It’s Something…

Sometimes the ski reports here can get a little repetitive, and lately it’s been feeling like Groundhog Day, even though it’s not even February yet. There’s times where Andy and I have threatened to just post a report titled “Ditto”, followed by a one word report “Ditto” and then just reuse one of thousands of pictures of spring conditions. We could make it even quicker by just using a ” mark. But fortunately there are a few small changes to report.

We’ve seen some overcast and haze over the last few days. There’s also been some cooling wind. Both of these things have messed with the timing of how quickly things soften. Today things were again about two hours behind schedule in general terms. You would think that is an easy adjustment, but it’s not. Giving just one example at Sherwood, Robin Hood has a south east exposure, so it’s often the first thing to soften in the morning. But the cloud cover this morning stopped that from happening. By the time the clouds thinned, the sun had moved along to a new position. At 1pm today, Chute Zero was skiing amazing, while Robin Hood barely softened.

In the same way, the hazy mornings can mess with the timing of softening at Scott and Lakeview. This does provide some variety through this snowless period. It means you have to hunt around just a bit more to find out what is best at any given moment.

It’s not much…

There’s snow in the forecast and it is the talk of the town today. A very weak system will make its way through the Sierra overnight, bringing a very small amount of snow for the first time since January 8th. The point forecast for Alpine Meadows calls for a 60% chance of snow with 1-2 inches of fluff at mid-mountain. That’s not all that much more than what the snow guns have been putting out each night. It would just be more widespread. It will soften up some of those off piste zones a bit. That said, it will also potentially cover up some obstacles, just enough to catch the unaware.

Also of note, by the time the resort opens, the snow should be done, with clearing skies. That means that that the sun and temperatures in the upper 30’s we could see some stickiness tomorrow. Fortunately, with such a small amount of new snow, we should see some of that go away by Thursday. It gets warmer again through Sunday, when a similar low moves through again.

You can see in the GIF above, there’s nothing big in the next 10 days. If we ran it out 16 days, it’s not much different. It will still be Groundhog Day as we head into February.

Also Not Much…

The Apex Club at Palisades Tahoe has had pretty much zero impact on Alpine Meadows yet. I have yet to see an actual Apex Club member use any of the shortcut lines this season at Alpine Meadows. I asked a couple of the pass checkers and none of them remember seeing any. Truth be told, I have probably used the Apex shortcut line more often than any actual member this season. Of course this has happened accidentally, as sometimes those lines are set really wide, as if they want the appearance of many members. Obviously, this has not been the right season to launch the program.

As if the Apex Club were not enough in itself, there is now also “Alex’s Club”. Okay, truth be told, the full title is “Alexander’s Whiskey Club”. For only $500, you can join Alex’s Club (named for Alex Cushing) and receive a very special bottling of Frey Ranch Bourbon, along with some special tasting glasses and a flask. You also get your own storage “locker” at Alexander’s Bar, which i am guessing is at High Camp by the photos. What will they think of next?

I mean if they can capture some wallets this way, rather than capture my wallet, I guess this is a good thing. I’ve never had Frey Ranch Bourbon, being more of a Bulleit Rye guy myself. I also already have a locker to store a bottle or a flask.

See you out there tomorrow for the huge powder day!!