So far, the overnight temperatures have been holding pretty near freezing this week, and that means that we have been advancing through the corn cycle very nicely. In recent weeks, we kept getting those weak weekend storms that interrupted the corn cycle. The last time it was this good was back on March 19th. Here’s the rating for today:
The south facing groomed runs have been phenomenal the last two days. With the closure of Lakeview, that would be Scott Ridge, Bobby’s and Sherwood Run. There are a couple of caveats, the first being that those runs are pretty busy during the prime hours of the morning. The second is that Sherwood Run is getting narrower by the day with the accelerating melt rate and the rapid appearance of rocks. Scott Ridge and Bobby’s still have decent coverage but word on the street is that Scott is done after this weekend as there are a lot of dead trees that need to be cut there too.
The south facing off piste runs are really coming into shape. Of course we have to talk about High Traverse here, which has now offered just amazing corn top to bottom first thing in the morning. Sadly, the limit has been about 2 runs a day for those willing to get after it. While that may be disappointing, it’s those early closures that make the next day so good again. My jam this week has been to do one excellent High Traverse run, then stay at Sherwood. I don’t want the memory of that first great run to be overshadowed by a potentially sticky second run.
Never fear though, as all of the off piste terrain of of Sherwood has also been great. It was good enough that I put in 9 laps there before it got a bit sticky. That would be the reason for the 3.5 out of 4 corn rating. The steep sections of Sherwood Face, Chute Zero and South Face are very good corn. But the flat runouts back to the lift are still getting sticky by 11ish.
If you’re still hunting for winter snow, you are out of luck at the minute. Even the north facing terrain is already transitioning to spring corn. We found nice spring turns this afternoon just about every where you looked: the D Chutes, the Face and Waterfall, Pygmy Forest & Palisades and in Medium Yellow. The exceptions may be Sun Spot, Tower 19 and South Peril, which are seeing a bit too much sun.
Right now, the spring weather continues into mid next week. Some models are trying to bring in a weak system by the end of next week. At this point, I have already transitioned to spring mode, so I hope it does not snow. Just 11 more days to enjoy Alpine Meadows…
Congrats to Shaydar Edelmann
Shaydar Edelmann will be making a return to Lake Tahoe. Edelmann will become the new General Manager and VP of Operations at Heavenly Valley Resort. Most recently Edelmann has been the Senior Director of Mountain Operations at Park City Mountain. Why does this matter to us? Shaydar started his career in the ski industry at Alpine Meadows managing competitions and events and then ski school and other areas. During that time, I had a chance to work with Shaydar quite a bit as a volunteer with Far West Freestyle. He was phenomenal at helping us run mogul, big air and halfpipe events at Alpine Meadows. Shaydar later moved on to leadership positions at Boreal before moving to Park City around 2011. Edelmann is noted for his sustainability initiatives and for his innovative approaches to operating during a pandemic. Welcome back to Tahoe Shaydar!
I like your strategy of getting one great run and then focusing on lift served runs that are also very good. Followed you to what I think is Chute Zero today and it will become a new standard for me.
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I am really happy for you that you got to enjoy some good spring corn. This season certainly has had its ups and downs, as you have reported, Including only a fraction of the mountain even open for what, a quarter or third of the season? It seems to me that you all have earned the good days this year, and I’m happy to read about it when you get them.