There was confusion in the air today. It began as I arrived, driving from my house to the lodge along the Alpine Meadows Road. There were very few cars on the road. I pulled into the parking lot where there were very few cars. The parking attendant was in a short-sleeved shirt, indicating it was very warm.
I walked into the breezeway, ready to pick up a cup of coffee from Treats, only to see that it was closed. I found my locker room almost empty when I stepped inside. Only four of us were dressing for our ski day.
Unfortunately, a major accident occurred early this morning on Highway 89 at the bridge between Alpine Meadows and Olympic Valley. The road was closed for an extended period. An additional accident slowed traffic from Tahoe City toward Alpine Meadows. Traffic coming from Truckee was diverted into Olympic Valley. Several Alpine Meadows skiers used the Base-to-Base gondola to access the Alpine side of the mountain.
It was weird to walk up to the base of the Summit Chairlift, where not one person was standing in line at 9 am.
The traffic accidents created a short period of time for the few skiers on the hill to make turns on vacant slopes. As people arrived at the limited areas available to ski, the slopes quickly filled.
Alpine Bowl and Wolverine Bowl were groomed overnight along with the slopes below them. Ridge Run and Bobby’s Trail were also groomed to give skiers a little more variety from the top of the Scott chair. The combination of rain ruts and deep, soft, sticky snow made off-piste very difficult to master. Some would say it was mostly unskiable off-piste.
Once my confusion regarding the emptiness of the area was explained, the day continued. I entered the Scott lift line to find the lift open, but a sign indicated there were no open trails. What was I supposed to do? Ride the chair and just remain at the top of the hill? Of course, the sign had not been updated. It should have shown Ridge and Bobby’s runs open.
Mark dropped me a note, repeating a rumor he had heard, that the Sherwood lift would not reopen unless a major snowfall occurred between today and the end of the season. There is just not enough snow on that side of the mountain to operate safely. This is a sad situation because all of the area accessed via the High Traverse will be off limits.
We were somewhat confused about the Black Hawk helicopter that was flying around yesterday and today. I was told that an episode from a television show was being filmed on the White Wolf property.
The Red Leather Band played on the lodge deck this afternoon. Evidently, this is a rapidly rising alternative rock/country band. Their newest album is titled Tahoe. The singer-songwriter is from Reno and is known for his signature masked western rock persona and raw songs about addiction and sobriety. We sat with a beer and attempted to enjoy and understand the music. Perhaps it was meant for a younger generation.
It was a beautiful, warm, too-warm day in February.
Enjoy your day,
Andy
I was hoping for more clues about how skiable to groomed runs were? Too soft and thick for knee preservation?
Things were better today than yesterday. There was more grooming and a better freeze last night. Timing and being willing to move around the mountain was key. Areas that get regroomed in the morning got too soft most quickly today. Alpine Bowl, Rock Garden and Dancefloor were the most thick due to heavier traffic.
Thanks Mark!
The caption should have said,” The locker room was empty this morning, except for a couple of Alpine Meadows VIP’s” you two are looking good!