Easy to Forget

Hello skiers,

Bright sunshine and relatively warm temperatures met us on the hill this morning. Sunshine makes it easy to forget the last crazy storm days that have left some roads unpassable and buildings with more snow on the roofs than might be advisable. Most lifts were operating. Lakeview, Alpine Bowl (buried), and Kangaroo were off the schedule. Most runs were open, however High Traverse and Upper Beaver Bowl were closed. This did not stop skiers and boarders from roaming from one end of the mountain to the other. There were plenty of tracks coming out of Low Beaver and filling the sun drenched slope above Kangaroo. Yesterday Summit was on hold and never opened leaving the upper mountain free of tracks this morning. It was not long before a well used traverse into Low Beaver appeared as did a hiking track to Upper Saddle. Tracks soon filled East and West Palisades, Keyhole, Open Slope and Lower Saddle. Yellow Face was also well used today.

First Tracks Coming Down Palisades

I found the most interesting aspect of skiing today to be patterns made by the high winds that whipped over the slopes the past couple of days. The patterns were different at different locations on the mountain. A pattern that looked like a modern bathroom tile was visible on the ridge to the right of Summit Chair just before the top station. Another pattern that I do not remember seeing before appeared part way down Sunspot. Horizontal lines forms across the slope that had not been groomed.

Wind Pattern at top of Summit Chair

Wind Pattern on Sunspot

I found it interesting waiting for skiers to track up Alpine and Wolverine Bowls, but this did not happen as quickly as one might have expected since the bowls were left basically natural overnight. There was one thin groomed slot down the middle of Alpine Bowl and nothing in Wolverine Bowl. The snow in these areas was very wind affected and not the best for breaking new trail. Conditions were better toward Alpine Bowl Chair and beyond.

I did not venture very far afield today, but I found the snow in West Palisades and the surrounding area to be excellent soft winter pack. I am sure it was even better for those that hit early when it was untracked. Our Father, Counter Weight Gully, and the lower section of Yellow Face were just as good. North Peril, Sympathy, and Gunner’s Knob were also filled with soft winter snow. I did not ride Scott or Sherwood today, but I was told Expert Shortcut and Art’s Knob were very good. I was informed that Bobby’s Run off Scott was very good, and I can only imagine that the Gentian/Promised Land slopes were in excellent condition.

There was a pretty good crowd filling the parking area at Alpine, and I understand the lot at Palisades was full. Schools were closed so perhaps many locals were out on the slopes. The marketing department at Palisades Tahoe must be doing a good job for the owners. Perhaps it is the IKON PASS that is bringing people to Alpine from far away places, but it has become very apparent that our quiet Alpine slopes are filling with people new to the mountain. It might be Olympic Valley skiers and boarders who are used to screaming down KT that are screaming down Alpine slopes these days, or it might just be out of town skiers and boarders lured to our once quiet slopes by the combination of a gondola and an IKON PASS. I just get the feeling thatwe are losing the local feeling we have enjoyed most about Alpine Meadows.
The breezeway has been blocked the last two days as the roof of the lodge is being shoveled. This has caused access to the stairs leading to the deck from the breezeway, locker rooms, and Treats to be a rather round-about route. I have not used some of the stairs, hallways, and lodge areas between the current entry to the lodge and my locker in a very long time. I guess this just shows that I need to walk around the lodge once in a while instead of being so repetitive with my daily routine.

Enjoy your day,

Andy