Wowee, today turned out so much better than expected. Originally it looked as if today might be one of those soggy days where the snow level is not quite where we wanted it to be…aka a drizzle fest. Fortunately, the low pressure system that was expected to arrive today became a cutoff low. That means that it lost jet stream support and tended to meander. This one meandered down the coast. That kept things dry this morning, and even offered a few hours with mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures.
That meant for those of us that love the spring corn skiing, we had one more day before we head back into a very short burst of winter. So after a few cursory laps on Summit, I headed right to Sherwood this morning, where the corn was super sweet. We keep saying this, but without any big storms in the forecast, we won’t have Sherwood all that much longer. The Right Face at Sherwood was fantastic, as was Chute Zero, and both of those lines are getting pretty spicy. In fact, I’m posting this picture below so you can remember how many rocks are below that newly fallen snow Saturday. Over at Lakeview we saw a whole new round of snow farming done to try to keep Lakeview rolling…Scott…yikes! Get it while you can.
The snow returns overnight, with snow levels right about base level and dropping through the day tomorrow. Looking at the latest run of the short range NAM model, there’s support for about 8-10 inches of snow through Saturday afternoon.
It should start off cream cheesy and end light and dry on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, looking at the longer range models, it’s another one and done storm. Sunny skies return for Sunday and the foreseeable future. The last three model runs I looked at this afternoon even eliminate inside sliders. I took a peek at the snow stats for Alpine Meadows recently. We ended the month of February at 85% of normal snowfall compared to a 51 year average. if things continue as they look, we could be at 65-70% of normal by the end of March.
We’ll be enduring another sticky cycle next week. It is what it is.
Alterra Releases Ikon Pass Details For 22/23
It’s that time of year when new passes for next year are about to go on sale. Alterra Mountain Company jumped into the fray early, announcing its prices ahead of Vail Resorts. I think that might be the first time that has happened. The good news is that pass prices were not lowered. Vail Resorts lowered their Epic pass prices by 20% last season, then sold a bazillion more passes than ever. It did not work out all that well, according to the continual news reports of issues at Vail’s mountains, and the plummeting price of Vail stock.
Alterra is actually raising its Ikon pass from $999 to $1079, or $979 for the renewal rate. Given that the price of everything is multiplying like rabbits, it is understandable. I tend to get my money’s worth out of my pass anyways, getting in over 100 days per season. There’s a few big additions to the Ikon pass for next season:
• Snowbasin, Sun Valley and Chamonix have all been added to the Ikon pass for next year. As much as I am not a ski traveler, those three destinations do pique my curiosity. It’s interesting to note that both Snowbasin and Sun Valley were previously Epic pass resorts. The new resorts are not available to Ikon Base passholders.
• There have been some other adjustments of note. The over-popular Crystal Mountain will become a limited destination, with only seven days offered for Ikon passholders.
• Passes will go on sale on March 10. For people buying an Ikon pass and hoping to use it for spring access, you will not be able to use the new pass for spring access until April 11th at Alpine or Palisades. The way things are going, there won’t be much time after that date to go skiing.
Stuart Winchester has a complete summary of all of the available details on the new Ikon passes over at the Storm Skiing Journal. In particular, he goes into more detail regarding the Ikon Base and Ikon Base Plus passes.
Alterra Leaves The Mountain Collective
Lastly on the subject of passes for next season, Alterra Mountain Company has decided to leave the Mountain Collective pass. Previously, Mountain Collective passholders could ski at Alpine Meadows and that other place 2 days per season, and Mammoth too.
With a whole lot of disgruntled Epic passholders, no more Mountain Collective pass benefits, and the addition of three big new mountains – I imagine Ikon pass sales will grow substantially next season.