Sweet Moguls to Suncups

For a moment this morning I thought the Alpine Meadows Ski Resort had gone private. Driving into he parking lot was a breeze, as there were very few cars ahead of me. Of course they open at 8am so it was a little early for many people. The reason apparently was that the other valley had been closed for a couple of days. The crowds from Wednesday and Thursday evidently moved back home. The result was an uncrowded and delightful morning at Alpine Meadows.

It is late in the year and slopes support a number of different conditions. The conditions varied from very nice smooth groomed runs in Alpine Bowl and Wolverine, as well as on Ridge and Bobby’s Trails, to areas covered with dirt, tree limbs, and other obstacles. I noted some trees down and laying on the ground in Wolverine Bowl far below Idiot’s Delight. It appeared obvious that these were torn out of the ground by an avalanche. There were a number of trails that had been well skied and were in good condition. I enjoyed Pygmy Forest, D6, D7, Pete’s Peril, Sympathy Face, Counterweight Gully, and the Face itself. A number of these had good sized moguls that created a challenge, but they were all in good spring condition. The moguls were not too soft or mushy.

The Face:  Moguls, but they were fun to ski

The best skiing was where others had ventured before as previous skiers smoothed out the ungroomed areas where good medium size suncups exist. We walked the High Traverse to Upper Saddle, skied Sun Bowl, and adjoining slopes. We found a mixture of suncups, that make for a rough ride, and smoothed out areas from previous ski parties. I enjoyed it, but it was rough in spots.

Looks dirty coming down from Tower 19, but it was fairly smooth and skied nicely

Patty on the lower portion of Sun Bowl .  The upper section was much better

It was a beautiful morning even if there were some suncup where others had not ski and smooth the slope out

We did take a few runs on the South Face slopes that have been well skied the last couple of days. Although snow is disappearing quickly there is still plenty to keep one happy. You do have to open your eyes and watch for dirt and rocks that are appearing in many places.

View of Sherwood this morning. Sherwood Face and looker’s left of South Face were better than it looks in this photo

Before heading back into the locker room we turned down the smooth runs off Scott Chair that had both been groomed overnight. They were still in good condition at noon. Scott Chute, Gentian, and Promised Land were open, but I did not make to any of these today. Scott Chute is filled with moguls, but it looked okay.

We skied until noon when the sky darkened and rain drops began to fall. Shortly after calling it day a lightening hold closed some lifts. Temperatures on the mountain ranged from the mid- forties to fifty degrees with little to no wind.

Off we go into the Memorial Day Weekend. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.

Enjoy your day,

Andy