Sleeper Pow Day…And Maybe This Season Will Go Longer

Was it the best powder day ever? No, but it certainly was far better than yesterday. The morning report indicated that 6 to 10 inches of new snow fell overnight at Alpine Meadows, and we can verify that it was true. All you had to do today was find the places where you could find that deeper snow, without too many hard objects underneath. This task was far easier today because there was only a small crowd at the mountain.

For the most part, the best runs of the day were on the groomed runs that then were covered with powder. It was hard to go wrong there. After that, we found our usual stashes where the winds generally load the snow a bit deeper. Two of my favorites, Gentian Gully and Chicken Leg, were not on the favored locations list this morning. Still we found plenty of other places with turns to put smiles on our faces through at least lunch time. As the snow started falling again and the light turned flat, I called it a day.

It is still low tide out there. I picked up a decent gouge in Outer Outer this morning, but as long as it’s affecting only ski bases and not body parts, it’s all worth it. The point forecast for tonight is slightly reduced, now calling for 3-7 inches at mid-mountain. Hopefully we get a repeat in the overproducer department again. Things should only get better tomorrow.

Maybe This Season Will Last A Bit Longer

Last week, I took the first WAG at when the ski season at Alpine Meadows might end. The idea of the mountain closing as early as April 11th had come up in a variety of conversations around the mountain, especially as it related to getting started on the gondola project. Yesterday, I received an email from Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows President and COO Ron Cohen, letting us know that there was no plan to close Alpine Meadows early at this time. Here’s a clip:

…I thought it was worth reaching out to you to let you know we have not made any decisions that would close Alpine on April 11 or 12. Directionally, I’d prefer to keep Alpine open until the snow and business conditions warrant closure. That’s why we kept the Summit side of Alpine running on a limited schedule in 2019 (my first winter here), despite construction at Treeline Cirque forcing us to shut down the Bear Creek drainage. We decided to close for the season on May 19, after we had started seeing very low turnout (the prior weekend had dropped to just a few hundred people). As you know, we kept running SV on a limited schedule until July 7 that year, which made sense based on snow and demand.

We’ll see what the next few weeks bring as far as snow (and there’s still Covid to be concerned about, although we are all seeing some favorable trends on that right now). Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a solid storm cycle that gets us back to something close to normal snowfall. Anyways, don’t count the season out yet. 

— SVAM COO Ron Cohen

So I take that as good news. There’s definitely some huge differences between Ron Cohen and the previous occupant of that position. Cohen seems to understand the importance of keeping passholders happy, which means providing the best on the mountain experience that SVAM can provide. We appreciate that Ron took the time to chime in and clarify.

Those of us that have skied Alpine Meadows for a long time know that our mountain offers an excellent spring skiing experience, even if it got down to just the Summit chair. But you heard the man, if numbers drop too low, they consider closing the mountain. So go skiing, spend some money on food and beverages, and let’s keep this season rolling.