Super, Super, Day

There is nothing like peeking out the window at first light viewing a foot of new snow piled up on my deck railing.  Almost as exciting is the view that comes into focus of the Alpine Meadows crest that links Alpine, Wolverine, Beaver, and Estelle Bowls, as the first rays of sunshine brighten their pristine slopes.

We have had a rather inconvenient stretch of unpleasant weather the past few days. This included: winds too high to allow lifts to spin;  snow that was very wet, soaking clothing, and rain that created very icy conditions as soon as temperatures dropped below freezing.  Today was a different day.  The sky was blue and sunshine flooded our mountains. Between the afternoon snow that fell yesterday, and the snow that fell overnight, approximately a foot of new snow sat calmly waiting to be cut into pieces.  A few avalanches were set off by ski patrol, not a surprise given the consistency of the snow. There it was, lying in front of us as we drove up to the lodge.  A perfect sparkling white blanket covering our memories from the past few days.

It is important to remember to stop and gaze at the pristine wonder that lies before us as we load a chair lift.  Most days that are this beautiful do not last. Today was no different than any other Saturday during a holiday period of time. Anxious skiers and boards all showed up very early this morning.  A whole heck of a lot of them raced to the base of various lifts and waited for the opening bell to ring. This created long lift lines, but people seemed to fairly calm with the situation knowing they would all be screaming with joy in just a few moments.

We rode Roundhouse and then Alpine Bowl Chair, hoping to find some fresh snow when we reached the top.  Lucky for us, we did find some soft untouched snow to make us smile.

There were a lot of yelps heard all over the mountain from happy people turning in new snow.  The amazing thing was that it only seemed to take minutes for the new white pristine pallet to be etched into oblivion. As we rode Alpine Bowl Chair, we watched Sunspot and Alpine Bowl become destroyed with tracked at record speed.

We found plenty of open spaces to make our powder turns all over the mountain. I found happiness turning through tightly spaced trees in forested areas and amongst willow bushes. I guess the only two negatives this morning were the number of friends, neighbors, and lucky vacationers who had to share the mountain that was so quickly tracked up. Also the fact that the Sherwood Express Lift had mechanical issues and was closed for the day.

There were tracks made by skiers and boarders on all parts of the mountain.  Beaver Bowl, Estelle Bowl, Bernie’s Bowl, and the Buttress were trashed, so to speak.

One of my friends noted that they had taken the Gondola to Palisades Tahoe, and unloaded at the top of KT22. When they reached the base of KT22 they were surprised to see no real waiting time.  They rode KT22 two or three time without the need for waiting in a long line.  This same person wanted me to make sure I described today as a, “Super, Super Great Day”. The quote might not be exact, but I think it summed it up well.  A wonderful day for all.

Enjoy your day.

Andy