A pictures is worth a thousand words.
Parts of the mountain were once again shrouded in a gray cloud, although other slopes saw brighter conditions including a little sunshine. New snow graced the slopes this morning brought to us by an overnight storm. I think we received somewhere between 3 inches and 6 inches of snow overnight allowing us to consider this morning a powder morning. The snow was not all that deep, and not particularly light, but there was a clean slate for the early crew.
It felt like powder, especially on the north facing slopes. South facing slopes, such as the Sherwood Face, were not as pleasant. These slopes felt as if the snow was wetter and heavier than the surface on the north facing slopes. I made a few turns below Ray’s Rut next to the water tower. The surface felt very much like it was wind packed and wet as if it were new snow on a spring day. On the other hand, the old T-Bar line leading to Lakeview Chair was very nice offering a lighter more friendly surface. Standard Run did not disappoint nor did Scott Meadow.
Gentian Gully always puts a smile on my face. Today was no different than normal. Turning through the trees on a mostly untracked slope always lifts my spirits. We found short untracked spaces under Alpine Bowl Chair and in other secret locations.
I was not happy with the conditions once people had duly tracked up the slopes.
Skiing became more uncomfortable in many areas as the snow set up and patrons ripped up the surface. A heavy and firming pack became lumpy and bumpy. It turned into conditions that bounce one around causing backs to scream out in pain. These conditions take more concentration and effort until they are well skier packed. Another issue is that the snow was wet causing it to becomes very hard, something like concrete.
I am not trying to be negative because there was plenty of excellent skiing in the morning on naked slopes, but it became more difficult to find those perfect stretches as the morning progressed into the afternoon.
Enjoy your day,
Andy
Yes the first hour was great, but then quickly deteriorated due to the high water content of the snow and the cold temperatures. If it was my turn to write today’s report, my title might have been:
“A Tour Of The Cobblestone Streets of Alpine Meadows”
I’m looking forward to a few sunny days and a resultant lack of powder fever.
Heard there was some race thingy going on next door this weekend….
I’ve been grumpy about (REDACTED) in the past, but I thought this post was sweet. Reproduced the joy of skiing Alpine while still writing lovely sentences and still being cagey about the secret lines. But in a way that showed love. 5*