Near Zero

Hello skiers,

Today was a cold day. At 9am the thermometer read 6.4 degrees at the base of Alpine Meadows. Heated gloves went on over cold fingers, buffs covered the mouth and nose, and those that had heaters for their boots turned them up to high.

Tahoe does not look as cold as it was today.  Earlier there was a layer of Lake Fog that was interesting to see

Approximately 6 inches of light snow fell during the day yesterday. The amount of snow we received was not really enough to cover south facing firm surfaces nor was it enough to fill in the troughs between moguls. Slopes with a low angle and flat surface underneath the new snow offered a soft experience. Fresh tracks could be left behind if you took advantage of a gentle slope. Steeper slopes facing north were still in good winter condition, but many have full grown moguls covering there slope. Gentian Gully is a good example of this condition. Soft new snow that has been well tracked fills the spaces between tops of large moguls.

South Face and Sherwood Face are firm under the thin layer of new snow. Skiing over these areas is noisy and rough. The same is true of God’s Knob, Gunner’s was the opposite, with less noise and a softer surface. The gentle slope of Scott Meadow was best. I left tracks behind for others to spoon.

A few tracks in Scott Meadow

First thing in the morning, we started for Summit Chair. It was a noisy walk, but the kind of noise we hope for after a cold storm. I love that squeaky sound made with each step my ski boots take. Summit was on the schedule, but by the time we had walked halfway up to the maze it was put on wind hold. As the afternoon progressed cold east winds picked up keeping Summit on hold for the entire day. All the other ski lifts at Alpine were operating this afternoon with the exception of Alpine Bowl Chair which is on hold indefinitely as it awaits very specialized parts needed for safe operation. The Base to Base Gondola, that I do not consider a ski lift, was also on wind hold.

Groomed runs were all pretty good this morning. I skied Rock Garden, Dance Floor, Red Ridge, Charity, Werner’s, Sherwood, and Mountain View and found them all enjoyable.

Have you ever wondered how long you might be able to keep skiing? One of Alpine Meadows favorite senior skiers has gotten back on the slopes after recovering from an injury. Dottie, we call her Dot, is amazing. She is shown skiing in the video with a link below. Check out Dot skiing in her 90th year.

Enjoy your day,

Andy