At 3:45 this afternoon the temperature atop Summit Chair was 46 degrees. At the base it was 53 degrees. Along the Truckee River it reached 62. There was some wind at the top gusting into the 40 mile per hour range. It was a day to be dressed lightly.
We were on the lift when it opened at 9 this morning. It was another day of many carved turns on groomed snow. Off-piste was not all that great. I tried making turns down Alpine Bowl from tower 20 and found soft snow, but not corn. It was lumpy and soft, but not mushy, not easy skiing.
The good news, as compared to yesterday, was that the surface softened earlier making it possible to find good trails with nice corduroy earlier in the day. Sunspot was very nice first run followed by Charity lower down the hill. Wolverine was a little more firm as it held an edge well. Dance Floor on the other hand was terrible. It was just very firmly groomed and then sprinkled with death cookies. Terry’s Return, on the another hand, was lovely, smooth, and fun as usual.
I thought Scott was still a little firm at 11, but softening quickly. We toyed with the idea of going over the High Traverse to Sherwood but dropped it quickly figuring it was not ready yet. I do not think we have had enough really warm days to cook it down and smooth it out.
I hear more and more chatter about the gondola construction beginning soon. Evidently construction materials and labor are, or will soon, be arriving. It will be a summer filled with construction trucks in both valleys.
Those of us who ski together often have been wondering why the grooming crew grooms Kangaroo daily when the lift is not open to skiers (i.e. it is not running and not on the schedule). This seems, in our opinion to be a waste of time and energy. As you can see in the photos I took this morning Kangaroo was groomed overnight, Kangaroo Ridge, which we ski arriving back to the base of Summit Chair, was not groomed. Why not groom an area where skiers ski and leave Kangaroo until it is back on the schedule?
I heard a rumor that Squaw will try to remain open until the end of May.
Enjoy your day,
Andy
They are grooming Kanagaroo just for you guys!
Can confirm the gondola is happening. Leitner Poma is actively hiring summer help for construction and they’ve got a job flyer up in the break rooms. When I called they confirmed it was for the gondola and they hope to start potentially as soon as mid April.