The Spring Swings

It was another fine spring day at Alpine Meadows, with temperatures approaching 10-20 degrees above normal. That trend continues all of the way into the weekend, with high temperatures  reaching into the low 60’s. But then we take a detour back into winter next week. It’s the spring swings.

So how is the skiing when temperatures are that high? Well it can be really good in the morning hours. The overnight lows have been just low enough to get a decent soft freeze on the snow, preventing a complete mashed potatoes scenario. How good was it? Three of us took a run down Wolverine this morning in pristine creamed corduroy, to which we all said “That was my best run ever down Wolverine Bowl”, not considering powder days. It really was that good, at least for two runs.

Also, I learned something new today. We’ve mentioned the unpredictable nature of grooming on Sunspot recently. For those not in the know, Sunspot is usually the prime candidate for early turns at this time of year, especially when lifts start spinning at 8am next Wednesday. We have noted days when Sunspot has not been groomed, but one of the alternates have instead. Solar Flare is to skiers left, leaving from the maintenance road, and the new spot in between, which I dubbed “Solar Prominence” last week, which would be the correct astronomical term between the two.

It all has to do with the position of the chairs when Summit stops for the day. Currently the snowpack is so deep at the top, that the winch cats cannot groom Sunspot if a chair stops right in the middle of that path. The grooming crew has then chosen to groom either Solar Flare or Solar Prominence. So there you go. Solar Flare was also fantastic for a few runs this morning.

I also took a lap over Upper Saddle to C.B.’s today. I found it perfect at 10:00am, with a quick traverse over to the farthest reaches of South Face providing ultra smooth corn with few ruts. All of this is due to solid corn management by ski patrol. Once at Sherwood I took a few laps on Sherwood Right Face, which was also buttery smooth.

Lakeview returned to the schedule today. It’s hard to say that you’re doing hot laps on Lakeview, as that thing is super slow, preventing deafness for lift ops. But I could have stayed on endless repeat at Lakeview with perfect corn on Mountain View, Outer Limits and Twilight Zone. Scotty’s Beam and Inner Outer built up some suncups with the chair being closed the last two days.

By 12:30, there were some stickies on the runouts so I called it a day. It’s a beautiful afternoon for tending to the growing quantity of backyard that is reappearing…dog poop, snow mold, vole damage…we have got it all! Also, USPS just delivered a couple of new blocks of spring slush wax. Yippee!

The Return of Winter?

We are now inside of the one week window for a potential return to winter like conditions next week. That brings it out of Fantasyland and into the realm of possibility. As of today, we stay warm into Sunday, then we cool a lot on Monday. The possibility of snow returns on Tuesday. The models did back off somewhat this today. Yesterday it looked like as much as a foot of snow could fall. Today the ensemble forecast is showing more like 2-3 inches of snowfall on Tuesday.

One thing to keep in mind, May starts on Monday, and that means that Alpine Meadows will be closed both Monday and Tuesday. So if you’re hoping for a powder day, it would be over at the other side. Apparently, I also can’t say enough that Sunday is the last day of operations for the B2B.

As of now, this is not a “one and done” scenario. The model trend has been to keep a trough in place through day 6 to 16 of the forecast. This is good for snow preservation, as some people have already started doubting late season skiing with the rapid rate of melt lately. It may not be great for those of use that are in love with the corn season. We will have to keep an eye on that pattern.

Update: I initially had the name as Mitzi. I was properly shamed in the locker room this morning. I can’t even guarantee that I have the correct spelling now. It’s the thought that counts!

Finishing out today’s report, I wanted to give a little shout out to Mickey, one of the nicest “security” people you will ever meet. Nice and “security staff” are not two things that one would normally associate together. But Mickey is exactly that, and that is what Alpine Meadows is all about. You can catch her wandering through the base area and lodge most days of the week. Over the last couple of months, we’ve enjoyed a friendly banter back and forth, as she as realized I am pretty much there every day. I finally had to introduce myself and ask her name this week. Thanks to Mickey, and the rest of the staff, I feel very safe leaving my equipment out.  Thanks for being a part of Alpine Meadows.