Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

I cannot wait until tomorrow, because today was so fantastic.

Saturday

Yesterday we had fun riding TLC while snow fell, and winds caused other lifts to be closed down for the day. After eight or nine rides up to the Mid-Station of TLC, and the same number of runs down, something inside of my wet body said it was time to end the day. We had search high and low for powder often hiking to the edges of open areas. A few pleasant turns through trees where the snow had not been cut up by previous skiers made us feel good, but the soft short stretches were just that, short.

In the afternoon, snow began to fall at a rapid pace. Winds increased and roads deteriorated rapidly. I have a snowplow service for my steep curvy, driveway, and they came a couple of times during the day, but I still thought more plowing was necessary. I used my snowblower to clear the driveway a couple times between the commercial service. This should give you an idea of the amount of snow falling in a relatively short period of time. The snow was wet, and not easy to move. It was the type of snow that creates high avalanche danger. This morning I was able to observe some good size slides in Alpine Bowl, Wolverine, Beaver, and Estelle Bowls from my home. Excitement for today started to build in the middle of the night when I woke to a bright moonlit sky.

Sunday

A Saturday with new snow means one thing, lots of people racing to the mountain for a close parking space, and an early spot in line at a chairlift the next day. Today was not different. The lines at Summit and Roundhouse were excessive, but one look up at the mountain bathed in sunlight from a clear sky and the reason for the long lines became obvious. Trees dressed in snow, terrain untouched by humans, piles of new light snow waiting to be cut up into a million pieces.

Three cheers for the hard working overnight, and early morning, crew at Alpine Meadows. The main road was plowed almost to the pavement, reserve parking lots were also well plowed and awaited patrons. Of course, the yellow lines defining a parking place were obscured making the notices some people received on previous dry days irrelevant. These notices were given out to people who were not parked between the yellow lines. Parking attendants did an excellent job getting everyone a parking place even without the yellow lines visible.

The lifts opened soon after nine this morning. All of them with the exception of Alpine Bowl Chair, Scott Chair, Lakeview, and Sherwood. Hopefully, with the deep new wet snow we received these lifts will open soon. Within minutes of opening, scores of skiers and snowboarders raced down at full speed tearing blank white surfaces into an artistic Etch-a-Sketch drawing. Yelps of joy could be heard coming from all directions.

We opted for Roundhouse rather than standing in the huge Summit line. We were rewarded with snow that allowed our skis to easily glide through it. It was hard not to smile as I wiggled through stands of trees and open slopes. Chicken Leg, Yellow Trail, Sympathy, Gunner’s Knob, Rolls and Knolls, and plenty of spaces between them got my heart pumping. Higher up the mountain Sunspot, Alpine Bowl, where the rubble for a slide had not interrupted the new surface, Palisades or Pygmy Forest, Upper and Lower Saddle and Keyhole Slopes (now with better coverage) greeted anxious skiers. Today was one of those days that screamed perfection. Of course, D7, D8, Wolverine, The Face, Waterfall, Peter’s Peril, and the Sisters all accepted skiers with powder blowing up to their knees.

We had so many joyous turns off-piste, but the few turns we completed in Sherwood Forest just made my day. Twisting through the forest in fresh snow, after the upper station of TLC opened, gave me that tingling feeling of happiness.

All the steeper runs from the top of TLC were tracked up quickly, but all remain filled with soft snow. I will admit I almost skied past the closed sign meant to keep people from skiing to the bottom of the closed Sherwood Lift. The open slope below the return road from Sherwood looked good enough to eat.

The winds were picking up as afternoon began. Snow was being blown into divots made during the morning. This was beginning to create a new smooth surface as the small soft moguls created in the morning filled in with wind blown snow.

It was a great day. Thank you to the mountain crew for getting everything ready, and for opening as much of the mountain as you did given the harsh conditions in front you.

I cannot wait for tomorrow.

Enjoy your day,
Andy