A few thin clouds hung in the air at the beginning of the ski day, but they soon disappeared, leaving us with a bright sunny day. The Palisades app indicated that the temperature at 1pm was 47 degrees at the base of Alpine and 38 at the top of the mountain. February 22, 2025, turned out to be a very warm, sunny day.
Spring days tend to create various conditions at various times of the day. Firm conditions normally exist on slopes receiving the first rays of sun each morning. As the sun rises and temperatures increase, ice on sunny slopes softens, offering skiers and snowboarders a lovely spring surface for making perfect turns. If the freeze and warming conditions have existed for a few days, the surface may turn to corn. If you like spring skiing, then corn is your favorite. I watched a number of people hiking the High Traverse early this morning. I wondered if conditions were firm on the south- facing slopes as they normally would be early in the morning.
It seemed early to be heading to South Face at 9am. I waited until sometime after 10 am to give it a try. The wet spring surface was just right for me. It was not sticky. It was not too soft. Some people do not like spring conditions, but I do. I am sure I had a smile on my face when I reached the bottom of the run.
A visit to Broccoli Tree always enhances the day’s skiing experience. I did find some firm areas in the run near Broccoli Tree and near the bottom of the run at a lower elevation, but most of the area was still in pleasant winter condition. Palisades and High Yellow also remain in nice winter condition.
Lines were pretty long on some lifts this morning. Summit had a fairly full corral, TLC seemed reasonable, Scott was not bad, but the Sherwood line took a little time.
Skiing past the Ice Bar at Sherwood and the Chalet at the base of Scott near lunchtime indicated people were outside enjoying the beautiful weather.
Grooming this morning was excellent and prolific. Perfect grooming does create a surface that urges people to ski too fast. Think about the other people on a slope who are not as good a skier or snowboarder as you are before heading straight down hill at high speed.
Enjoy your day,
Andy
P.S. Just before heading to South Face, I rode the chair with a lovely couple that live part-time in Tahoe Donner. They are avid readers of Unofficial Alpine. I shot a photo of them with Lake Tahoe in the background to help show the beauty of the day.
It’s so coincidental that this lovely couple had a conversation with UA about UA.
I find myself looking at everyone in the parking lot, in the liftline, at Treats, wondering “is that Andy? is that Mark?”
It would be so great to shake your hands and thank you in person for the job you’re doing.
Read it everyday.
Karen- I have breakfast and ski with the infamous Mark and Andy everyday.
One way to find them is to look for two guys flying down a chicken run with 10 people following them and you will get to meet them.
BTW: Mark loves the funnel cake fries with chocolate dip so another place to find Mark is at The Chalet on uncrowded days.
Good luck and enjoy unofficial Alpine.