Wow, it has been brutally cold and windy the last two days, following a couple of delicious spring-like days. As we head into the last two weeks of meteorological winter, you’re going to want to pay attention. Over the weekend, we’re going to get another taste of spring…then by the middle of next week we are headed back into the land of very cold temperatures, and maybe a lot of snow. It will be the kind of week that many skiers love to see, and ski…unless you’re trying to stage a World Cup race event in Tahoe.
Let’s take a look at today first. It was another day of strong east winds, and that meant that Summit started the day on windhold. It seems as if mountain ops should have a big “explainer” board they can post on the Sun Deck for these days. Anytime an east or northeast wind exceeds 50mph (roughly), Summit will be put on windhold. It’s the way it is, and us Alpine Meadows regulars are conditioned to know that. We know it’s tough to understand that when you are standing at the base area and there is no wind. Fortunately, it sounds like we’re getting Alpine Bowl Chair (ABC) back as early as Friday, as it can usually fill in during these events. We have missed ya ABC!
So Roundhouse really was the name of the game all morning. With just a few exceptions, the groomed trails offered the better skiing this morning. Jeremy and his grooming team are back on top of their game with most all of the usuals groomed, at least off of Summit and Roundhouse. D8 and Bobby’s were a no-go, as was Robin Hood. The quality of the grooming was A+, so fast and fun, only limited by frostbite potential.
I wanted to slow things down a bit and force myself to warm up with off piste skiing. Just about everything between Ladies Slalom and Yellow was skiing pretty nice with wind buff, powder pillows and just a few firmer bumps underneath. Rolls and Knolls skied similarly. Chicken Leg and Gunners? Not so much, as it sees way too much sun.
After an early warm-up brunch, we headed to tour Sherwood, Lakeview and Scott, in the name of providing an accurate report. The groomers in these areas were pretty scraped off and firm. The off piste was really quite bad. I tried several areas near Sherwood and Lakeview where I could link a turn or two of greatness, immediately followed by a turn or two of slip ‘n slide. As things warm up starting tomorrow, these areas should be fun again.
At 12:45 the east wind abated enough to allow Summit to open, so we jumped on and found conditions to be surprisingly good, at least on the groomed slopes. They were far less firm than I would have thought; together with that perfect grooming, it encouraged very fast speeds. Fast speed with the remaining wind and temperatures near 20° meant that you were pretty much guaranteed frozen cheeks or an ice cream headache.
The last two days have been blissfully empty at Alpine Meadows, with Lot 3 having just a couple of dozen cars today. We should get one more day of that tomorrow. After that…prepare for the invasion that will last for 10 days or so.
Warming, Then A Return To Winter
I mentioned in my Monday post that the weather models were starting to show some runs with stormy weather, indicating a possible pattern change ahead. In the last 48 hours, there have been three trends of note: colder, snowier and sooner. Previously it looked like we wouldn’t see any major chance of snow until next Friday, but now it looks like we start seeing significant snowfall starting Wednesday. This is great news for people that have already booked their stay next week for their child’s “ski/skate week”. It’s not great news for anyone that is trying to drive up for the World Cup weekend on Thursday or Friday.
The thing that has really gotten the attention of weather pundits is the possibility of very low snow levels late next week. It started with just a crazy run or two of the Euro model. But then that same idea started popping up in all of the models. Some of the runs have shown the entire state getting at least an inch or more of snow, almost to sea level. The model run above depicts 2-4 inches in San Francisco and 6-7 inches in the East Bay hills for Saturday, as well as 12-15 inches around 1000′ at Auburn. While the odds of such an event are not very high, it is intriguing that these sorts of models runs are continuing to pop up. We shall see…
Up where we want to go skiing, around Lake Tahoe, the amounts are looking very impressive. The last couple of runs of the GFS show a possibility of 4 to 5 feet of snow by Saturday (2/25). That is an interesting possibility for those that want to ski powder during that time period, and for those that want to see a nice long ski season. It would be horrible news for anyone trying to stage a major ski race, with a huge investment in some outdoor concerts during the evenings. We shall see…
This event is now in the 7-10 day window, which is in the realm of possibility. It could happen. If the models are still showing the same by Sunday…World Cup event planners will likely start panicking. For now the thing to do is enjoy the next 5 days as we return to a gentler spring-ish pattern.
Rumor has it PT is spending over $1 million in hill prep for this little event next week. Let it snow!
That was good post,I have to admit. Have you seen the ridiculous prices for seats at the World cup, $750- $ 2500?
How’s the BTB been doing with the east wind?
Oddly enough…with a northeast wind, the B2B is somewhat protected by the KT peak. That said, in a typical storm wind…not so well.
Wonder if they will ship all the FIS World Cup shirts to Africa like it’s a lost Super Bowl? Let it snow!
Thank PaliTaho for staging such a major event, yall know such always makes it snow and snow. AM will be xtra busy during such as the parking at OV will be more insanity during the scheduled event, as even Gov. Gavvy Nuisense gonna be there too and all the FBI and CHP to protect him are already here setting up security for such fyi.