I just walked down the breezeway steps for the last time this season. Today was the last day for the public to ski at Alpine Meadows. Tomorrow, they will be open for employees to celebrate the end of the season.
It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures more like May than March. Bare patches grew all day, making skiing down many trails nearly impossible. Of course, we had to try to pick our way down Fall Line to prove we could do it. Depending on the chosen path, we escaped without having to walk through the bushes. However, other attempts were not as successful.
This was also true of our attempts at skiing Kangaroo Ridge. We found a way that required side-slipping into the gully running by Sandy’s Corner.
Chicken Leg was well-cooked and was better left alone until next season. I did ski Yellow Trail. One could travel down the entire run, but rocks were hiding in the troughs of huge moguls. They became soft and slushy sometime after 11. A very slow skier could maneuver through the trail without gauging the base of his skis or his board.
Alpine Bowl was a zoo in the morning. It was groomed, but the narrow, firm path was too risky for our group. We did not want to collide with anyone on our last day of skiing.
I did ski Wolverine and a lower portion of Sympathy. Both sported moguls, but both were enjoyable.
Sunspot required a map to locate a thin patch of snow to avoid a dead end. Tower 19 was pleasant enough.
The early morning did not offer many slopes to ski that were not frozen or overcrowded. It must have been 9:30 when we stopped at The Chalet to use the $20 food credit we received earlier in the morning. We sat in the sun, waiting for the slopes to soften while raising our glasses, toasting a successful but short season.
There was a party atmosphere on the main lodge deck all afternoon. A DJ played music until 2 pm, when “Bring Joy” began playing. I thought they were a wonderful way to end the season. Sunshine, good friends, a beer, and a little dancing brought the season to a close.
Management had a difficult job this season. Late snow, along with warm overnight temperatures, made it difficult to use the new snowmaking equipment that was installed last summer. The few days they were able to make snow helped keep a few trails well covered until just recently. Crews did a fantastic job harvesting snow, allowing ramps to be maintained and bare spots to be covered. We appreciated all the efforts to keep Sherwood, Lakeview, and Scott open when warm temperatures deteriorated snow coverage on a daily basis. Thank you to the lift operators who shoveled snow all day long to allow us to safely load lifts.
I am sad that the short season at Alpine Meadows is over, but that does not mean I did not share many wonderful memories with my ski buddies this season. Now I wait for snow to fall once again so we can begin creating many more memories.
Be happy and enjoy your day.
Andy
Thank you for the daily updates. I always enjoy reading your reports.
Thanks for the great updates this season ~
Thanks Andy, Mark and Alpine. See ya next season
Andy, the upside is that you will be much safer not having to negotiate the ski industry’s worst staircase. That thing is an ongoing nightmare…
Sacrifice a few yellow jacket positions to pay for
I have come to welcome reading your daily reports and it’s the first thing I look for in Email at the end of the day. I’ve not been able to ski much this season for multiple reasons, including the obvious, low snow, warm temperatures, and quickly melting snowpack. However, I did drive up today to clear my ski locker out and look for myself on what the final ski day looked like.. More like a June day than the end of March.
Quickly decided I was not going to risk an end of the season injury, trying to find a safe line down the couple of existing ski runs.
Thank you, Andy and Mark for taking us along with you on the days we were not able to ski in person.
I so enjoy your reports, weather predictions , and the photos.
Next season…..
Damn. Good show and great sport. Until next year.
Your unofficial Alpine will be missed (except on Wednesday). I also agree with Jay. I call the stairs the Stairs of Death and refuse to go down them with skis in my hand or on my shoulder.
Thank you for maintaining the blog this season!
Tim
Loved the updates this season, guys! I didn’t ski much at all this year, sadly, so I lived vicariously through you and your reports. Hoping for a lot of snow and many ski days next year! Thanks again.
As always, thank you all for the daily updates. Working full time I can only get two to three days on the hill per week so living vicariously through your daily reports on days I can’t make it there. Have a great summer and let’s pray for a rebound season
Sad season for me with only 3 days in but LOVED your blog that I read most all of them. Felt like I was there. THANKS.
Cheers,
Julie Chase Baldocchi