No, conditions were still not ideal today. But there I was sliding on snow with a half dozen friends, and having conversations on each lift ride that varied from solving world problems to the completely inane humor of 7th graders. All skiing is good, especially when the crowds are gone. I was thankful to be at Alpine Meadows today.
Today, it was still all about the groomed slopes, many of which were very good, and some that were not as good. After yesterday’s breakable crust, I had some hope that maybe the off piste conditions might be better today. There’s several things that can improve the situation when the mountain is ensconced in breakable crust: more grooming, a lot of solar radiation, a lot of skier traffic or a fat layer of new snow. None of those things was happening this morning.
Due to a case of missing ski gloves, I missed the first lap on Summit this morning. While I was checking in with lost and found, my ski buddies sampled Sunspot first thing this morning. Then they tried to coerce me to check it out for the second lap. I was smart enough to see that not one of them were going back for a second lap. Word on the street was that by around noon, there had been enough traffic there to make it skiable…not good, but skiable. I had really hoped we would get a big dose of solar radiation to soften things up today, but the persistent high level clouds kept that from happening.
What was groomed was pretty good. But grooming is still in minimal mode. A lot of slopes are not getting groomed yet and some that have been groomed were a bit narrower in some places. With flat lighting, it was easy to get tripped up today as there were patches of funk left where things were groomed just a couple of days ago. We found our best turns on Ridge & Bobby’s off of Scott this morning. On the right side of those runs, there’s an almost quasi-corn consistency to the snow. That was much better than the cookies found on other areas of the mountain. Unfortunately many agreed with that assessment, so that zone got busy today.
Actually all of the groomed runs felt pretty busy today, even though the mountain was not crowded by any metric. It was just one of those days where 97% of people were staying on piste. Tomorrow is looking like more of the same. Hopefully the afternoon shift was able to break up the crust in a few more areas, or the grooming crew will be able to get a bit more stuff done tonight. One notable improvement was that some cat work time was invested in building out the lower and wider road across the top of Hot Wheels gully on Upper Weasel One. That’s huge as until yesterday, the trail forced everyone to take the high route to the right of the trees. Being that section was a tighter turn, and uphill, it was causing traffic jams when snow skiers or boarders could not make it up the hill, stalling out on the blind corner.
There was a helicopter making some up close-up laps around Alpine Meadows today. It seemed like more than your basic flyover, as they were lower than usual, then hovering in place and panning as if they were filming. There were a lot of guesses as to what was up. Most recently, helicopters have transported gear, work crews or propane to the top of the mountain. Some guessed that maybe a search for an escaped convict was underway. There were also thoughts that maybe a prospective buyer for the mountain would rescue us from the clutches of Alterra. Then I remembered seeing the big semi with an auto trailer parked in Lot 4 this morning. Perhaps an auto commercial was being filmed somewhere around Alpine Meadows. We have seen that before.
Two Storms & Possibly Another Busy Weekend Ahead
We still have one minor impulse and two storm systems on tap for the weekend. There’s been a couple of changes since I last took a deep dive into the weather. My thinking as I got up this morning was that the title of today’s report would be “AR Mateys!”, with kind of a pirate’s look at two or three AR storms for the weekend. But over the last 24 hours, the models are looking like the storms won’t pick up much in the way of subtropical moisture, hence not really AR events anymore. What they look like is two slow moving lows that will maintain a lot of southerly flow. The end result is that there’s not quite as much snow forecast, but we hopefully will see slightly lower snow levels.
The first little bump brings clouds tomorrow, then snow late in the afternoon, just as people are wanting to drive to Tahoe for the weekend. This is a weak impulse and snow levels will be right about at pass levels. This will improve the weekend commute for many. Also, we have a lot of “slick stuff” on the mountain right now, and it is better for the next storm to come in a bit warm, then cool down. That promotes better bonding of new snow to the old base. So think about that when you’re sad about a little wetness to begin the weekend.
The first real low arrives midday Saturday and has the potential to bring 12-18 inches of snow, with snow levels currently forecasting at 6000-6500 feet. A second low moves in midday Sunday and could also bring another 12 to 18 inches of snow. Snow levels could be closer to 7000 feet on that one. The first low moves through on a traditional west to east path. The second looks to slip more down the Sierra into SoCal. The colder core never real gets to us. That is the way the models look today.
