A Spring Day at Northstar
Spring is in full swing in the Sierra as of today.
The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe/Truckee Realtor
Email: andyw@sierra.net
Office website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com
Hello skiers,
Spring is in full swing in the Sierra as of today. Warm sunshine flooded the area after overnight temperatures that were in the twenties moved into the forties. A group of us took advantage of the beautiful day, and some free tickets, and skied at Northstar today. We were lucky enough to grab an early parking space in the lowest free parking lot near the steps leading to the new Village. As we walked up and down steps, and through the village, with all our gear in hand and on foot, we were reminded how lucky and easy it is to have a locker at the lifts in Alpine. The new Village is impressive and the construction that is going on reminded me of downtown San Francisco. Cranes and concrete and steel seemed to cover the area in all directions. Grooming on the hill was perfectly smooth and delightful. We made a number of runs on the Backside Chair speeding down the groomed runs and breathing hard in the moguls under the chair. Rapids, the run, under the chair was really very good in the afternoon. The warm sun had softened these reasonably, spaced, and sized moguls, making it possible to enjoy the long line of small hills from top to bottom. Lookout Mountain was just as sweet today with groomed steep slopes that made for fast GS turns and soft moguls in the more narrow areas.
The day was going really well until we stopped to grab a bite to eat at the Summit Lodge on top of the mountain. We were stunned to find hot dogs priced at $7.00 and soda priced at $3.00. Maybe we just have not been eating at the ski areas lately.
Today was one of the best days of skiing I have had on the slopes of Northstar. Of course, I have not skied very many days at this resort over the years, but today was very nice. The only problem I have with this area is that the variety of runs is rather limited. Many just seem to be copies of the adjacent slope with a lack of real open bowls, cornice drops, or narrow chutes. On a powder day it appears obvious that skiing in the trees would be great. The views were spectacular today of the surrounding mountain ranges and Lake Tahoe.
I understand that the skiing at Alpine was just as good today with excellent soft spring snow putting happy faces on many guests.
The next couple of days are supposed to be repeats of today with even warmer days to help us tan our faces.
Enjoy your day. Andy
