Let’s Talk About Spring Skiing

It was another fine day of spring skiing at Alpine Meadows, and sadly, people don’t know what they are missing. Honestly I had one of my best runs of the season this morning. The corn is really getting to that great stage where conditions are much more predictable, the weather is mostly sunny, meaning you can wear a lot less clothing. Also there’s the two and three sport days possible, where spring skiing plays an integral role. Biking is still on tap for my afternoon.

Myth: If NOAA forecasts don’t show freezing temperatures, skiing will be mushy

This is false. While there is some correlation between air temperature and the snow surface, it’s not as much as you would think. This is where I will give you the science lesson you may have missed in middle school because you were shooting spit wads or passing notes in class.

The term “temperature” and “heat” are not the same thing. Temperature is a measure only of the energy contained in each molecule, or how fast they are vibrating. Heat is a measure of temperature and the mass of an object.

So looking at this as it applies to snow. The overnight temperature at Summit only got to 39°, which is above freezing. But air has very little mass. The temperature of the snow itself can be below freezing, say 28°. But the huge mass of the snow on the mountain is ginormous. Think about the last time you shoveled snow. So the amount of heat in the air is far less the the amount of heat (or lack of heat) in the snow. So the heat of the air has little impact on the temperature of the snow. If you get warm and windy, that can have a bigger impact.

So the upshot is, within reason, even if the air temperature is above freezing you can still get a good “ground freeze”. Groomed slopes tend to freeze better than ungroomed slopes due to the greater density of the snowpack. Most of the groomers were nice and firm this morning, some may say even too firm. It made me appreciate the freshly factory tuned Deathwishes this morning even more.

High Traverse Opened Today, But You May Have Missed It

High Traverse finally opened this morning after more than week of controversial “corn farming”. It was not open for long, but the one run I managed to squeeze in was heavenly, one of the most memorable of the season. I’m pretty sure that had we not already been at Sherwood when we noticed the open sign we could have gotten in two runs before it was closed again. Why did it close so quickly? It’s been a time honored tradition at Alpine Meadows to keep High Traverse as smooth as possible during corn season. Keeping it open too long would allow for ruts and chunder to develop that would wreck the possibility of repeat performances in the following days.

This is actually not unique to Alpine Meadows. Next door, at the northern annex, Ski Patrol uses the same management tactic for Smoothie off of the Granite Chief lift. Smoothie would never be smooth if it were not managed so well. I’ve seen the same management of spring corn at Alta and Snowbird. I love that it is ephemeral. I have zero interest in High Traverse on those days where there’s hundreds marching over Upper Saddle. I live for those days where there’s a dozen people, and you have time to catch your breath and enjoy the beauty of the Church of Alpine Meadows and then descending on your own personal corn descent. I applaud and appreciate the Alpine Meadows Ski Patrol for their management of High Traverse.

How Can High Traverse Be So Good Today When Sherwood Face Was Not So Great?

I asked ChatGPT about this today and really could not get a good answer. It probably had more to do with my prompts. But I am going to attempt to look at this from a scientific perspective. I am pretty sure that it has something to do with how smooth those untouched slopes behave in terms of absorbing heat from the air and radiant heat from the sun. That perfectly smooth “pool table” surface I skied in Sun Bowl this morning has minimal surface area. Once we disturb that snow surface with ruts and chunder, the snow surface area increases greatly with all of those extra surfaces exposed. That allows more heat to be absorbed by the snow from the air. More importantly, it gives more more surface area to absorb the radiant heat from the sun. So snow that is roughed up by skiers and riders will be warmed more quickly than smooth snow. Packing those surfaces down with a groomer or many many skiers smooths that snow back out, and increases its density. That allows the snow to remain colder.

So do your part, get off piste and ski that stuff down and it will be better for all of us.

Myth: Ski Areas Must Close Because They Operate On Forest Service Land

I am pretty sure it was some diabolical SkiEO that started this myth one season when the books were looking too red. Alpine Meadows is scheduled to close on April 27th this season, but it has nothing to do with their Forest Service lease. The ski area operates on Forest Service land (62%), California Tahoe Conservancy land (19%) and privately owned land (19%). I probably have a map showing those areas somewhere. The terms of the current 40 year lease do not stipulate days of operation, although it might be nice if it said “must be open while there is skiable snowpack”.

It’s really more a matter of people that just stop coming to the mountain, missing what some would say is the best part of the season. Dave Amirault has worked marketing in the ski industry over many years. Here was his take on it this week:

🚨 Resorts close because YOU stop skiing. pic.twitter.com/PXMBK6Tp8x

— Dave Amirault (@ozskier) April 10, 2025

The Marketing Department Is Going About This All Wrong

I am absolutely not in the demographic that the marketing department is seeking. Somehow the only focus of their efforts is the people that they know and understand, which seems to be Generations X, Y and Z. It feels like they are missing the boat sometimes. Here’s a sample:

How is this supposed to appeal to convince people that skiing and riding in the spring is great? Then they have the “Get Your Crew Together and Put Some Stuff On Instagram” promotion. This week’s winner is yet another park edit, cool, but not really something that convinces people that we are still skiing a riding here and you should bring your family. Don’t get me started on the inane Mountain Surf Reports that are superficial and often incorrect.

Please make something happen at Alpine Meadows again. There used to be a whole lot of Alpine Meadows specific events that encouraged families to keep showing up and being a part of the fun. We need more things like this: a poker run, fun races, scavenger hunts, customer appreciation events like a cheaper BBQ or specialty menu, a dummy huck or a pond skim. We have three “events” you can count on anymore at Alpine Meadows: Easter Egg Hunt, Beacon & Eggs and the Snow Golf Tournament. This year they are all scheduled for the same weekend. Doh!

Here’s a fun fact, there are still free reservations available for parking this weekend, and there has been all week. That shouldn’t happen but it does make for supporting the argument of “we close because nobody goes skiing in the spring”. It doesn’t have to be that way.

The Skiing Is Fun Where You Find It

Andy and I both had an itch to check out Gentian Gully today. It’s been about 10 days since I headed in that direction. While not every pitch is good, and timing is important, we found some stuff that skied really good. There were some spots that were not as good, but the point is you don’t know if you don’t go. I’ll be back in this zone tomorrow, assuming High Traverse opens and closes early again.

See you out there tomorrow….skiing and riding is fun.

Update: I’ve been telling you about the closing date for Alpine Meadows for almost a month now. They finally made the official announcement today:

Palisades Tahoe open 7 days a week through May 26th 📣

Alpine will be wrapping up the season with the final day of operations on April 27. Palisades will remain open daily through May 26, weather and conditions permitting.#PalisadesTahoe #SpringSkiingCapital pic.twitter.com/tfScRFGjr1

— Palisades Tahoe (@palisadestahoe) April 12, 2025