The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report

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

Hello skiers,
The weekend that just passed certainly turned out to be an
interesting couple of days. I did not get out to ski either day, but
those of you who hit the slopes on Sunday were treated to a glorious
event. Saturday was a windy, snowy, day with poor visibility and few
lifts running. Most people chose to stay inside and enjoy the storm
while reading a good book in front of the fireplace. A few folks
braved the storm to make a limited runs, but not many ventured onto
the hill. The storm blew itself out overnight, and Sunday the sun
rose into a clear blue windless sky. The reports I gathered were all
very positive about the skiing on Sunday. Plenty of fresh tracks
were sketched into the virgin hillsides by a multitude of skiers and
riders. Traffic was backed up for long distances in the morning as
guests attempted to find parking in Alpine and Squaw. Lines were
longer than normal, as every skier in the area seemed to head for the
slopes Sunday morning. Skiers lined up at special tickets in the
Alpine lodge to purchase the $99 spring pass. Some may have been
waiting in line all day to purchase the spring pass and missed much
of the great ski day. This year, with all the snow, the $99 pass
seems to be a huge hit. According to my sources, we are only 2.5
inches of snow away from setting the all time monthly snowfall record
at Alpine Meadows (at least since 1970). The record for the most
snow to fall in any winter month is 188 inches. Forecasters are
calling for a foot of snow tomorrow. This should easily break the
all time record for a single month.
This morning we experienced a mixture of sun and thin cloud
cover. A moderate wind was blowing over the ridge tops. However,
the clouds moved in and out all morning bring flat light followed by
blue sky. Visibility was pretty good and the winds not menacing. The
snow consistency today was generally that of chalk on the northern
slopes. Wind packed or skier packed snow that held an edge easily
covered much of the north facing portions of the mountain. The south
facing slopes were not icy, but a little crunchy early in the
morning. As the sun warmed the snow the consistency changed to the
soft spring snow that many of us love. It was not warm enough to
create corn or mush in the areas that I skied, but it was pleasant
skiing. We had fun on High Yellow Face. It was smooth, cold, wind
packed snow, and on Peter's Peril that was similar with a few bumps.
The groomed runs were very nice in the morning, although some lower
areas had a few spots covered with death cookies. Palisades was a
delight, portions of The Face were lovely and not covered in deep
moguls, and Waterfall was similar to The Face. Lower Yellow Face,
Deer Camp, D7, D8, and Peril Ridge were all filled with nice friendly
moguls. Keyhole, Open Slope, and the Sherwood Cliff looked good, but
I did not make it to them today.
New snow is already falling, so the slopes will change again
soon.
Enjoy your day. Andy