Remember that storm possibility I talked about 10 days ago? Well it is now here, actually arriving yesterday and staying through tomorrow. Way back then, it looked like it had a potential for an inch or two of snow. But all we are seeing is a lot of high clouds and no snow. Yesterday there was just enough sun to eventually thaw out the south facing parts of the mountain, although ever so slowly. Today we arrived at the mountain shrouded in a thick deck of high clouds.
Still I was anxious to test out the latest variation of Glade goggles with their new Reveal 4k photochromatic lens. I have been using the original version of Glade’s photochromatic goggles for a few seasons now, they are good. Yes, the new version is definitely better in testing this morning. The improved vision along with a more grippy snow surface made for a very nice morning of skiing at Alpine Meadows.
Warmer overnight temperatures, due to the cloud cover, and increased humidity allowed the sugary snow crystals to stick to each other just a bit better – resulting in the grippy feeling. I did a half dozen laps in Alpine Bowl and Terry’s, which is far above my norm. Sunspot looked enticing this morning, even though not groomed, but turned out to be firm enough to consider the possibility of a very long slide. I saw a wee one take a very long slide there yesterday. I avoided the unguided missile test range also known as Wolverine Bowl.
I also did a bunch more runs off of Roundhouse, where the entire Yellow zone was skiing very nicely where it’s been skied in or groomed. Red Ridge and Rolls n Knolls also offered pleasant off piste skiing, although the rocks are increasing at an exponential rate these days. Rock skis are recommended for those zones.
Because of the cloud cover, south facing terrain was very slow to thaw before noon. I did some of the south facing test runs off of Roundhouse and may have lost some fillings. I never went to Scott, Lakeview or Sherwood today, which was shocking to my friends. That said, the sun was starting to take over as I was leaving. I considered staying, but I had a play date with my grandson for the afternoon.
Is This The Worst Season For Snowfall?
One of the mountain hosts asked me the other morning where this season stands relative to other dry seasons, initially comparing it to the 1976-1977 season. Yes we are pretty dry this season, but we don’t have to go back too far to find an even drier season. That would be the 2014-2015 season. Let’s compare the statistics:
Yes, that was an exceptionally dry season also, especially once we got into January! I dove into my personal photo cache and found these ones that were representative of January 2015. Click any image to biggerize.
There were a couple of good storms in February, then the spigot turned off again. Alpine Meadows closed on April 8th that year, and the neighbor to the north a week later. The 1976-1977 year had a little bit more natural snowfall during the first three months of the season, but there was also no snow making or fancy lidar enabled snowcats to make the most of that snow. Actual ski conditions were likely not great. My family went to Mount Shasta and Mount Bachelor that season.
Sadly, there are just not any photos on the internet showing the conditions in January 1977. The internet had just been born a few years before and digital images were only found when beamed from the Moon or Mars. If you happen to have some snapshots that you’re willing to scan or digitize with your phone, we would love to have them.
When Will It Snow Again?
Right now, it looks like we will make it to February before we see significant snowfall. There are no indications of anything that will drive a wholesale pattern change. Don’t be confused by some weather outlets calling for a pattern change, as it may just be a change to a windy pattern or a cloudy pattern. I am grateful that we are skiing. We are not facing endless days of tule fog like the Sacramento Valley, or the ice storm that is taking aim at Texas and the southeast states. Here’s the GIF of pressure anomalies from the GFS ensemble over the next 16 days:
That low that sneaks to our south this weekend currently only brings much colder air for the weekend. The point forecast for Alpine Meadows shows a high of 31° and blustery for Saturday. Sunday should warm up to the upper 30’s.
There’s another low out there around day 14 that could bring some snow. At the minute, it is not a game changer, barely a refresher. We will continue to look for more.
See you out there tomorrow…decreasing clouds is the forecast.
I also went with the new Glade goggles this year. Better than ever! Today was perfect as a test day.
Yup it got somewhat better in the afternoon with lighting. Still minimal softening at Sherwood and Lakeview.
I first skied at Squaw Valley in 1960 at age 15.
Dry Weather Pattern: The months preceding the February 1960 Olympic Games, including late 1959 and early 1960, featured a significant lack of natural snow.
Valley Floor Conditions: Organizers were so concerned about the bare ground that they considered hauling snow in by truck.
Transition to Extreme Weather: While the lead-up was dry, conditions changed dramatically in early 1960. By mid-February, heavy rains nearly washed out the existing base before a series of major blizzards eventually dumped up to 12 feet of snow just before the Olympics began.
Eye catching title to today’s report – Flatty McFlat…..
So I didn’t miss too much? Socked in fog in the valley most of the day.
How about some new snow next week?
I like creating interesting titles. The chance of snow only showing in the Euro model right now…
Those pictures from 2015 make me feel better about this season.