Beach Weather

It felt like bikini weather, or perhaps shorts and a t-shirt, on and off the mountain today. Temperatures climbed above fifty degrees at the base and into the upper forties on the slopes. Thin clouds between clear skies produced an off and on overcast sky all day.

There were varying reports from skiers as they filed back into the locker room. My take was that the groomed runs were less attractive today then they have been the last few days. They seemed either a little firm with cookies scattered all over or soft and smooth (which I like). The snow turned soft more quickly this morning and thus became more sticky sooner today then in the past few days. In most areas the snow has not made the transition from powder to corn. North facing slopes were a little more firm and south facing slopes offered a dense wet snow. I skied Alpine Bowl below the last Summit Tower which was like skiing in a moist cookie dough.

I also skied lower Beaver Bowl and took a photo of the snow dam that has been constructed at the lip of the Beaver. The reason for this is to slow large snow slides should they be triggered by avalanche control or perhaps(hopefully not) slide naturally. The south side of Beaver Bowl was firm. Sun baked the open slope below the lip leading to Kangaroo Ridge. This was much the same as the slope below the top of Summit Chair. It can be skied, but it takes more effort to make each turn. It was mucky in consistency. I skied this area around 11 this morning. Later in the day it might have been even less appetizing.

I did not venture to Sherwood this morning, but I did receive a number of reports from other skiers who gave it a try. The overall report was good. Evidently the snow at Sherwood has made the transition to corn. The skier left of the main Sherwood trail appeared to be the best according to one of my friends to enjoyed it. Snow at Sherwood softened early so if you plan to head over tomorrow go early. This assumes the temperatures will be approximately the same tomorrow morning. By the way, the attached photo of someone at Lakeview in a gorilla suit was provided by Mark. When skiers start dressing up in costumes it is a sign of warmth and spring conditions. It is too early in the season to see this behavior.

I ran into friends who are all Alpine skiers at the Crest Café late this morning. Two of them had not skied. One who had not skied ask me to write about his ski day. Difficult to understand what he was talking about, but I assume he was asking me to write about his virtual day. Warren, your day was tricky. You forgot to apply sun screen, thus you acquired a very red face. The wax on the base of your skis was for a cold snow day, thus you were moving slower than normal this morning. Luckily you arrived early and took advantage of the corduroy before it was skied off. Your luck ran out when conditions turned soft and mushy causing your skis to stick, release, and stick again. Be careful in these conditions they can cause back and neck pain. The best cure for this situation is to have a few glasses of beer with lunch.

One last word for today. Attached is a photo of a coyote taken near Subway Chair. The coyote is eating trash that was left, or as someone mentioned thrown out of a car window. Feeding animals, or discarding food other than in a proper trash container, is not kosher. DO NOT DO IT! The specific issue with this situation is that there are people, children, and dogs in the area. Many people let their dogs run near the base of the Subway lift. We do not want to hear of someone, or someone’s dog, being attacked by a coyote. Leaving food in the parking area or on the snow attracts wild animals. Bears, coyotes, bobcats, and mountains live in the area. Do NOT FEED THEM, and they will most likely not create a potential problem for pets and/or humans. The photo was sent to us by an Unofficial Alpine reader.

Enjoy your day,

Andy