The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report

After a wet start to the day yesterday snow began falling

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
After a wet start to the day yesterday snow began falling in the afternoon. At first the snow was pretty wet, but the temperature eventually dropped into the teens overnight. We ended up with about 6 inches of snow with 3 inches of wet covered by 3 inches of lighter snow. The wet weather yesterday froze some of the underlying surfaces as cooler temperatures moved into the area. I felt icy patches under foot on some of the steeper slopes (South Face), but most of the protected sections of the mountain made for just plain fun turns. The storm included some high winds overnight, so there were also areas of wind pack on the upper mountain. I noticed the chairs were well coated with a layer of ice in the early morning.
High Travers provided a couple of good runs, as did D7 and Wolverine with the Sisters as a finishing touch.
Sympathy was just right, as were a couple of runs down Gentian. The best, of course, was a noon time run down Field of Dreams. This was wind protected, soft, untracked, and about 8 inches deep. All in all it was one good day of skiing at Alpine. Unfortunately, the forecast is for snow tomorrow at higher elevations. Another wet storm appears to be on the way.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We had some good wind pack skiing on Sunday

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
We had some good wind pack skiing on Sunday after a small snow storm Saturday night left a couple of inches of new snow that had been wind driven into submission. High winds packed snow tightly creating conditions on most of the hill that held a skier within an inch or so of the surface. Although I felt as though I might break through the surface on some slopes, I never actually broke the wind pack. On some of the more wind swept slopes, such as South Face at Sherwood, a few icy knobs poked up out of the pack from moguls that had softened and frozen over the past couple of days. We skied the gully between ridges on South Face and found some smooth fun snow. There was some good skiing in Gentian Gully, Peril Ridge, and all over most of the mountain.
This morning I woke up warmer temperatures (above freezing) and wet conditions. It was drizzling and rained for awhile in the morning. The snow surface was wet spring type, not always bad for skiing, but a big contrast from yesterday’s surface. The temperature is supposed to drop later today and bring a nice new cold surface of powder for tomorrow. In the mean time, it is 32 degrees on the bottom of Alpine and 30 at the top, however it is snowing steadily at the moment at my office, and beginning to stick to the trees I took a run on the Squaw Creek Chair earlier today over in Squaw Valley. The skier packed snow was wet spring style that made for easy turning, but the light layer on a groomed, but not skied, portion of the run was very slow and sticky.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The sun has just come out for the balance of the afternoon

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
The sun has just come out for the balance of the afternoon. Most of the morning at Alpine offered up some good skiing on 2 to 3 inches of new snow, but visibility was only fair to poor, especially on the upper slopes.
A cloud hung over the mountain, moving around from one slope to another all morning. Winds were blowing at the top, but all lifts were in operation. We found good snow and made some enjoyable turns on Peril Ridge, Peter’s Peril, Our Father, Sympathy, and Gentian Gully. Good snow was under foot in the Palisades area, but visibility was hampering full enjoyment. Many of the moguls have been 80% filled in there troughs, and some have flatten out completely, but still others are firm and popping up just enough to trip a rider up.
We received real snow showers all morning. Small hard crystals fell on my clothing and bounced off into the air below the chair, but now all is calm. The forecast is for a good size storm with up to a foot of new snow beginning late tonight and continuing through Saturday. Winds are supposed to be very strong on Saturday. The snow and wind should subside on Sunday.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A rather beautiful Wednesday has turned into a windy........

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
A rather beautiful Wednesday has turned into a windy, and cloudy Thursday. Winds appear to be blowing at 50 miles an hour over the ridge top and gusting to 70 plus miles per hours. Summit has been running all day, although the winds shut down Scott for the day. The snow surface, at least on slopes not facing south, is excellent on much of the mountain, as temperatures are in the twenties and thirties. We received a dusting, perhaps an inch, of snow early this morning that freshened the surface of the groomed runs and created soft cushions between the moguls. Visibility was moderate on the lower slopes and poor on the upper mountain.
The weatherman is calling for cloudy skies with the possibility of light snow showers for Friday and snow for Saturday coupled with windy conditions.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It was cold and windy on Sunday morning............

