope for Alpine Meadows opening again this season? My best guess is probably not. Vail Resorts showed their hand yesterday. Kirkwood and Northstar will remain closed for the season. They left an opening for Heavenly to reopen in late April or May if the risk from COVID-19 has abated. Going on the assumption that Alterra could follow suit, the likely candidates for reopening would be Squaw Valley and/or Mammoth. But right now, with Governor Newsom suggesting that schools could remain closed until summer vacation, a reopening scenario seems unlikely. We get it and here’s why:

• As last weekend demonstrated, skiing is an “attractive nuisance” when it comes to managing crowds in the Tahoe Basin. About 10 days ago, I had planned to do a post asking whether “powder fever” or “fear of COVID-19” would win out. We all know that answer now. We saw what may have been the biggest crowd of the season arrive at a time where people were being asked to stay home. Social distancing was not happening much of anywhere.
• Tahoe Forest Hospital is an awesome small town hospital. Unfortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time there three times in the last 12 months. But they do get overwhelmed on busy weekends, with just ski injuries filling the ER. Right now, we want our local medical providers and hospital staff to be able focus their resources on COVID-19 as much as possible.
• Our mountain staff need protection too. It’s easy to think that lifties and pass scanners can easily avoid human contact while on the job as they are outdoors and wearing gloves and buffs. Now put yourself in the position of being a patroller, whose primary goal is to provide medical treatment to those that get injured on the mountain each day. While they are trained in how to minimize their risk of contracting diseases, there is no way to guarantee that they are not being exposed to COVID-19.

That’s just the start. We’re sure there’s much more on the minds of those that run the mountain. It’s not an easy time for anyone that is employed by SVAM, or any of the resorts, or the hundreds of local businesses that count on eager skiers and snowboard enthusiasts each season. While it’s easy to get hyper-focused on the impacts to our local community, we have to remember that similar impacts are happening not just here, but across the state, across the nation and across our world. It is a strange time indeed.

Sometime soon, we would like to do a post to share the joy we have shared at Alpine Meadows this season. We’ll be looking for you share your positive thoughts and photos, so start looking for something to share.