As we expected, the Summit chair opened at Alpine Meadows for the first time of the season. For those keeping track, it’s been 280 days since our last ride on Tahoe’s best chairlift. Also as expected, many other people were ready to jump in the car and ride Summit, accessing the new snow from this week. That lead to some long lines at Summit, but shorter lines everywhere else on the mountain. It’s just in the nick of time, as we head into what is often one of the busiest holiday weeks of the season.
What was also great news was that Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows did exactly the right thing, opening Summit at Alpine Meadows and Sibo, Shirley and Big Blue at Squaw…all on the same day. Not staggering the openings meant that skiers and riders were spread more evenly at both mountains, creating a better experience for everyone. Okay, not every one. Those who could not adjust their schedule to make a Friday ski day did miss out. Still it was the right thing to do.
I had some really great runs on Sunspot, Sweet Spot and at Tower 19 this morning. I also saw some great looking turns being made in the North Peril area and in Wolverine Bowl. That said, I would absolutely use rock skis just about anywhere off of Summit. I heard some chatter at lunch today about the D Chutes gathering some P-Tex today. I left a hunk of P-Tex somewhere just below Tower 20. On the other side of the mountain, I had to giggle at the people coming down Expert Shortcut from the upper Hotter Wheels station. That pitch is really rocky beneath the snow, resembling a lunar landscape in the summer.
It would probably be good to note in general that Summit is not quite to “midwinter” status yet. There is almost no grooming, nor is there enough snow to make much more grooming possible just yet. Beginner and intermediate skiers would be well advised to stick to other lifts until there’s more snow available, allowing for more grooming of Alpine Bowl, or the cat track to even get to Alpine Bowl. For those of us that enjoy a higher level of off piste skiing…we are stoked.
It’s going to be busy over the next week, even with a “regional stay at home order” in place. You just have to go into it with the correct mindset, and do your best to have a good time while giving people some space. I would not be expecting any more terrain expansion in the next week, other than Meadow and Kangaroo finally joining the lineup. I am super grateful to have the opportunity for lift served skiing this winter, and I’ll take what I can get.
The next storm on the models seems to be lining up around the 26th or 27th. Storms look like they could continue into the new year with a more zonal flow being established. These storms are still about 10 days out, so it’s far too early to say how they will play out, especially in terms of opening new terrain.