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
Email: andyw@sierra.net
Office website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
It was cold and windy on Sunday morning at Alpine, but nothing like Monday. The east wind blew a gale over much of the mountain on Monday closing Summit, as plumes of snow rose into the sky. The east winds scoured many of the slopes leaving stiff uneven snow in its wake. Sunny skies and lower level east winds greeted skiers this morning. The upper mountain was open today, although Summit was on wind alert. The top of Scott, Lakeview, and Sherwood, however were open in a windless condition. Moguls have grown over the last few days in those areas not creased by the winds. The surface of lower level and protected slopes remains in good winter condition assisted by cold overnight temperatures. Counter Weight Gully, Gentian Gully, Peter’s Peril, and the Sister’s were all in fine condition today. D7, Palisades, and other upper slopes need to be skied out before the wind driven creases turn back into good winter skiing trails. The groomed runs were all excellent today, as these trails are in winter condition. South Face and the runs under Sherwood Chair were also pleasant this morning, although they were beginning to feel the effects of two days of sun exposure.

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 06:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A quick weekend round up for all of you who missed Saturday

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
A quick weekend round up for all of you who missed Saturday and Sunday in the mountains. Saturday was a beautiful day with the sun blasting out of a relatively windless sky and surface conditions near perfect. The entire mountain was open at Alpine, and being well used by a sell out crowd. We snuck a run down Field of Dreams in the morning in nice, soft, mostly untracked, powder. The wind shifted during the night and blew out of the east all day Sunday. East wind is always cold and often causes problems with lift operations. Sunday was no exception, as the cloudy sky in the morning, and the east wind, seemed to chill most of us to the bone. It also closed Summit. All the other lifts were in operation, and the sun did take over the sky later in the morning, but it was still windy and cold in the afternoon. A good day to catch the football games in a nice warm room.
Palisades turned into a mogul field of stiff wind drifted snow overnight, and the lower portions of ungroomed south facing Sherwood runs were rather crispy. Groomed runs remained very nice and smooth over most of the mountain. The base temperature hit a high of 32 degrees around one o’clock in the afternoon with the ridge tops showing a high of 21 degrees. Skiers and riders from Vermont would consider this a rather warm day, but spoiled Californians huddled in the locker room massaging their cold toes.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cold temperatures overnight dried out the snowpack ......

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
Cold temperatures overnight dried out the snowpack even more than it was yesterday. Most of the clean lines on the mountain were taken yesterday, but we still found a few patches of powder today. The rest of the hill is either great soft corduroy or soft skier chop. There were a few locations where the snow had set up a little, but most of the mountain remains in excellent condition.
We hit the High Traverse, Palisades, Peter’s Peril, the middle Sister, Scott Meadow, Expert Shortcut, Lower Out Father, Gentian, and a number of others that I cannot remember. The day began with clouds overhead, but cleared up about 10:30 with upper mountain temperatures rising to about 19 degrees.
The trip up tonight should be uneventful as the main roads are clean. Side roads remain covered with snow, but plowed.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was the day you dream of while working away at your desk in the office.

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
Today was the day you dream of while working away at your desk in the office. Yes, helicopter skiing would have been better, or perhaps if everyone on the slopes had come down with a bad case of the flu, however given the fact that neither of these occurred, the skiing was fantastic.
Alpine opened early, a few minutes before 9, making everyone standing in line smile. It was the typical zoo with pushing and shoving and then perfectly clean slopes turning into an etch-a-sketch drawing within a short time. The sun was shining, at least shortly after opening, new snow lay waiting for our tracks all over the mountain, and cold temperatures assured us that the snow would be light. We received almost a foot of snow overnight. What more can I say?
Today, we all walked home slowly, as our legs were burned out. Soft, silky, snow met us most of the day. The afternoon offered up great soft cut-up snow. I found powder turns in Low Beaver and over Kangaroo, Standard Run off Scott Chair, Gentian Gully, The High Traverse, and everywhere in between. Palisades, D7 and D8, Pete’s Peril, Sympathy, Beaver, Estelle, South Face, Sherwood Cliffs, Expert Shortcut, and more were all just fantastic today.
Cold temperatures are forecast for the next couple of days. This should keep the mountain in excellent condition for a few days.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

