A well advertised pattern change is upon us. While some other bloggers and weather personalities are yelling that “The storm door is open!”, I’m just going to casually say that the storm door is ajar. The storm for the upcoming weekend will provide little in the way of moisture, mostly bringing wind and much cooler temperatures. The last few model runs have trended the system drier.
But today does look like the last day for most summer activities. High temperatures today will range in the mid 60’s. After that, temperatures stay in the 40’s and 50’s for the foreseeable future. A couple of more systems are still appearing for next week, currently around the Wednesday and Saturday. The model trend is also to weaken those systems. Snowmaking temperatures? Not yet…not to mention that construction continues around Alpine Meadows. I wouldn’t anticipate any effort at an early opening as there is a lot to do. We are currently one month out from their estimated opening day of November 22nd.
A reader sent this photo showing the current state of the base area. The deck expansion looks complete, as does the big fill of dirt. The maintenance building next to the gondola is nowhere near complete. The official construction blog mentioned recently that they were hoping to “button up” that project soon – which generally is code for getting it ready for winter hibernation. The gondola and maintenance building now project a bit further out into the base area than last season. Getting to TLC or Meadow will be an even longer slog from the lodge than last season.
Also of note, the temporary stadium steps along the east side of the lodge have not been replaced. That leaves the breezeway steps “gauntlet of doom” as the primary access to the snow for those arriving from the Alpine Meadows parking lot or locker rooms. Yay…super fun. Still, we will do it because we love skiing.
The last notable thing to mention today is the the Buried movie, which documents the 1982 avalanche at Alpine Meadows, will soon be available for streaming. Beginning November 8th, the film will be available on Apple TV, and likely other streaming sources (although ATV was the only officially announced). Pricing has not been announced. I know quite a few people that are waiting to see the film in the privacy of their home – as it is a tear jerker.
Back to swinging a hammer for me…the windows are in and the roofers should finish today. Our ADU siding remains as the one big outdoor piece to complete before I can get into ski mode. We might just make it.
Sung to the the tune of Car 54: “Red Dog towers where are you….”
Tree Line Cirque is a nice addition to the resort and should make for some nice early season runs. That seems to be be the go to for early season. Kangaroo is a bit slow and the run is narrow.
For me, the new tram is a waste of resources and an eye sore, but I am turning 60 this year so I get to be grumpy. I suppose in theory it could be fun to ride from Alpine to the top of KT22, but why, or yeah it creates the 3rd biggest resort in the US or North America, so marketing. Not a material game enhancer or changer. When the resort put a high speed chair in at Summit, that was a game changer. Summit is the best lift in Tahoe.
I agree on all counts D!