Making Bets…

The question of the day was “How much longer can they keep this open?” We’re not talking about the entire ski area, just those parts that are getting “sporty”. We had a weird little weather interruption to the overly warm temperatures of the last couple of days. Winds that were supposed to be in the 20 mph range instead jumped into the 50 mph range. Temperatures that were supposed to get to the upper 40’s only reached the upper 30’s. That made Summit rides uncomfortable, giving us more time to explore other areas of the mountain.

Honestly that’s what should be happening this week, more exploration of the Scott and Lakeview zones, as they are likely to be closing very soon. It won’t be long until we really only have Summit and Roundhouse and TLC for options. After catching five High Traverse runs over the last two days, we skipped it today. Although High Traverse was open immediately this morning, the upper mountain was shrouded in dense clouds and the wind was howling. Then there were the equipment concerns. Andy shared this photo of his bindings this morning:

My skis probably had three times as much mud packed into the heel piece this morning, even after skiing ten or more laps after High Traverse. The hike to the snow in Sun Bowl is getting longer, and those first ten turns or so are also getting sharky. So we skipped it today. We might be sorry as I saw a snowcat leaving the Sherwood zone this afternoon, meaning this bonus High Traverse season may be over. Hopefully they just went to refuel.

We haven’t yet mentioned the appearance of the Chicken Strip in Alpine Bowl. It provides an easier route down for some skiers and riders. I think it’s actual purpose is that it’s an easier route for cats and sleds to get to the top of the mountain when the maintenance road by South Peril burns out.

The groomed runs skied about the same today. Sugary ✅ Frozen cookies ✅ Too many people ✅

Honestly, the best skiing these days is off piste. So by my fourth lap I was ready for anything. At 9:30am, the ungroomed Yellow run was not the answer. My friends asked if I needed a dental appointment to replace lost fillings. I suggested a psychiatric appointment instead. It was quite bad.

But within a half hour, Yellow started to soften and that became my jam for the rest of the morning hours. It just kept getting better. Then again, there are rocks starting to appear on that run, likely a big part of the “not to be groomed” decision.

The afternoon session began with a ride up Scott. Big ups to the solo liftee, that had to flip down every seat due to the wind and bump chairs. Ridge Run looked pretty good but very busy. They definitely pushed a lot of snow uphill with the winch cat. Bobby’s Run barely goes, same with the lower part of Summer Road. Ridge Run might make it to the weekend.

We continued on to Lakeview, where the situation is getting more dire each day. The decision to open or close terrain has much to do with whether or not Ski Patrol can get a sled into and out of terrain safely. There are a lot of obstacles on all of the runs at Lakeview. But the snow that is there is very good corn. It is adventure skiing at its finest. Huge ups to mountain ops and patrol for keeping it going as long as possible. Also big ups to the solo liftee at Lakeview, doing the chair flip and bump in one smooth maneuver.

So back to making bets….

• Scott Lift and terrain: Might make it to the weekend, just for Ridge Run
• Lakeview Lift and terrain: Might make it another day or two Update: Tomorrow’s status flipped to CLOSED
• High Traverse: Might make it to the weekend, but the hike gets longer

After this week, we will likely be confined to what the powers that be are calling “Summit Peak”, which doesn’t exist. Summit, Roundhouse and Hotter Wheels are in pretty good shape at the minute. It seems like Easter is a reasonable “off the cuff” guess for Alpine Meadows closing…certainly not Memorial Day.

How’s It Looking?

People keep looking for someone to tell them a pattern change is going to happen. People tell me every day that they know a forecaster saying a change is out there at the end of next week, or the week after, or the end of the month. Here’s what the Reno NOAA forecast discussion had to say about that this morning:

As for temperatures, plan on seeing the opposite of what you might want. Here’s the general CPC outlook for temperatures:

Mid mountain temperatures are back to the mid 50’s at Alpine Meadows this week. By the weekend they get into the 60’s. By early next weekend, we are seeing upper 60’s and possibly into the 70’s by Tuesday or Wednesday. This is the type of weather you expect in May, not March.

The corn is currently quite good. Here’s the updated Corn-O-Meter:

For south facing groomed runs, we are really down to just Sunspot and Ridge Run, as well as the short Upper Weasel. Once Scott and Lakeview are done, the closest we get to south facing would be the southeast facing aspects including Tower 19, Lower Idiots, Upper Beaver and Estelle.

Go skiing and riding or don’t. It is still quite fun and it will be over sooner than we want.