Widely Varied Opinions

The skiing was really great today, or not so great today. It all depended on who you asked and where and what they skied. First off, let’s not sugar coat things. The “powder” that was skied today could never be in the same classification as the super dry and light stuff we that we skied a week or two ago. I heard descriptions today running from “heavy powder” to cement and cream cheese. It certainly was not hero powder. You really needed to ski it assertively to show the snow who was boss.

People that seemed to enjoy the powder the most said it was the untracked variety that was the best. With only Roundhouse, TLC and Sherwood spinning today, that left fewer places that skied good. Myself, I really wasn’t powder chasing much today. My right knee has been talking to me a bit over the last few days, mostly saying “If you want to make it to the end of ski season, don’t make me ski cement.” When I could find those locations where the cream cheese was just a couple of inches thick, that was good enough for me. The rest of the time, I was just fine rallying the limited groomed terrain off of Roundhouse and TLC. I’ve got nothing to prove, other than beating my personal best for number of days skied in a season.

I’ll give you a photo comparison here. Here’s the wind buffed groomer near the top of Weasel around 10am:

Here’s the ungroomed, formerly powder, Charity on the next run:

Which would you rather ski? No matter what, it’s good to be sliding on the snow out on the mountain, rather than just shoveling the snow.

It’s Never Ending Snow…

The next AR system moves in tonight and there’s starting to be a bit more clarity to what it might bring. The different weather models had some widely varied outcomes over the last few days. But looking at the GEFS ensemble for total snow through Thursday, the model trend is for less snowfall. Two days ago, it looked possible that we could see another 8 feet of snow from the system. It now looks like 2-4 feet at the ski area level is more likely. Snow levels will climb Monday night into Tuesday before dropping back down Wednesday. It looks like the snow levels could drop to 3-4K by Wednesday. So Monday may be okay. Tuesday looks like a washout, with rain to the Summit, and then maybe decent skiing Wednesday.

There is currently a brief dry slot for Thursday and Friday morning before the next system moves in for next weekend. I am not counting on that. Over the last few weeks, pretty much every storm has dragged out longer, and the next one rolls in sooner. One storm just blends in to the next. One note of concern is that the ridge looks like it might build just enough early next week to push us into the warmer part of the jet stream, meaning more high snow levels.

Here’s a GIF of the 16 day run of the GFS ensemble. You really can’t see any break in the rain and snow there.

I still keep hearing people root for more and more snow. I’m sorry, I just can’t do that at this point. Enough is enough. There is plenty of snow to get us through the ski season through Memorial Day. There is also plenty of snow to fill reservoirs. As of today, the Southern Sierra has a higher SWE (snow water equivalent) than at any point in recorded weather history.

If you’re begging for more snow because you think the ski season will extend to the 4th of July, you can stop begging. While there could be some skiing on the July 4th weekend, keeping PTAM open after Memorial Day is pretty unlikely. People that have to work in the snow every day have had enough. They want, and need, to move on to their summer jobs…as that is typically the one that pays the bills. Rumor is that Mammoth will be open long into the summer…you’ll probably see me there for some of those days.

I’m quitting and moving to Miami. I don’t know how to play golf, but I am willing to learn.

– Nameless AM Patroller

Continuing storms are really causing a lot of problems for many people throughout the state. Besides the roof collapses and flooding, there’s the simpler issues like farmers getting crops going. I’m not interested in yet another reason for rising food prices. So yes, I will continue to say, enough is enough for this season.

Happy Birthday To The Original Unofficial Reporter

Andy Wertheim celebrates his birthday today! Andy was the first real unofficial snow reporter in Tahoe, and maybe in the industry. Andy is one of those people that thought skiing was great today, which is not surprising with his little wiggle turns. How old he? He says he shares the same birthdate with musician James Taylor. Happy birthday Andy!