Dude, it was epic to be back on skis after a two-day break. Conditions have improved, even though the weather has been warm overall. The off-piste terrain is solid, opening up more sick spots to shred. Today, I found myself opting for off-piste skiing more than staying on the groomed runs, using the groomed terrain only to get back to the lifts.
Wednesdays and Thursdays are now the “new weekends” since the other side of the break is closed. Those days get super crowded, bro. Only Alpine Bowl and Wolverine were groomed this morning, so it seemed chill to avoid the traffic. From Tower 23 and skier’s left all the way to Solar Flare, the snow was prime with minimal sun cups and ruts, and the corn conditions were rad. It was even smoother than skiing the rutted up Alpine Bowl, man.
There was a delay in opening Sherwood today due to a mechanical issue, so High Traverse didn’t open either. Major bummer, bro. Once Sherwood finally opened, we hightailed it over there from TLC. Only the main Sherwood Run was groomed, and most people rode that wave. Sherwood Right Face and Chute Zero were way more fun than last week. The snow was good, but the sun cups weren’t cool. We made it our mission to eliminate as many sun cups as possible with some sick smeary turns in that area this morning. Powerline was pretty sweet too, except the lower angle made for some bigger sun cups. We found ourselves wishing there was a cold beverage available every time we passed the Ice Bar, bro.
Scott opened around 11 am. We did the obligatory runs on Ridge and Bobby’s first, and then we started planning our sick mission to hit Gentian Gully. The amount of snow that’s melted at the top of Scott since Sunday is insane dude. The Patrol Shack Roundabout and the usual routes to Gentian are done for. The easiest entry is by taking a quick dip into Subdivision Bowl.
I checked my photo history and socials posts, but couldn’t find a single photo of skiing Gentian Gully in May. The snow is all corny, and the moguls have melted down a bit. Thanks for the bombdiggity tip, TahoeSkiBum. With Subway closed for the season, it’s important to plan an early exit strategy to get back to TLC. We took the Subway Cliffs (aka Ice Cliffs) as our exit. Usually, it’s a gnarly rocky zone above the cliffs, but this year, not a single rock in sight. Sweet!
If you look at the burnout at the top of Scott near the lift unload, along Summer Road, and even at the top of Scott Chute, it would take a massive amount of snow farming to keep Scott open past this weekend. So, get your shred on while you still can.
Caltrans is doing a gnarly repaving project between Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows. The potholes there have been gnarly for months. They started early, causing major delays. When we left today, southbound traffic was backed up past Olympic Valley. It’s far out that the potholes will be gone, but be prepared for long drive times along Highway 89.
Temps are gonna warm up a few degrees in the next couple of days. Saturday and Sunday might bring some thunderstorms to the Sierra. Lightning and ski lifts don’t mix, man. Saturday is also the Cushing Crossing on the other side, and all the cool kids will be there. Object Heavy is playing at the Alpine Meadows Sun Deck on Friday afternoon, followed by Peter Joseph Burtt and Kingtide on Saturday.
Here’s a dope fact: The bar on the Alpine Sun Deck used to be called the “Buttress Bar.” Who knew? Today, we saw a surfboard hung up there with the new name “Aloha Bar.” I have no idea if that’s just a spring thing or a permanent change, bro.
Surfer lingo translation by ChatGPT and inspired by a surfboard
Radical report dude!