Spring Skiing Capital?

No, ski conditions are not ideal right now. You can either suck it up and enjoy what’s there, or you can mope about it. It’s almost Christmas, and today it felt like the spring skiing capital at Alpine Meadows. If it’s not going to snow, I guess that is okay.

Let’s get to the elephant in the room. Yes, it was crowded today, in particular on the ski slopes. Yes, two chairlifts were added to the schedule in the last two days. But those two chairlifts basically serve the same terrain we have been skiing since the season started. With the opening of Roundhouse, only Rock Garden, Upper Weasel One and Lower Loop Road have been added to open terrain. The last master plan lists Rock Garden at 9.9 acres and Loop Road at 4.5 acres. Compared to the terrain that has been open, skiable terrain only increased about 10%, while uphill lift capacity more than doubled. To say the least, the “comfortable carrying capacity” of the mountain was exceeded today.

The problem was not insurmountable. The good thing was that the lift lines were very tolerable. The slopes were mostly tolerable, as long as you chose your line carefully, evaluated which skiers and riders around your were most likely to be problematic. and then time your skiing to avoid problems. It also helped to know the biggest problem areas today, here they are:

• Upper Weasel One: This steep and relatively narrow section is definitely a Jerry trap. Low level skiers and riders panic and sit down, littering the slopes with bodies. The worst place is around the turn onto Lower Loop Road, where slow snowboarders stop to unstrap and get up a small rise. Fortunately the mountain ops teams widened out this area substantially overnight. Later in the day, as the snow transitioned to a quasi-corn, beginners found more confidence here.
• The Weasel Headwall: We mentioned this the other day…that steeper breakover on Weasel run has been terrifying beginners since Alpine Meadows opened. By 9:20 this morning, the corduroy turned in to deep sugar. It’s very difficult to snowplow in that stuff, or to do a falling leaf if you are on a snowboard. The mixture of fast skiers and turtles is a bad mix. We really appreciate every patroller that played speed cop at the slow banner today.
• The Trail of Tears: This is the name for the flat road between the Chalet and the Tiegel Park. Today it was a mix of a forest of four year olds begging for an adult to push them, and adults acting like four year olds, by speeding through that zone so they did not have to push.

It was possible to string together some decent runs, just knowing what areas to avoid, or just using common sense. What was not okay was to duck a rope and ski or ride in a closed area. We saw a group of about seven get caught by Ski Patrol coming down Yellow Run, which is currently closed, and it is absolutely positively very well marked as closed. I hope Patrol ended their day. I know…I said the other day that I would like to ski Yellow. But I know I have skied that terrain a thousand times and know the danger zones pretty well…yet I still obey Patrol closures. They are the boss. Don’t duck ropes.

I noted that Red Trail finally got its first rolling by a groomer this afternoon. I can’t read too much into that. As much as I would love for that to open soon, it is most likely a preliminary roll just to get the base compacted before there’s any rain, and to prepare for more snowmaking.

Rain & Snow Chances Increased

Taking a look at the models since yesterday’s report, the chances of both rain and snow are increasing. The only model run I considered today is the GEFS ensembles, as that really has been the one that seems to have any merit. I also did not look at anything beyond Wednesday.

Takeaway number one is that we probably will not escape the rain totally. Right now there is a pretty solid chance we see 1-2 inches of rain at Alpine Meadows. That is far better that some of those 10-12 inch numbers presented by earlier forecasts. It will erase some snow, but it won’t be a complete washout.

Takeaway number two is that the models have moderated a bit on snow levels. Looking at the current runs, they are keeping snow levels at 7500-8000 feet Sunday night into Monday, then lowering closer to possibly 7000 feet by Tuesday into Wednesday. The GEFS even calls for 4-6 inches of snow by Wednesday evening. Theoretically we could come out slightly ahead on the lower mountain and make some good gains on the upper mountain. I’ll take it. Monday could be unpleasant for skiing but I have not missed a day since November 14th.

It Was A Two Sport Day

We had a lot of multi-sport days back when Alpine Meadows was open in the late spring and summer. It’s not something you expect to have on December 16th. We saddled up the bikes and rode out on the Martis Valley trail all of the way to where it turns up the hill by the golf course. There were a few snowy sections in the shade of the trees, but out in the open valley, the trail was snow free. I even did the ride in a sweatshirt and without gloves. If it’s not snowing, I’ll take that as a win.