Two Of My Favorite Things: Scott Chair & Insta-Corn

I did the unusual thing today of skiing the late shift, due to an early appointment in Reno. That meant when I arrived at Alpine Meadows in the afternoon, most of my typical ski buddies were already done. So it was a “soul skiing” afternoon, with the big draw for me being the opening of the Scott chair for the first time this season. It was unexpectedly good.

First off, let’s be clear. Just because they opened the chair today, it does not mean that they open all of the associated terrain. When I checked the Palisades app in the morning, it showed all runs closed except for Scott Ridge. Not open today: Scott Chute, the Promised Land, Gentian Gully, Lower 40 and Seldom Slides. This should not have been a mystery, as that west facing terrain was slicker than snot after a rain on snow event this week. By the time I arrived this afternoon, patrollers had pushed a boundary line out all of the way to Mountain View and the Weasel Return road on the sunnier side of Scott.

One of the few good things about a rain on snow even is that it can accelerate the growth of ice crystals, resulting in “insta-corn”, which skis very much like good old spring corn. I had to do a lot of sampling to make sure it was good. I did laps on Ridge, Bobby’s, Upper and Lower Standard, Mountain View and points in between. It was all really fun. That said it is low tide still, with a lot of brush and rocks to wreck your day. Similar insta-corn was also available on Tower 19 and across to Solar Flare. I’m guessing there’s some other locations on the mountain that I will find with a longer ski day tomorrow.

There are not even any patroller tracks in Scott Chute or into Gentian Gully yet, so that gives you an idea that they are feeling it is risky. I did see patrollers taking test laps in Seldom Slides today, not leaving much of any tracks. There was a thin layer of high clouds today that may have impeded softening. Tomorrow?

I had hoped to get a gander at Sherwood today but the top of Hotter Wheels was closed again today. It could be that they are doing prep work on that side. Or it could be that they are just helping people from making stupid decisions with some slide for life conditions out there.

This got sent to me. I am here to tell you that there is nowhere on the mountain that is skiing anything like 49 inches of powder. Coverage on much of the mountain has improved, but it’s still low tide out there. Some terrain remains unskiable, at least safely. Hopefully we will see more snow soon as the slopes are seeing more crowds with each passing day, as are towns around North Lake Tahoe. The holiday period is here.

Is It Going To Be Rain Or Snow?

The forecast is slightly better than the last time I reported. We are about to enter a more active weather pattern. There’s less chatter about AR in the mix. That’s important. It has reduced the amount of liquid snowfall we could see this weekend when snow levels are slightly higher. It’s also reduced the snow levels to a less alarming level, meaning we should have a white Christmas as the second storm does come in somewhat colder.

The first GIF shows potential QPF of any type. Note that the first two waves are quite weak. The wave arriving on Christmas eve and into Christmas day is a bit more amplified, bring more precipitation and bringing it further south.

The second GIF is for 24 snowfall amounts. There’s not really a significant amount of snow until the Christmas eve portion.

Looking at the closer up views, the Saturday storm brings a wet 2-3 inches of snow above 7000 feet and the Christmas storm is showing closer to 10-12 inches of snow at a somewhat lower snow level. The point forecast for Alpine Meadows verifies that number for Saturday. The other storm is too far out to be sure. I hope to have more time for a detailed look tomorrow.

See you out there tomorrow.