Snow Golf

It was all about snow golf today. Something like 250 people signed up to play snow golf this morning. Golfers teed off from the top of the Summit Chair and attempted to land a tennis ball as close to the cup as possible. I am not sure how many bull’s-eyes they set up, but there were a number of them between the top of Summit and the Chalet. Winners were announced at a deck party on The Chalet patio. Many golfers were dressed up in costumes, adding to the party atmosphere.

Everyone I spoke to seemed to have had a wonderful time.

Those not playing golf were out in the warm sun skiing. Grooming is getting more difficult each day for employees attempting to smooth out the previous day’s ruts and bumps created by skiers. The first runs this morning were more like a roller coaster ride than a flat corduroy surface. Ridges between each groomer’s pass up the mountain left good-sized bumps to ride over and gouges in the snow. The conditions made for a rough ride down the slopes. It did not take long for skiers to smooth out the irregularities, but the first couple of trips down the mountain were challenging. The main portion of Alpine Bowl and Wolverine remains in reasonable condition. However, wandering off onto trails that were covered a couple of days ago creates a treasure hunt for skiers. Between turns, I find myself hunting for rocks and bushes. It has become difficult to locate trails that do not continue to the bottom without requiring skiers to step over short patches of dirt.

Off-piste, where skiers have not passed in numbers, you will find suncups and sticky, mushy snow, especially in the late morning and early afternoon.

North-facing slopes have been firm in the mornings, but by noon, they soften into nice corn snow. D7 and D8 are examples that ski well in the late morning and early afternoon. The same is true for the Palisades area. The lower section of High Yellow remains rather smooth with a corn-like surface. It is getting more difficult to access the area with the melting snow, but it is still available for those seeking a steeper trail.

It was warm, dirt patches are increasing in size each day, and lifts are closing for the season. Meadows did not run today, and neither did Kangaroo. It appears Yellow Chair is also done for the season. Basically, we are left with TLC, Roundhouse, and Summit. The entry to TLC is barely covered and will become a dirt patch if more snow is not found to hide the earth.

I do not mean to be so negative because we are still having fun finding good corn snow on limited slopes, but time is ticking before this season at Alpine Meadows comes to an end.

In addition to the golf festival, music was played on the main lodge deck this afternoon. Between 2 and 5, Boot Juice entertained us. Sitting in the sun with a beverage or dancing to the music was a great way to end the day.

Enjoy your day.

Andy