It’s Feeling A Bit Tight Around Here

It’s not a comfortable place to be. We’re getting into what is normally is one of the busiest parts of the ski season. I finally did the math on what part of the mountain is actually open. I’m going to warn you, it is not pretty. The terrain that is currently available for skiing and riding at Alpine Meadows is about 48 acres, out of a possible 753 acres. The quick math says that is 6.4% of the mountain. Ouch.

Those figures are based on estimates from mapped runs on the 2015 Alpine Meadows Master Plan. If you include all of the “hike to” terrain along High Traverse and the northern bowls, we are skiing something closer to 1-2% of available terrain. That is a mountain manager’s and Ski Patrol nightmare.

Yes, Mother Nature is a cruel mistress this season. The natural snow storms this season have barely added up and nearly all of the skiing done to date at Alpine Meadows is thanks to the work of the mountain ops team making snow and pushing the snow around at night to best cover a small part of the mountain. As we have dropped into the first “soft week” of the winter holidays, where all schools are not out yet, the slopes are getting more crowded than many of us are comfortable with. We can grin all we like about how we were able to secure a reservation in the parking lot for the upcoming 9 peak days. If that parking lot were to actually fill up…well I can’t even imagine what that might look like.

As it is, I have been really limiting my ski days lately. By 10:30am, there are no lift lines, but the few available slopes become superhighways. Unfortunately, it’s not all super highway, as it is part super highway with advanced skiers and riders; it’s also part sidewalk, with people that are just barely in control of their skis or boards; and then there’s the parking lot problem, where groups of people just stop in the middle of the slope. Because I want to ski the entire season, I have been ending my days pretty early lately.

The good news is that new terrain is opening over the hill tomorrow. The Shirley Lakes zone is opening tomorrow, as is the Belmont Park zone. That will give far less incentive for people to step into a southbound gondola cabin from the other side. We found ourselves wondering aloud today “What if Alpine Meadows had a lift that started above 7500 feet going to the top of the mountain?” 🤣

For the last two weeks, we have at least had access to the Roundhouse lift. That was an exciting addition for sure, especially with the tease that Red Trail could open soon, pending additional snowmaking. Unfortunately, we have had this rainy and foggy dreary week where snowmaking was just not possible. Yesterday, there was that “powder alert” announcing 7 inches of new snow, and then revised estimates of 11 inches or more at the top of the mountain. Oh the irony…

There’s the rub. From about 7300 feet upward, coverage looks slim but do-able. It’s that last 500 foot of vertical that is the problem area. But bringing ourselves back to 6 months ago, here’s what that looked like:

We endured, enjoying the idea of keeping it open even when it sucked. There was no such thing as waiting for it to get better, as it was never going to get better. Maybe that’s where we are now….not getting better any time soon. Then again, I am not in charge. It’s not my mountain.

Here’s the way it looked today:

The Summit lift was turning a bit this morning, putting all of these crazy ideas into our heads…actually that started with yesterday’s Powder Alert!™

I totally appreciate what we have. We just need more of it based on the zillion passes that have been sold after two great Decembers in a row and the marketing bonanza of the B2B Gondola.

Will It Snow Next Week?

Who else is sick of never ending drizzle and fog? Just when it looked like we might get a sunny day this morning, a whole new fog bank moved in. Here’s the view at 10:52, when it looked kind of cool. By 11:11 it was pea soup fog top to bottom.

There has been some chatter about the “possibility” of some colder storms next week. But nobody meaningful is suggesting anything with any certainty that far out. The behind the scenes chatter from actual “people in the know” is that the storms next week also may become yet another cutoff low out in the Pacific. The trend has been to pull back on any ideas of a significant pattern change as we head into 2024. That is not the news we really want to hear right now, but it is the reality we face. Hopefully we can get lower temperatures and lower humidities that will allow snowmaking to continue in earnest. Meanwhile, I hope that the powers that be consider opening some sub-optimal terrain soon.

Here’s the Forecast Trend GIF of the ensemble forecast for total snowfall through Dec 31. You can see that each successive model run is pretty consistent in lowering the amount of total snowfall next week. That is not a consistent trend we like. Have I mentioned that limited ski terrain and poor snow forecasts also have a big impact on our readership numbers at Unofficial Alpine? Ouch.

Limited Edition Stickers Now Available

For the first time ever, I am making our limited edition holographic Unofficial Alpine stickers available to the general public. Previously, you had to be an advertiser, contributor or a super fan to get a hold of one of these. Head to our Stickers page to place an order. We charge a nominal cost that barely covers printing and shipping. Our basic stickers are always available. Thanks for enjoying Unofficial Alpine and showing your support.

Well those sold out in record time! I guess I should order more!