It truly feels like late April or May on the slopes of Alpine Meadows. I doubt any other ski area in the region is experiencing anything more positive. Temperatures in the 40s overnight and mid-fifties during the day have me thinking of skiing in a T-shirt and shorts. Is it time to send the good weather-resistant clothing to the cleaners in preparation for next season? March 13th, only 364 days until my next birthday. A big thank you to all of my friends who took a moment to send me good wishes yesterday.
I was treated to a delicious birthday dinner at the Soule Domain restaurant in Kings Beach, one of my favorites in the Tahoe area. I discovered that I am not the only person in the world with a birthday on March 12th. I cannot remember having dinner with so many other people celebrating a birthday. Almost every table was served a dessert and a candle lit in the center of it. I think there were several diners gifting birthday cards with the inscription: How sweet it is to be loved by you. I searched Google to see who else might have celebrated a birthday on the same day. It turns out James Taylor was born on the same day and in the same year.
A tear was shed after our second, and most likely final, lap over Upper Saddle and through Sun Bowl, Big Bend Bowl, and SP Bowl. I was informed that the High Traverse would close at the end of today. Along with the closing of the High Traverse comes the closing of the Sherwood Chair. There is just enough snow for relatively easy access to the back bowls. There was very nice spring snow in the bowls accessed from Upper Saddle, but getting from Upper Saddle to a thin strip of snow that leads to more open slopes involves dirt and rocks. It is very easy to slip and fall when walking over and around loose rocks. At the other end of the tour are open creeks and thin runouts that lead to the base of Sherwood. There are places where a skier or rider cannot cross a running creek. If you miss the unmarked path to a spot where a creek is covered, you may end up having to hike a far distance to locate a place to cross the running water. I suppose you could also just walk through the creek and hope not to end up sitting in water. Even the area that has been groomed from a point near the base of the bowls has patches of dirt that are not easily crossed without tearing up the bases of your skis.
High temperatures predicted for this weekend and into next week leave it nearly impossible to retain Sherwood in an operating condition.
Sadly, Lakeview was in even worse shape and closed yesterday. The Scott slopes are not far behind. Scott Chair will close very soon. On the lower end of a skier’s ability chart, Subway and Meadow are in the same position. Running water under a thin snowpack creates dangerous conditions, especially for beginner skiers.
The above does not sound uplifting, but there is still good snow covering the mountain. Alpine and Wolverine Bowls are reasonably covered and offer up corn snow today. Lower down, we enjoyed Fall Line and Ladies’ Slalom just before noon. Gunner’s Knob has been enjoyable the past couple of days. Conditions are best if it freezes overnight, creating icy slopes in the morning, followed by sweet corn snow in the afternoon.
Yesterday, I rode the B2B gondola to the Northern Annex to spend my remaining mountain credits. We had a very tasty lunch on the Rocker patio, followed by a picturesque ride up the Funitel. We were short of time, so we headed for one run down Shirley and returned to the base of the gondola via the Mountain Run. Snow coverage appeared better on the Palisade side of the ski area. I was surprised to see the coverage remaining at the bottom of the Mountain Run. The mountain was filled with patrons and somewhat limited by race courses set up in the middle of Siberia Bowl. It may make sense to ski the Northern Annex this weekend to avoid the probability of extremely overcrowded runs at Alpine Meadows due to limited uphill capacity and limited downhill availability.
If you are around between 2 and 5 pm tomorrow, Broken Compass Bluegrass is scheduled to play on the deck of the main lodge.
Consider waxing your skis because spring snow will get sticky. Wear sunscreen, and don’t overdress.
Enjoy your day.
Andy
Don’t miss Broken Compass Bluegrass Band