I love to ski, and my favorite local ski area has been Alpine Meadows since it opened at the end of 1961. Before the end of 1961, my family often skied at Sugar Bowl or Squaw Valley. My parents loved to ski. They instilled their love of skiing into the hearts of my brother and me. When I was growing up, we skied in all kinds of weather. My parents rarely allowed their children to return to the warmth of the ski lodge before the end of a day of skiing. Of course, we did stop for lunch, but I do not remember a day when we did not return to the slopes after a short break. Rain was not a reason to quit skiing.
I guess I am aging because I have lost some of the romance required to brave any weather conditions. If I remember correctly, we were required to complete ten runs before we were allowed to say we skied all day. When I was growing up, it took most of a day to complete ten runs riding up an intermediate or expert lift. Today, I can complete ten runs off the Summit Chair in a morning.
All of the above is to say that it rained this morning shortly after we sat on the first chair. In addition to the wet weather that moved into the area, clouds hung low in Alpine and Wolverine Bowls during most of the morning. I did ride Summit at the beginning of the morning. Visibility was terrible between the exit of Summit Chair and the base of Alpine and Wolverine Bowls. Perhaps it is aging, but skiing blind is not something I relish at this point in my life. I really like to see what lies ahead before flying over several moguls that I thought did not exist. Skiing fast and out of control because a flat surface turned out to be a mogul field is not my idea of fun.
I did find the snow underfoot to be pleasant. I may not have been able to see it, but as I skied over it slowly and in control, I realized it felt like lovely spring snow. It appeared to have cornified up over the past few days. I do love spring snow.
There is a certain swishy sound when you make turns in wet corn snow that makes me think of warm, bright sunny days when a person can roam all over the mountain.
I found the same spring snow on most of the well-packed trails that were either groomed or had been well skied the day before. Away from the previously skier-packed slopes, I found very soft, sticky snow that always proves to be a challenge to maneuver with grace.
On top of the rain that fell this morning and into the afternoon, lightning occurred in the area. This closed all lifts around the 11 am hour. I am not sure how long the lifts were closed, but the same issue occurred on the Palisades side of the resort.
The long and the short of today’s report was that the snow felt pretty good for skiers who enjoy spring skiing, but the weather left something to be desired.
Enjoy your day.
Andy
I really enjoyed the skiing, even underdressed and soaked. Fortunately the lightning hold forced me to com indoors. The temps should be cold enough tonight for some great skiing tomorrow.
Must have shared first chair on Summit with you! Alpine Bowl was a nightmare for visibility, D8 was alright. More concerning was the small crowd at the top of summit on 2nd and 3rd laps that all seemed to have “what have we gotten ourselves into?” written on them. Didn’t help that only a small section of the upper bowl was groomed.
Sherwood was a nice break from the fog and Outer skied fairly well. Overall, it was a blast out there today, even when the rain started falling. Definitely a day to embrace the suck and just smile through it.
Skiing is still fun.
I’m guessing you meant Lakeview, not Sherwood….
Unless it secretly opened today. I looked up at Summit this morning and said “Nope”
Freudian slip. Guess my subconscious wants it back open. Definitely meant Lakeview.