Today was the last day of daily operations at Alpine Meadows for the 2022-2023 ski season. Alpine will continue operating, but they will be closed Monday and Tuesday until the end of May.
We are always sad when Treats closes for the season. Today was their last day. We wish Melanie and her staff a wonderful summer. In addition to Treats closing, Subway Chair, Lakeview, and the glass cabins that ride between two valleys on a steel rope are now closed for the season.
Grooming in Wolverine was perfect.
There was a thin layer of cloud cover over the mountain today. A good breeze was also blowing. A number of my ski mates indicated that they were chilled as they rode the chairs or made turns down the mountain this morning. Lucky for me I was slightly over dressed and happy as a clam.
Nice Grooming in Alpine Bowl with a cloud cover above
The cooler temperatures and light breeze kept the surface in better condition today than it was yesterday. Early morning turns on the groomed runs were easily made on a smooth soft corduroy. After a few runs on smooth surfaces, we branched out to the West Palisades slope. Small moguls that were easy to maneuver around, and covered with corn snow, reminded me of the reason I like spring skiing. The conditions allow for slow controlled turns with little fear of falling and sliding to the bottom of a steep slope.
Small soft bumps in Palisades
Wanting to try other parts of the mountain we rode TLC to Sherwood. Deeper slushing corn met us as we skied down the main Sherwood Run. Better conditions existed on the steeper South Face until you reached the bottom where it flattens out. At the bottom our skis resisted moving forward.
Snow conditions at Lakeview offered a more firm surface. Spring corn, but less slush then we encountered at Sherwood. I throughly enjoyed making sweeping turns down Outer Limits and Mountain View. Of course, we had to ride Scott Chair and ski one run down Gentian. I was happily surprised at the conditions in Gentian. We encountered more moguls with a soft surface, as well as smooth lightly soft snow that had not received much skier traffic over the past few days.
Happy Skiers Enjoying the Day
At the lowest portion of the gully the snow did deteriorate into sticky rubble, but overall the run was very good. A number of people were enjoying Scott Chute just before noon. We also skied Bobby’s Run and found that it mimicked the surfaces we found at Lakeview.
There was more sun in the afternoon and temperatures inched up as winds increased at the Summit. Perhaps conditions softened more later in the afternoon, but the morning hours were completely enjoyable.
Enjoy your day,
Andy