Hopefully with these two systems, we get to the point where we will get more terrain open off Scott, the top part of TLC and Sherwood sometime next week. Lakeview…dunno, as it needs a lot of snow. The upper bowls and High Traverse? Well, I would understand if Ski Patrol felt those areas are still a bit touchy.
Friday Morning Update: The model trend overnight has been to weaken these systems further due to splitting. This is similar to most of the storms we have seen this season.
FYI…free parking reservations are gone for the weekend at Alpine Meadows and the north annex.
After that, it looks like the storm door closes for a bit, and we could see some very spring like weather. It wouldn’t be January if we did not get at least some “June-ary”. It seems to be a tradition in Tahoe. We even saw it during last season’s huge winter. I am a sucker for corn snow or even spring like snow. As long as we get more terrain out of these weekend storms, I’ll take a quieter period where we can just go skiing without a lot of drama.
Got Goggles?
I’m telling the truth here, this is NOT a paid promotion, just something to share. I am now into my third, or maybe fourth, season skiing with Glade goggles. Today was another one of those flat light days where I found myself just beaming in delight to be wearing the Glade Adapt 2 goggles, which come with a photochromatic lens for every day use. If there is even a hint of light in the sky, the lenses offer amazing contrast, which still surprises me, several seasons later.
I also find that the frames are comfortable, and the lenses are more fog free than any goggle I have ever owned. I even had a weird incident this year where the lens was partially out of the frame (locker abuse) and I went out on a rainy day. The water pouring off of my helmet made a pool in between the lenses and I swore I saw fish swimming in there. But I drained them out, and left them near the heater. No spotting, and no fogging at all, even after that weird incident. I don’t use a goggle case, goggle bag or a goggle keeper and I always wipe with a glove. My current pair is still scratch free after 200+ days. Did I say I love these goggles?
Yes, I have owned plenty of expensive goggles…Smith ChromaPop, Oakley Flight Decks. But I hate paying the higher cost and then quickly destroying them. I won’t do that any more. The Glade Adapt2 is normally a bargain at $149. They are currently on sale for $119, tax and shipping included. They also have some other models at 20% off. It’s really a great deal. Take a look around the mountain the next time you’re there and you will see a lot of people that have made the jump. You should consider it too.
Currently Glade goggles are only sold online, but I do see that they are looking for retailers to carry them next year. If you fit into the “I have to try them on first” category, they may be in a shop next season. They likely won’t be such a bargain in a shop.
Great shout out for Glade goggles. A number of us who ski primarily in the north annex are wearing them and love them. Prices right and I can’t believe how great they are in flat light.
I was having fun with the crew this morning until I had to stop to make a phone call. I never found the posse again, but I did run into a friend who pushed me to ski into the afternoon hours. The snow got better and better and we skied some non-groomed runs. Werner’s was really fun even though the moguls are rather larger. Yellow Trail skied well where the breakable crust had been broken up by other skiers. D8 skied very well, but Wolverine (below Idiot’s Delight) softened after noon and proved to delightful. Rolls and Knolls had been chewed up by others, thus removing the crust from yesterday. We did ski Ridge Run and Bobby’s. Both were pretty good, but obviously groomed.
Per the Helicopter and Semi’s: We took the gondola over to Palisades around noon (the 4 year olds request) and noticed a handful of nice trucks at White Wolf and a few tables set up. They were gone by the time we returned at 3. I think the car commercial theory is right!
And Adapt 2 comes with low nose bridge version, loving this pair of photochromic goggles in all light condition except probably the final half hour before closing. But hey, the days are getting longer. Also tired of crummy service from Oakley and Smith and want to spread the idea of supporting a small Colorado-based underdog.
I also like the Glade goggles. When I bought them I wasn’t sure they could be good for so much less, but they are that good or better than the more expensive brands. Always good to share good experiences.
I like that you are grateful for each day of skiing. Many of us wish we could do the same. Keep trucking.
Thanks Sammy!