After a great weekend Tuesday turned into another wet, drizzly day

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
After a great weekend Tuesday turned into another wet, drizzly day. I stayed inside and worked on real estate matters for the day. Sometime early this morning the clouds moved in thick and full of moisture and began dumping snow. By six o’clock this morning nine inches of snow had piled up on the ground and the skies were dropping buckets more on to white slopes. Winds were strong all night long and continued most of the day. With the exception of on short clearing period around noon, snow has been falling at a heavy rate all day. I think we are up to the two foot make this afternoon. Our temperature is currently about 25 at the base area and in the teens at the upper mountain sensors. I assume you can guess that the snow was fairly light and nice and deep this morning.
We are not sure what happened at Alpine this morning, but something must have gone wrong. A handful of skiers sat in the lodge looking out into the wind driven snow and obviously poor visibility wondering which lift, if any, would accept skiers for the best powder day of the year. Very few people stood in line prior to opening time. Amazing at seems, both Roundhouse and Summit open at nine o’clock. Within minutes we were making turns in foot deep powder that sprayed waist deep. The lack of a crowd eliminated the need to speed down for a second run. I could take my time and enjoy every turn. Summit was a treat at the top. Winds blowing snow sideways and zero visibility at times. I almost got lost trying to find Peril Ridge. Another skier mentioned finding himself at the bottom of Sunspot when he thought he was at the top of Peril Ridge. The visibility got better at times allowing everyone on the hill to find untracked lines in Wolverine and Alpine Bowl. Scott and the other lifts were on wind hold all morning.
The snow is falling at lower elevations and cold temperatures are predicted for the next couple of day. Skiing should be fantastic for the rest of the week.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It was an interesting and rewarding weekend for many skiers

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
It was an interesting and rewarding weekend for many skiers. Saturday turned out to be a very snowy and extremely windy day. Most lifts were closed all day leaving Roundhouse and Yellow Chairs along with a couple of other beginner and intermediate chairs open for the holiday crowd that arrived on Saturday morning. Although the ski area was not packed to the brim, the lines were rather long, as you might imagine. Bob, Janet, and Kelly lost count of the runs they completed on Roundhouse. However, they reported the skiing got better as the afternoon got longer. New snow was building up at an alarming rate. Their only regret of the day was a mistaken trip up Hot Wheels (a long enough ride on a normal day) when the lift stopped for an extended time.
Sunday was the exceptional day. The sun broke through, the winds died down, and the snow stopped falling.
A new layer of snow measured well over a foot deep and the temperatures were nice and cool. A perfect powder morning. The new snow was a real treat for those of us who have been waiting for a good powder day.
Everyone was out on Sunday, but the lines were tolerable, as the entire mountain was open and skiers spread out nicely for most of the day. We avoided the Summit Chair at the opening caught some nice snow on Yellow arrived just in time to load Scott Chair. It was one of the first runs down Scott Chute of the season for me. A good, mostly clean field of powder (a little wind affected) all the way back to the chair. Our next thought was to head for the new fast Sherwood Chair and catch a few fresh tracks in the sun. We were not the first to arrive, but we did have a number of good clean shots under the chair and on the South Face. Sherwood Cliffs added a nice deep, soft, and light trip back from Sherwood. A couple of good tours over the High T added to our happy day of skiing.
I think everyone expected today to be sunny and cold, but it turned out to be overcast and in the thirties with a few light snow showers. The snow was still good, although many of the runs had grown moguls overnight. Moguls grown quickly in soft snow. I may have been tired, or just not energized enough this morning, but I had trouble finding a rhythm in the bumps. They are seemed to be going the wrong direction. The poor light did not help. A low cloud hung over the summit area early in the morning. The groomed areas were the most pleasant for me. Martin and I found Scott and Lakeview a little more to our liking, as the visibility was better on that side of the mountain. It was time for my first run down to Snowcrest from the top of Lakeview. Andrew talked me into making the trip through Field of Dreams, and Alex was kind enough to pick us up at the bottom, so off we went through the trees. As usual, most of the run was quiet, completely untracked, and perfect light powder. We met Martin H. and his wife Rhonda, who also ventured out into the un-patrolled area taking advantage of the sweet conditions. It took a little convincing, but Martin and Rhonda talked me into a second tour of the peaceful backcountry. The second tour was a lovely repeat of the first.
The ski area was not crowded today, as many people appeared to have gone home. We are expecting another storm Tuesday night.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 02:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Is it Friday already?

