The biggest storm of the season (yet) is almost over. For this time of the year, it was a good storm, although not really that far out of the norm – not that there is any real “normal” for Tahoe snowfall. So far, snowmageddon has not happened. It’s still snowing and will continue through much of the night – but I am not expecting any miracle amounts.
For Alpine Meadows, the only publicly available snow sensors are the ones at the base area, near the Roundhouse chair. That automated sensor gets cleared each morning. Over the last few days it has received 6 inches, then 5 inches, followed by 7 inches so far today. It currently shows a total of 19 inches of accumulation at the base. Remember there is some settling and sublimation going on, as well as warmer than expected temperatures over the weekend that melted out some accumulation.
In your typical storm cycle, snowfall at the summit of Alpine Meadows can be anywhere from the same as the base to 50% more snowfall or more. When snow levels are lower, as in this storm, that differential is not always as strong. A good place to get a better idea on that is the 8000′ sensor over at Palisades. Unfortunately, that sensor has not been cleared daily. It shows 20 inches out of the current storm cycle and 28 inches of accumulation. The NOAA Reno Remote Data site has both of these sensors, as well as others.
One of the strongest parts of the storm was the wind event over the weekend. Peak gusts at Alpine Meadows reached 159 miles per hour. Those same winds redistributed various tarps and trashcans around our building project, and also provided a good test for our new roof.
Ski season will be starting in Tahoe this Friday, November 11th. But it will not be happening at Alpine Meadows. Checking out the webcams during this storm cycle, they have been actively plowing snow away from the base area, indicating that there is still work to be done. We want them to be filling in the base area with snow in preparation for opening. There is a platoon of snowcats parked near the Summit lift and they have not had much movement yet. While rumors have been flying at various online forums about Palisades opening early, there’s no evidence to support those rumors yet.
So the choices for Friday? It’s between the two ski areas that are known for early openings – Mount Rose and Boreal. Both will be opening for the season on November 11th. Which mountain should you choose?
Mount Rose will be offering top to bottom skiing on the Northwest Six and Wizard lifts. Skiing should include mainly Kit Carson Bowl and the Pondersoa runout with some park features. Opening of other face runs has not been announced. An all-day adult ticket is $125. Half day tickets are available, but the best deal is probably the Ski.G.I.F. ticket, good from 12pm to 4pm for $59.
Boreal has only committed to running their Castle Peak lift, which serves only the lower terrain park area. There will doubtlessly be terrain park features, typically a few rails and boxes and assorted mini jumps at this time of year. They will be offering their Friday only “Play Forever” ticket for just $25.
Keep in mind that Friday is Veteran’s Day and many schools and adults have the day off. It’s pretty much a guarantee that Boreal will be busier than most of us like. On opening day there, it’s often faster to walk up the hill than taking the Castle Peak lift. Everybody I know will be heading to Mount Rose. I haven’t committed yet as the snowy weather has slowed our progress on the ADU project so there is work to be done.
After this storm is done sometime tomorrow, the models are trending drier. The last few GFS runs stay dry through Thanksgiving. Some of the other models are trying to bring some weak systems in next week. So further mountain preparations for opening day will likely rely on snow farming and snowmaking to cover ski runs. That said, this is the time of the year where the models are quite a bit more flighty until winter sets in more strongly. Myself, I’ll appreciate a chance to finish up the last bit of the cedar siding and move on to the corrugated metal siding on our ADU project during the upcoming dry slot.
Ski you all soon.
This just in…Donner Ski Ranch will also open for tubing Friday and skiing on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. That said, it will only be Chairs 4 & 6 open. No details on the ticket cost. For those unfamiliar with DSR, Chairs 4&6 would be about the equivalent of Alpine opening Subway and Meadow.