Winds were howling along the Sierra Crest today. Plumes of snow could be seen from the valley floor flying over the ridge line. I was not in Tahoe over the weekend and cannot relay the snow conditions nor the size of the crowds at those resorts that offered some skiing over the weekend. I can tell you that is was pretty darn cold this morning as temperatures dipped into the single digits. Once the sun pushed shadows out of the way it warmed up and turned out to be a beautiful day.
Cold temperatures mean snowmaking can continue during the day and through the night if the ski areas have the crews and water to accomplish the task. It sounds like the Olympic Valley side of Palisades Tahoe is opening on the 18th of November, but the Alpine Meadows side will have to wait a few more days. We traveled up to the Alpine Meadows Lodge this afternoon to check on construction progress. Brick pavers and guard rails were still being installed at the new gondola base station. Shadows had taken back over by the time we arrived at the lodge so it was a little difficult determining how much snow had been made on the Roundhouse Trails, but it looked as though coverage on a couple of them was pretty good.
As we walked a little further beyond the lodge decking we noticed that TLC was running and I saw skiers making turns down Tiegel Run. I am not sure if these were racers getting a jump on the season or employees, but watching them making turns got my heart racing.
Someone making turns down Tiegel
Since snow is on the ground, we should be skiing. I hope the Alpine side of the mountain opens soon.
Enjoy your day,
Andy