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
Is it Friday already? Tahoe was under a blanket of blue this morning that lasted into the early afternoon.
Temperatures were in spring mode again reaching into the forties. A brisk wind is blowing over the ridge tops, but all lifts were in operation today. I took a quick tour of the mountain between 11 and 1 today and discovered some wonderful springs snow on the upper portion of Sun Bowl with punchy spring snow in the lower area of this High Traverse run. A couple of quick trips up Sherwood along with a ski down under the chair and one on the South Face continued the spring theme of the day. Again, the snow was a little soft or punchy in certain areas. Skier packed locations appeared better than non-skier packed runs. Expert Shortcut was firm, but not icy. Weasel Run was pretty firm with piles of shaved snow stored at the end of skiers turns. I ventured to Lakeview for the first time this year and skied Mountain View and Scotty’s Beam. Scotty’s Beam located under the chair is a little thin on the snow cover, but both were pleasant. Sunspot and other south facing slopes were in good spring condition. All this is supposed to change later tonight with snow predicted for Saturday.
As of 2:30pm the sky is cloudy, the temperature rather warm, and the roads are dry.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Wednesday was a bust in Tahoe, at least at Alpine Meadows

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
Wednesday was a bust in Tahoe, at least at Alpine Meadows. It rained again most of the day. Alpine reported, correctly, a trace of new snow in the upper area overnight. I did not see any other new snow on the mountain this morning. High clouds have been traveling through the area all day changing the weather from warm, sunny, and clear to gray with rather flat light. The rain turned some of the slopes to ice overnight as the top surface froze with the lower temperatures. The upper mountain runs that were groomed were in good winter condition this morning, but the lower runs were very firm and, in some cases, filled with death cookies. D7 was especially icy and a place to avoid at all costs, according to a couple of friends who dared to traverse it prior to meeting up with me. The south facing slopes had a light dusting of new snow covering a firm surface that varied from a smooth surface that would hold an edge to a bumpy icy surface with old skier tracks and clumps of snow hiding beneath the surface. All the steeper slopes and outer bowls were closed this morning. However, as the sun warmed the surface the snow began to transition to a surface resembling spring corn. Tower 19, in the Sunspot area softened nicely and got better as the morning progressed. We headed to Sherwood and took a few runs under the chair and on the South Face. Again, the snow turned to spring corn and proved rather nice, especially in areas where the underlying surface was smooth.
It is warm this afternoon and I would expect the slopes to be very firm again tomorrow morning. The weather service is calling for windy condition tomorrow with up to a foot of snow falling late Friday and into Saturday.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The sun was out most of the morning at Alpine with continued excellent skiing

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
The sun was out most of the morning at Alpine with continued excellent skiing, especially on the north facing slopes. Sherwood and Lakeview were pretty firm this morning. There was a good wind whipping plumbs of snow up above the ridge line most of the morning. It was a three sport day for me today. We started early in the morning with an uphill hike on our telemark skis with skins on and had a lovely winter snow downhill slide on the telemark skis. We switched to our Alpine gear at the opening and spend most of the morning making turns in D5, D6, and D7 with a few on other north facing slopes. Just for fun I switched a third time to my board and played on Roundhouse and Yellow (nicely groomed last night) for an hour or so.
The air was not really cold, but we were chilled for some reason, perhaps the wind. This afternoon the sky is clouding over and we are expecting some snow. I think it will begin wet over 7000 and then drop at the end to 5000 or 6000. We may have some good skiing tomorrow or Thursday morning. Maybe a powder day is in our future.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We are experiencing some excellent skiing at Alpine Meadows

