Apr 5: April Powder Day at Alpine

This report was written by Claire Weiss.

Winter descended on the Sierra again.

The temperature was in the mid-20s and snowing lightly when we arrived at Alpine this morning. We noticed that Summit Chair was spinning slower than usual and hopped on Roundhouse instead.

The sun was peeking through the clouds, and we could see the lake from the top of the chair. But we didn’t even stop for photos as we rushed to ski untouched powder.

Skiing Werner’s Schuss.

Werner’s Schuss, groomed overnight, had a few inches of very light snow. We cruised down the first half and then ventured to Boomerang. The sides of the groomed run had deeper untracked snow, and it was so much fun to ski.

We hopped on Summit Chair to check on D7, which usually holds some of the best snow on the mountain. That was a mistake – it was bumpy and had very firm icy moguls completely covered with fresh powdery snow. You couldn’t see them, but you could feel that firm, crusty surface underneath your skis.

Skiing D7.

Wolverine Bowl itself was perfect–both off-piste sides as well as the groomed portion, which was also covered with a layer of light snow, skied super smooth.

It started snowing heavier, and on our second Summit lap, we couldn’t see either the lake or the trail’s surface – everything was flat white. We opted to ski down Sunspot as it has a few trees, which helped a bit to navigate the trail compared to the all-white Alpine Bowl.

First tracks on Sympathy Face.

We skied back to Roundhouse via Yellow trail. The snow there was pretty deep and fun to ski. We did a few more laps off Roundhouse. The off-piste part to the right of Dance Floor, covered with very soft snow, was excellent. Our favorite lap for today was the right side of Yellow between the trees.

After Roundhouse, we hopped on TLC and skied the Sherwood Face, which was also very good, especially if you kept to the left and into the trees. And the snow under the Sherwood Cliffs was boot-deep!

Trees on Yellow.

There weren’t that many people at Alpine this morning, so it was possible to find untracked snow even after a few runs. The snow was very light and soft, and the clouds and snow helped to preserve its quality. Sadly, we had to leave for the day.

It will be snowing on and off for the rest of the day, and with the colder temperature tonight, Saturday should be excellent. You no longer need parking reservations, so get ready for April powder and have fun skiing and riding!

Friends on a powder day!

Skiing D7.

Skiing Werner’s Schuss.

First turns of Sympathy Face.

Skiing Yellow.

Fresh tracks on Kangaroo Ridge.

The Face.

Face shots!

Trees on Yellow.