Chilly, But Not As Chilly As Texas

How often can you use that for a title on a ski blog? Hopefully not again anytime soon, for the sake of those affected by the freakishly low temperatures in the Southwest. Still, it was a chilly day for skiing at Alpine Meadows, especially as those east winds kicked in.

We got a few laps in on Summit this morning before the winds increased and it went on windhold. The groomed runs were perfect from wall to wall. There also were some grooming bonuses we noted today. Those included the rarely groomed Sweet Spot and the beginning of a terrain park along Red Ridge (skier’s right of Dance Floor, which is also known as Red).

Eventually, the winds increased and some low clouds moved through. Summit went on hold and was quickly replaced by ABC. We moved to the lower mountain and found the groomed runs pretty busy. Fortunately we found some of the off piste terrain on the lower mountain pretty skiable, and it got better the more we skied it in.

It’s ski/skate week for a number of big districts, including the local kids. The upper lots are almost filling loosely this week. I would guess that the numbers this week are actually higher than they were over the holiday blackout days.

I probably should have stuck it out today, as the winds did abate a bit, allowing Summit to reopen. I would bet that there was some softening on Ridge, Bobby’s and over at Sherwood this afternoon. The temperatures remained below freezing but the angle of the sun is getting higher.

Wishing That Next Storm Away

The models continue to weaken that next storm, but not quite enough yet. A very weak low moves through as an inside slider Thursday night into Saturday. Two different waves of precipitation bring the possibility of 2-3 inches of snowfall. The bad news is that the snow level looks like it will range from 7000-7500 feet. That could result in one of those drizzly days again for Friday. I’m hoping the ridge just builds in a bit stronger and pushes it to our east.

Thursday morning update: Snow levels for this storm have been lowered about 1000 feet. It should be mostly snow above 6000 feet. Chances of snow are still at 40% for Friday. Another layer of fresh over the rain crust may be a good thing.

After that, the last few runs of the GFS are offering nothing significant through the end of February. So spring skiing season is upon us, like it or not. I like it. Yeah…there is that water thing.

The Meadows Cafe Goes Beyond

I’ve been spending more time at the Meadows Cafe this year. Melanie, Tara and the rest of the Treats crew are amazing as always. They are so amazing that the lines at Treats are sometimes much bigger than I am willing to be in, given the COVID thing. Hence, getting more meals this season from the Meadows Cafe, where “grab and go” service is working very well.

So today, I’m giving a virtual high five to Captain Dan for bringing the Beyond burger to the Meadows Cafe, instead of those godawful black bean burgers of years past. Cutting back on meat consumption is one way we can be kinder to our planet, and I find the Beyond product very good. The “Mountain Top Veggie Burger” is on a Telera bun (which looks exactly like a ciabatta), with a grilled Beyond patty, pepper jack cheese, chipotle mayo and spinach leaves. Yes, it’s about $15 bucks with a pass discount, but so is any other decent burger in Truckee or North Tahoe. It’s nice to have options when the line at Treats reaches Roundhouse.