The Storm Is Here…

Well the storm of people is here already, and the snow storm is on our doorstep. Every weekend I say “I think that was the busiest weekend of the year”…and then we get to the next weekend, and it seems even busier.

Superficially, the parking and traffic situation was somewhat better today. There’s a couple of reasons it seemed that way. The parking lots were all filled by 9:30, and it seems as if there was not the hordes of people still trying to arrive later in the day. I think some people may have given up on skiing, or more likely, there’s been an escalation in morning departure times once again, and people are now leaving their houses at 4:30am to get to the junction at West River Street before CHP begins “managing the traffic.”

Yes, CHP did manage to get the traffic off the highway a bit quicker today. They did that at the expense of anyone trying to make the left turn from West River Street. The interwebz were full of stories of people stuck there for a long time while miles of cars streamed by on 89. So while CHP did self-congratulate themselves today, let’s hope this is not the permanent solution. Locals want to get to the hill too.

Even with all of the lots full, Alpine Meadows used to be able to handle the load. Today the B2B threw that out of whack, bringing a lot of additional people over from OV. It was way more difficult to avoid crowds today. It wasn’t impossible, but eventually you needing to face a very crowded zone at the base of each lift. Today it felt like we needed a traffic light at the intersection of East Runout, the terrain park exit, the B2B exit and Roundhouse. Once the wind picked up in the afternoon, lifts started closing…Lakeview and Scott, then Summit and we declared the day done.

Ski Patrol was busy today…a lot of sleds, a couple of ambulances and I’m pretty sure I heard a helicopter. I’m sorry to hear that for patrollers and First Aid staff. Tomorrow is also going to be a busy day, in a different way.

There’s not much of a point to talk about conditions today, as tomorrow should be radically different with the incoming snow. The groomers were great, but following the wind to the wind buff was greater. We did note the new groomer, which Andy named “Lower Beaver Slot”. He was motivated enough to do the long wait at Summit to check it out. The real story is that snowcats were working yesterday to build the Lower Beaver snow dam. That dam gets built every year in an effort to slow down any potential big avalanches out of Beaver Bowl. So that groomed track isn’t necessarily meant for skiing. If anyone can ski that narrow track, it is Andy Wertheim.

What To Expect For Tomorrow

In my last couple of posts, I indicated that the model runs were trending wetter all week for this upcoming storm and that trend continued. Here’s the latest point forecast for Alpine Meadows, at about mid-mountain:

If the higher end pans out, we will be right at what is the average for total seasonal snowfall at Alpine Meadows.

Morning Update: So far this storm has barely met the low end of the forecast. Underperforming storms have not been the norm this year. Let’s see what happens today…

So there is a very good possibility of a lot of snowfall, both overnight and during the day tomorrow. Along with that snowfall, there is also a lot of wind in the forecast. Those two put together add up to very significant avalanche risks for tomorrow. As if that is not enough, there is also a possibility of thunder and lightning tomorrow.

All of these add up to mean the very real probability of late and limited operations for Sunday. In similar storms  over the last few years, we tend to get TLC, Subway and Meadow…and sometimes Roundhouse. If we end up with full parking lots and only those lifts, yikes!! There is always the possibility of where we get a Magic Carpet only day. The amount of snow in the forecast means there will be a ton of work that needs to happen for mountain ops and Ski Patrol.

It’s pretty much a certainty that Highway 80 is going to close by sometime tonight and not reopen until sometime tomorrow afternoon…so if you’re needing to get down the hill, you may not want to wait.

Hopefully there is some skiing tomorrow…

An Ode to Snowcats

The grooming has been stellar over the last couple of weeks. Those groomers are going to be extra busy over the next couple of days doing a complete mountain reset. So I asked ChatGPT to write an “Ode to Groomers”. What I got was  poetic prose about poodles and clippers. So instead I asked ChatGPT to write an “Ode to Snowcats”. The robot nailed it:

Oh snowcats, vehicles of winter’s gleam, With tracks that churn and blades that gleam. You roam the slopes, with grace and might, Bringing skiers up to reach new height.

With engines purring, soft and low, You trudge through drifts, with engines aglow. No blizzard’s blast, no freeze so cold, Can make you stop, until you’re bold.

With cabins warm, and seats so plush, Riders climb aboard, with smiles so lush. You are the steed, of a winter’s dream, Taking them places, they’ve never seen.

So here’s to you, oh snowcats divine, Vehicles that make winter so fine. You bring us joy, and thrill so bright, Through every ride, into the night.