Love It While You Can

After the first run of the morning, a T-shirt was all that was required on this warm day in Tahoe. By later in the afternoon, temperatures hovered in the upper 60s. I am talking about temperatures reaching 68 degrees.

Melting continues, and spaces continue to expand between patches of snow. The ski track we use to access Summit Chair from Tiegel Trail was still useable, but a short walk over dirt is now required to complete the shortcut to Summit Chair.

Looking at Scott Peak and the Lakeview trails from Ward Peak, it is easy to see why both lifts are not turning.

Grooming is becoming more difficult each day as the snow pack becomes thinner and thinner. Grooming tends to expose Mother Earth when the snowpack is reduced to near nothing. Wolverine and Sunspot were not groomed this morning. Each sported moderately sized moguls. The slopes were barely firm at the ringing of the bell this morning. Oh! I forgot that Summit was on hold this morning until about 9:30. Once we were up on top of the mountain, it became obvious that slushy conditions with deep skier tracks would soon appear. I did enjoy Tower 19 and Sunspot early on in the day. Soon after, Yellow Trail and Ladies Slalom softened, creating a little diversity for those of us that are becoming bored with turning on soft, deep corduroy. I thought Wolverine was just right near the 11am hour. Just a few minutes later, the left side of D8 turned to lovely corn snow. Every slope requires wide-open eyes because dirt and rocks are hiding on the back side of moguls.

I have been looking down at The Face from Summit Chair for days, wondering if I could make it down without looking like a total fool. Today the slope softened, and I thought it was time to give it a try. In short, I hoped that no one was watching me. It was a pitiful performance. Basically, the moguls are gigantic and not rounded. I felt as though I was trying to ski the Himalayas. Huge, steep-angled mountains separated by wandering valleys.

A friend of mine skied later in the afternoon and reported that D8 got better and lower Palisades and lower High Yellow Face were pretty damn good.

If you are out on the hill this weekend, please hold down your speed and stay in control. These conditions can easily catch an edge and send you to the ER with a knee injury or, worse, send you flying into another person. The limited areas available create rather dangerous conditions.

People that were not on the slopes or quit early were out enjoying the better weather. Tomorrow there will be lots of activity at Alpine Meadows, including snow golf (Editors note: Golf is on Sunday), an after-party at The Chalet, and a good band on the deck of the main lodge.

Wear sunscreen and enjoy the weekend.

Enjoy your day.

Andy