Winter Is Not Letting Go Yet…

As much as we may have wanted a return to spring today, it’s not happening just yet. Two days ago I mentioned that there was another weak low for Sunday. As predicted, it ended up dropping no snow, but brought more cold temperatures and clouds. Because yesterday was significantly warmer, some terrain got the melt on yesterday, and turned into a frozen mess today. Still we managed to find some very good skiing amidst the moving shadows of clouds.

Fortunately the grooming team was right back on their “A” game last night, even with a big party raging on next door. That gave plenty of options of how to get from the top of the mountain back down to Summit or Roundhouse, without all traffic being channeled through the pinch points at Sandy’s Corner and near the Chalet Speedway Zone. Perfect grooming also helped when the darker clouds suddenly blocked the sun, and either your transitioning goggles or your slow reacting pupils didn’t adjust to the low light quickly enough.

I’ve been powder hunting the last few days so I hadn’t taken the time to appreciate the smooth corduroy of Sunspot, Terry’s or Wolverine. Even D8, Bullwheel and Kangaroo Ridge got some groomer love last night. Thanks to Jeremy and his team for dialing it all in.

By 9:45, I was ready for something that required burning more calories by skiing off piste. It became clear right away that anything that got a lot of sun yesterday was going to be a non-starter today. That list included the poultry zone, Sunday School, the Sisters and below Beaver Dam, and most of Sherwood, Scott and Lakeview. Some of those areas were just corral reef this morning. There was solace to be found in north facing off piste terrain. The D’s, Peril Ridge and Waterfall all offered good winter snow. Palisades and Pygmy offered good winter snow but growing moguls. Lower on the mountain, Sympathy and Rolls and Knolls continued to be standouts.

Eventually Sherwood did get some softening today. Friends that went around 11am said it was still not ready. We went at 12pm and found the main Sherwood Run in nice slushy “pre-corn” form. For the second lap we skied Robin Hood (still not groomed) and found some decent slush bumps, but still a bit clumpy. We then took a lap down the main Sherwood Face and also found good slush bumps, with less clumps due to being more skied in. This was a pleasant surprise. Had the clouds not moved in and darkened the skies, I probably would have done several repeats.

I did take a quick lap at Lakeview and Scott before leaving today. With the continued cloudy conditions, softening was not progressing well. Outer Limits was like a Slip N Slide. Ridge Run was slightly better with a bit of shaved ice along the sunnier edge of the run.

Winter Wants To Come Back Next Weekend

Yeah, I said it. It’s looking like we get False Spring Number Four mid week, before yet another outside slider system moves in next weekend. The model runs have been pretty inconsistent with the exact placement, just like last weekend. But the last 10 model runs of the GEFS ensembles have had a fairly strong low pressure system moving in from the north by Friday morning.

So we get transitional spring weather over the next four days and we hopefully will see some decent corn development. We will get the melt part, as temperatures will rise into the 50’s midweek. The question is whether or not we get the good solid freezes overnight. Last week we saw warmer overnight temperatures that lead to very sticky ski conditions. Before we get to the warm temperatures, we have another day of east winds behind today’s weak system. That will put the chill on the upper mountain and will possibly get to the point of putting Summit on windhold for at least a portion of the day. Hopefully the upper ridges have setup enough to avoid too much wind scouring as Ski Patrol has been allowing the corn to ripen there.

There’s only three more weeks left in the Alpine Meadows season and I have not had enough spring skiing yet. I need more days of endless laps of Sherwood Face and Chute Zero. I have yet to have a nice corny lap of Juniper Face, the Promised Land or High Traverse. While I understand the reasoning behind an early closure for Alpine Meadows, it’s going to be very sad if we keep getting these weekly weak lows. Bring on spring.

It sounds like the whole Winter Wondergrass thing has been a lot of fun next door and people have been enjoying the heck out of it. Just like skiing, big crowds are not my jam, even though I like a lot of the artists that have been playing. For those into a smaller venue, Joe Kaplow will be playing at the Fox Cultural Hall in Kings Beach next Thursday, April 11. Joe is another veteran of the Lost Sierra Hoedown, and an amazing singer and songwriter. Presale tickets are just $20. Lillian Frances opens the show at 7pm.