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
We are experiencing some excellent skiing at Alpine Meadows. The weekend skiing was very good with a little new snow on Saturday along with a big crowd, high winds, and poor visibility on the upper portion of the mountain. Saturday was a day to ski off piste with a little care, as hidden ice balls were just under the surface. I skied Gentian Gully and found some pretty nice snow in the trees, but rather icy conditions on the open slope of Promised Land. Sherwood Cliffs were in very nice powdery condition. The groomed areas were mostly in fine shape, as were the north facing slopes where the underlying snow was soft and not frozen from the warm day before and colder temperatures overnight.
Sunday was the best day of the weekend, as the sun broke out and flooded the slopes with bright light. We made a few runs on Sunday morning in D5 and D7 where the snow was smooth and wind packed. Here again, all the north facing slopes were in prime condition. There was plenty of good winter snow on the mountain on this beautiful Sunday. I heard from a friend who claimed the skiing at Squaw was fantastic on winter buffed winter snow.
Today was another prime day. The sun was shining out of a bright blue sky. Overnight temperatures brought an excellent winter surface to the ski area this morning. We made a number of delightful runs on winter groomed and winter packed snow in Alpine Bowl, Wolverine, D8 and D7, Palisades, and Sunspot. I was on my telemark skis today and enjoyed every minute of it bending and turning on the soft winter surface. Today, was one of those days when you just do not want to stop skiing. I did not make it to Sherwood today, but I heard from someone who ventured over that the groomed runs was just right.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friday turned out to be ....................

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
Email: andyw@sierra.net
Office website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
Friday turned out to be another gorgeous spring day in Tahoe. If you can believe it, the temperature at the base of Alpine reached 55 degrees early in the afternoon. This created some soft spring ski conditions on the slopes facing south. It will most likely create some firm, rough conditions this Saturday morning. Winds were light at the top of the mountain making for a perfect day of skiing. Most of the north facing slopes offered excellent winter snow conditions especially the Palisades Areas under and around the Alpine Bowl Chair. D5 was in smooth chalky
condition, and a joy to ski. D6, D7, D8, Peril Ridge, and Pete’s Peril were filled with great winter snow. The Face was never better as small soft moguls awaited our turning skis. Quinn’s Chute, next to The Face was also filled with soft moguls (but also filled with a couple of rocks and plenty of small trees near the bottom). We took a couple of runs on Sherwood where the soft spring snow was pretty nice and returned via Expert Shortcut where more soft winter moguls slipped by under foot.
This morning, Saturday, it is snowing lightly with poor visibility and temperatures ranging from 32 at the base to 26 at the ridge top. Overnight the sky dropped an inch or so of new wet snow. We are expecting clearing skies later in the morning as this small storm moves east. Sunday should be another mild day with plenty of sunshine.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 07:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mostly smiles on the hill today, as we cut

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
Mostly smiles on the hill today, as we cut up the north facing slopes. East and West Palisades, D7, D6, Peril Ridge, Pete’s Peril, Art’s Knob, High Yellow, The Face, Quin’s Chute, Sympathy, and all the groomed runs were in excellent winter condition. A bit of a warm breeze was blowing this morning, but not enough to close down and lifts. We took our first ride up the new Sherwood Lift this morning. The ride is soft and fast. We clocked the ride at under four minutes. Unfortunately the snow was not good off piste. Warm sun had turned yesterday mornings powder to tricky, soft, spring snow. We did have a couple of nice spring runs on the groomed area. The sun is out, the temperature in the 40's, and most of the skiing is great.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was the day to be out skiing.

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
email: andyw@sierra.net
Our real estate website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
Today was the day to be out skiing. The clouds finally blew out of Tahoe and clear blue sky filled the heavens. A warm sun shone lifting our spirts and allowing us to see with clarity. A couple of inches of snow arrived during the night filling in yesterday’s tracks. The snow was slightly wind packed and proved a little tricky at times, but generally we stayed on top of the surface leaving happy tracks behind.
The snow got better as it was broken up and skied out. We tracked out D7 and Wolverine Bowl along with Sunspot and High Yellow. Our only regrettable was in Seldom Slides off the Scott Chair. This just seemed like too much work as the snow was deeper and cut up. East and West Palisades, Peter’s Peril, D7 and other north facing slopes were just perfect today. The new Sherwood Lift opened today. It did not open until early in the afternoon, so I missed the first day. High Traverse also opened, but I hear the snow was not the best. The warm sun may have made the snow to a little heavy and wet I did not hear one complaint today. Today felt like a real ski day for the first time this year.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Tuesday was a day of limited new snow for the first time in many days.

