Today’s conditions were prime springtime shred, ideal for Base To Base closing day. It was an awesome day ripping both mountains edge to edge. From Alpine’s Sherwood and Treeline Cirque to Palisade’s Shirley and Granite, the snow and weather were all-time spring fun.
This report was written by Ryan Williams.
Red Dog
Today’s tour was all about riding both mountains and enjoying the Base to Base gondola, especially as today was the closing day for the lift. We were on an adventure to hit the edge-to-edge of both mountains, getting to Sherwood at the far south end of Alpine and then getting all the way back to Granite Chief at the far north end of Palisades.
We started the tour by taking a warm-up lap on Red Dog, soaking in the big valley views. At the top, we ventured down the slushy groomer, taking dog leg down. The sun was out; however, there was a bit of wind, helping keep the snow cold and fast. It was nice to find some lanes of smooth snow on the side of the run all the way down. The moguls were pretty fun too.
Base to Base
We were hyped to hit the Base to Base on its closing day. This gondola is cool for adventure boarding and getting to rip the terrain of both mountains. The ride over to Alpine was awesome today – the views, the mind boarding, and the deep snowpack were all amazing.
Our plan today was to get the maximum distance in the adventure between the two mountains, hitting the farthest south lift at Alpine – Sherwood via Treeline Cirque.
Treeline Cirque
Alpine had the classic chill vibe today. Minimal crowds, awesome corn snow, and tons of terrain to rip. We hopped on Treeline Cirque and jammed to the top to get to Sherwood. This lift is such a sweet connector. On the ride up, we scoped out some sweet lines for our venture back. The views were great today, and just amazing seeing the deep snowpack all across the mountain. It is wild how fast we got to the top of Sherwood from the bottom of Palisades – just thirty-four minutes.
Sherwood
The forest and lake views at the top were surreal today. Love the Sherwood zone. We dropped in through the forest to the awesome lake views in the foreground with each turn. It was empty, and the snow was so much fun, fast, and slushy. On the ride up, it was so cool to see how filled in the zones are all the way out to Grouse Rock and Twin Peaks. It looks like mid-winter. The sunshine on the south-facing slope was a blast today. And surprisingly, the snow stayed fast and smooth.
After a lap, we returned to the Base to Base gondola, taking an adventure through some great off-piste conditions and terrain. Just off the cat track, we hit a zone known as an expert shortcut, just above Treeline Cirque. It’s such a fun area, and today it was riding super well. We found some great spots between the mogul areas that still had smooth snow and ripped. This area was a total treat for the day.
Base to Base
After a fun, quick session at Alpine, we took the Base to Base back to Palisades to get out to Granite Chief and more. At the top of KT, we enjoyed some great turns off the piste in the saddle. The turns were awesome. Smooth and fast.
Headwall
Making our way to Granite, we took the Headwall lift. At the top, we ventured out to Chicken Bowl and found some great snow off-piste. The groomer down was starting to get a bit slow; however, the slush was fun.
Shirley
On our way to Granite, we took a fun lap through Shirley. The banked slalom is so much fun right now. We could ride it all day long. The banks are in great condition and super deep, making it even more fun. The groomers were fast and smooth today.
Granite
We made it to our adventure end point today, the farthest north end of Palisades, Granite Chief. The peak is looking amazing and still so filled in.
Hopefully, the hike will open back up before the season ends.
At the top, we ventured out the cornice just above Granite Bowl. The cornice drop-in was awesome. The landing was great, and the turns down amazing. Looking across the way at the lake and beyond to Alpine, it was rad to think how far we got to adventure today between Alpine and Palisades, edge to edge.
Gold Coast
We wrapped up our awesome mountain tour with fun laps through the terrain parks. The new builds are amazing. And today they had more new features. Thanks to the park crew for crushing it.
The two new parks are the best they’ve been in years. The different zones have options for everyone, from the jump line options and hips to the rhythm sections and rail gardens. The parks are so awesome to have this spring. And today’s adventure, from Palisades to Alpine and back to Palisades, was topped off with the awesome terrain parks. Stoked to have these for more springtime shredding. See you out there.
