The Little Season That Could

We made it. One hundred and sixty seven days have passed since Alpine Meadows opened for the season back in November of 2020. It was a season that many believed might not happen. The pandemic numbers were raging, and a vaccine to bring things under control seemed light years away. Making matters worse, the long range La Niña forecast meant there was a good chance that storms might underperform this season.

But little by little, this season got going. It wasn’t an early start, nor a fast start, but start it did. That changed everything for many of us, that spent much of the busy, never ending, summer season hiding from crowds. For me, it gave a sense of purpose, getting up and going skiing each and every morning. Once we reached the 100 day mark in early March, it just seemed like a natural goal to ski every day of the season. Little goals like that made it easier to muddle through a dark world of loss of family contact, face masks and bizarre political stories.

By the numbers, it wasn’t the best season ever. At the end of April, Alpine Meadows stood at only 250 inches of snowfall for the season, about 69% of the 50 year seasonal average. There weren’t all that many actual powder days. For the first time in my memory, there were zero storm closure days this season. But many of us skied or rode more days than we have ever done in a season. We made new friends and learned to adapt to a season that was like no other.

There’s many people to thank for all of this, and I am sure I will leave some out:

• Thanks to the patrollers, groomers, liftees and other mountain ops people that were out there day and night to make it all happen.

• Thanks to the base area staff that worked tirelessly to keep the lodge a clean and safe environment, ensuring that we could have a place to boot up, use the restroom or eat a meal and feel like were were safe.

• Thanks to Melanie, Tara and the rest of the young ladies at Treats that kept serving with a smile and a pleasant comment each day. Likewise, thanks to Captain Dan, James, Theresa and the rest of the crew upstairs that did the same upstairs at the Meadows Cafe.

• Thanks to the management at Alpine Meadows, SVAM, and Alterra for believing in the concept of opening mountains when there is enough snow, and not closing until the snow is gone. We’re super stoked that you don’t manage strictly by a calendar date.

• Thanks to everyone this season that wore a facemask, correctly, just because it was the right thing to do. Bonus points if you always gave space to other people, and then sought your vaccination as soon as possible.

This season turned out far better than we expected because all of those mentioned above. We can only hope that by the time the 21-22 season rolls around, that we are a few steps farther down the line in managing COVID. Please get vaccinated, and encourage others to do the same. The risks from any of the vaccines are far smaller than the risks we take every day driving our cars, enjoying various sports, and enjoying an occasional Big Mac or Krispy Kreme. I’m trying to imagine a season where we can all go maskless, enjoy a warm lunch inside of the lodge on snowy day, ride a fully loaded Summit chair without worry and enjoy a life closer to normal.

Here’s a selection of favorite photos from the season. Click on any one to enter the gallery mode.

Thanks to all of you that have enjoyed UnofficialAlpine.com this season…