Reports on skiing and riding at Alpine Meadows improved dramatically today. We’re really at that point in the season where new snow is a pain in the rear, unless it’s a huge dump followed by cold cloudy days. One overnight freeze and thaw cycle did improve the glue-like snow today to that powdercorn state. Several people reported having a blast skiing today, especially in the park, where liberal doses of salt have been keeping things very nice. Wax is paramount to fun. Maybe we will see the return of an outdoor wax station yet this spring.
Saturday brings the 30th Annual Snow Golf Tournament to Alpine Meadows. It’s basically the last of the Alpine Meadows traditions that has survived from the Ski Corp, through POWDR corp, JMA and now KSL. The nine hole course starts at the top of Summit and generally extends down toward ABC. The cost to enter is free, and all equipment is provided. Costumes are often a big part of the event and there’s a lot of cool golf related prizes. This year, the first 150 golfers will receive a snow golf commemorative visor. (Mark makes mental note to start early!)
Sunday afternoon will bring the Passholder Appreciation Party on the Sun Deck from 2-5 pm. The cool thing is that we are getting back to a party where we feel a bit more appreciated. There were quite a few years where the “appreciation party” was just another opportunity to pay for a wildly overpriced BBQ plate and uber-expensive beers. We stopped going during the JMA years. But the current management is doing it right. BBQ sausage or black bean burger plates with sides are just $5, and canned beers (assume PBR) are $3. There’s a whole lot of schwag and prizes for passholders as well. There’ also bands scheduled for both days this weekend.
The weather should cooperate for most of that time. BA is calling for warm spring weather Saturday and a slight cool down Sunday evening, leading to another dust on crust event for Monday for those that want to venture to that other resort. Alpine will be running only Friday through Sunday from this point on. It’s not over yet…it’s just tailgate party season.
Interesting observation about the salting of the terrain park and how it’s keeping the snow in good shape. Last time I was at Mammoth in the Spring they had grooming equipment with salt dispensers spreading the salt down some of their major groomed runs preserving the snow. Think it would be great if Alpine did something similar now that they’ll only be open just 3 days a week after this weekend. Alas, with all the environmental regulations in Tahoe these days doubt mechanical salting would ever happen. Sort of surprised the USFS folks haven’t said anything to Alpine’s KSL overlords…
Brian, when I worked race dept. at Alpine, salt was always used when the conditions were necessary. I don’t really think the USFS cares, but the Lahontan Water Quality people might. And, Alpine Meadows is not “in Tahoe”, so TRPA can’t say anything as far as I know. I think the powers-that-be would be more interested in leaking hydraulic fluid from the groomers. When Ray Belli and I logged the Lakeview runs in ’84, the USFS shut us down with 2 hours left to log because they saw a patch of mud the size of a footprint. Consequently the Lakeview lift construction was postposed one year, because of “fear of the TRPA”. So, I guess it’s anybody’s guess as to what flies and what doesn’t.
Corky,technically you are correct, but it should be pointed out that the Hot Wheels replacement lift will be angled 30 degrees to the right on top of Sherwood ridge to avoid the TRPA oversight and regulations. Sherwood is clearly in the confines of the TRPA and if you go back in time the proposed Ward Valley lift expansions that Reilly proposed were eventually killed off by that agencies zoning in Ward Valley. I do agree with you that Lahontan has a major say in ski area development (Squaw Valley Ski Corp’s files probably fill several wherehouses) and Northstar suffered some heavy fines during their massive Village construction days…And since you mentioned Lakeview, why was the upper terminal located where it is, when a terminal to the right of the rock outcropping would have been so much better?
Brian, we didn’t know at the time who made the decision to place the top terminal of Lakeview where it presently is, but the USFS marked the timber to be cut in that location. We all thought it would be better if the termial was at the top of Outer Limits, with runs cut more to the northwest, which would have made the forest into a natural “snow fence”, but who are we, anyway. Instead of cutting out the fir tickets, the Forest Service marked all the big timber which resulted in the runs we have now. The top terminal of Lakeview is sitting on solid rock, and TRPA made CTEC dig the 20′ deep holes with handtools, as well as carry all the 2″ diameter, 20′ long rebar up from Scott’s top terminal by hand. So, I don’t think common sense figures into any of this. We all knew that the runs would expose the mtn. to too much sun and wind, and would never hold much snow. But, the “experts” told us not to worry. I could go on and on about all this BS that’s going on, but………MOVE THE TERRAIN PARK!