The advertised warmup did arrive today, with temperatures actually exceeding the forecast. That led to an entirely different experience after yesterday’s arctic wind blast. For many, that was a very welcome change.
We bided our time enjoying some morning groomed runs off of Summit and Roundhouse. When the Sherwood test laps off of Roundhouse suggested conditions were ripe, we headed over to the Sherwood side. Our timing was perfect, as the upper pitches of the Sherwood groomer served up smooth soft corn, while the flatter returns were still slightly firm and the lines short.
Within a few runs, we found softening bumps on Sherwood Face, along the small ridge to skiers’ right of Sherwood Face and on the East Face. With the exception of the middle of the Face, the bumps were delightfully small and squishy. The only thing that stopped it from being a perfect Sherwood day was the lack of the Ice Bar…and the lines getting a bit longer.
We also found some super smooth corn along Scott Ridge and Bobby’s. Both were in prime shape today, with each one having it’s own nuances. It’s hard to pick a favorite. Most everyone I know makes a game time call based on which one looks least crowded at the moment.
Spring conditions will be the name of the game through out the week, with warm days and cold nights creating increasing amounts of corny conditions around the mountain. Temperatures should warm enough to unlock some of the terrain that has been frozen solid for the last week, allowing for much more off piste exploration.
The hope for a return of winter any time soon is dimming. Both the GFS and Canadian models are still calling for snow next weekend. Both models have also reduced expected totals to less than a foot. Will we see a change to that stormy pattern we saw last March after the mountain closed? It could happen…but in weather forecasting “persistence” is the safer bet.
We ended the month of January at 87% of average snowfall at Alpine Meadows. Just making some very rough calculations, at the end of February, we stand at about 80% of average snowfall. Looking at the 8 Station Index for precipitation in Northern California, we’re right on track of where we were last year at this time, just before we got a series of big storms. The only drier year is 1976-1977. Yikes!
