Spring Warmth

It is 4pm, and my office door is wide open. The temperature at the top of Ward Peak indicates it is 55 degrees. Today the sky lacked any clouds. A deep blue color covered our part of the world all day. It feels like a late spring day in the mountains. People are walking around in short sleeves or riding bikes along the Truckee River Bike Trail. When the weather is warm in March, you know the snow may be acceptable first thing in the morning, but it is going to turn to deep slush in the afternoon. Today was one of those days.

Having been out of town for a couple of days, I was not sure how to dress this morning. I knew it was going to be warm, but I did not think it was going to be hot. My mistake was to wear my regular insulated ski jacket that worked fine for the first hour or two but later made me feel as though I was in a sauna. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer, so I will have a thin jacket over a thin shirt.

South-facing slopes, especially those that were groomed last night, were smooth and soft first thing in the morning. They were delightful. Sunspot, Alpine Bowl, and Wolverine Bowl skied with ease. It was a little more firm, but not annoying, lower down. Charity, Dance Floor, Red Ridge, and Werner’s Schuss were just a little more firm than Sunspot. Most of what we skied in the morning were groomed slopes.

It did freeze overnight, although it was not a hard freeze. Thus, north-facing slopes were firm. Scott Chute was not open in the morning as it was most likely pretty firm. After a few laps on Summit, we headed to Sherwood, where we found soft spring snow, not corn, where it had been groomed.

After a few laps on the main runs, we tried Chute Zero. Chute Zero had not turned to mush yet, so it was enjoyable. Near the bottom of the run, when I attempted to ski off-piste to the groomed return road, my forward motion was quickly shut down. Areas that have not been skied since the last storm should be avoided as they will just bring you to a stop. I did venture to South Face on the next run. The slope had been skied more and offered a slightly smoother surface. There were small moguls and wet rubble from skiers making previous turns, but the ride was not rough. I imagine the snow became wetter and deeper as the day progressed. I skied the slope around 11am.

We left Sherwood and took a couple of laps on Lakeview and Scott. Outer Limits and Mountain View were just about right, but Scott’s Beam was not all that pleasant. The rubble from the day before was still firm from last night’s freeze. I am sure it was much better by 1pm. I enjoyed both Ridge Run and Bobby’s before we skied Yellow Trail. Yellow Trail was not too slushy, and so I would say it skied well. On the other hand, God’s Knob was very wet, sticky, and slushy.

Although the skiing was not perfect at all times, and I was overdressed, the warm spring weather did feel good.

I was asked if I knew when the Ikon Pass discount offer was ending. If anyone happens to know the answer, please leave a message or contact me directly. I have also been asked if Palisades has a closing date for the better side of the mountain. Again, if anyone has an answer to the question, please share it.

Anyone who knows me understands my passion for skiing. I love powder days and spring days, but once in a while it is good to take a break. This weekend we took a quick break and headed to the foothills to gaze upon green rolling hills and various colored spring flowers. Of course, horses, cows, and sheep were grazing along the way as we drove down to Sutter Creek in Amador County to enjoy a couple of days in warm weather sipping the newest releases from our favorite wineries.

We discovered these areas of El Dorado and Amador County a number of years ago. There are many wineries in these areas. Most of them are family-owned and smaller in size. It was interesting to hear some of the smaller wineries talk about the slowing of wine sales. Evidently, younger people are not drinking as much wine and/or beer these days. We enjoy visiting wineries that have been in some families for decades and often sitting, discussing more than just wine with the owners.

Back to skiing tomorrow morning.

Enjoy your day,

Andy