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
Email: andyw@sierra.net
Office website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
Tuesday was a day of limited new snow for the first time in many days. It looked as if the sun was going to make a showing early yesterday morning, but that never happened. A large crowd arrived at Alpine, many may have been locals with their children, as power remained out in large areas of North Tahoe, including the schools. It was another day of high winds and limited visibility on the upper mountain. Summit and Roundhouse chairs were in operation, but that was the extent of advanced lift operation yesterday. We have received two feet of snow over the last few days making the upper mountain areas look like they should and the lower mountain look pretty good. Many streams remain exposed and running. Look out for them, and avoid falling into the holes that remain in the snow pack above the running water. Warm temperatures have left the streams running and not frozen.
Yesterday the new snow and powder had been wind whipped overnight leaving a slight wind crust on the top layer. This soft crust made for tricky turning in certain areas. The groomed runs were in good condition, but soon became a little icy in spots as the top lay was scraped off. I spoke to a number of people who had varying opinions of the conditions. Some skiers were grumbling and not smiling widely, others were spotting the excellence of the day. I was in the middle, as I did find some nice powder in a few areas, but the lack of open terrain, high winds, and flat light dampened my day just a little.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 06:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We finally received some significannt..................

The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
Email: andyw@sierra.net
Office website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com

Hello skiers,
We finally received some significant snow at Alpine. Last night, and most of today, the sky let loose a continuous snowfall. The snowfall continues to be wet. Alpine received approximately one and a half feet of snow in the past 24 hours at the base area. Skiing was excellent today, although the open terrain was again limited. Roundhouse opened first with Summit following around 10 o’clock. The 10” morning powder runs were in wet snow, but the softness felt good. Lighting was on the flat side, but no seemed to care, as yelling was emanating from various corners of the mountain. We took runs down Blue Trail catching first tracks, and Yellow Trail taking care to avoid holes in the snow where a stream runs below. Summit offered up a couple of fairly untracked runs in the Sunspot area bringing smiles to all those in our party. We found additional fresh snow under the Sherwood Cliffs. The morning ended with wet gloves and happy faces.
I am not sure if Scott opened later in the afternoon, but it appeared to be ready for customers.
We have had a rather frustrating week. Power at my house and the condominium development across the street, failed on the morning of New Year’s eve. The heavy rains, over 6” at Alpine, caused trees to fall on to power lines, mudslides to close area roads, and flooding. Power has not been fully restored to my spot in Alpine Meadows. We have had a brown out situation since the morning of the 31rst. Of course, my generator would have made life easier if it had been in good working order, but it would not start. I finally had it repaired this afternoon, and it is now humming noisily allowing me to plug in my refrigerator, the forced air furnace, and my computer.
Thus, I have heat, dim lighting, a computer, and use of the gas range top. Tahoe City, and many other areas in Tahoe, have also been without power. The power was off in Tahoe City New Year’s eve and most of yesterday.
Skiing on New Year’s Day was interesting. Alpine was again only running Roundhouse and Summit. A light snowfall overnight left a small amount of new snow piled into low areas between
icy pimples formed when the rain soaked mountainside froze solid. We had fun turning in the fresh snow attempting to avoid the icy sheets that waited to take our footing out from under our skis. Only Alpine Bowl was open at the top of the mountain until noon when the Peril Ridge side of Wolverine Bowl opened for skiing. By 1:30 p.m. the winds had picked up and Alpine was forced to close everything but Meadow and Yellow Chairs.
The good news is that the hillsides seem to be covered well and in better condition than they were just a few days ago. Alpine is reporting over 90 inches of snow at the mid mountain stake.
We are hoping to dry out for a few days.
Enjoy your day. Andy

Posted by Andy Wertheim at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)