It was a sunny and warm bluebird day! We came in the afternoon and were hoping that the overnight refreeze would stay longer…
Subway Chair is now closed for the season, so we parked next to the lodge.
Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the historic avalanche at Alpine that killed seven. With the recent dry March, it’s hard to imagine what several feet of snow in a few days looks like, but that is exactly what happened in 1982. If you haven’t already watched the movie about this event, it’s still screening at Tahoe Arthaus through the first week of April.
Skiing in the second half of the day, especially in the Spring, has the benefit of having the resort almost to yourself—except the downside being that the snow could be slushy. The obvious trick is to go to the highest chair, so we skipped Roundhouse and went to the top of Summit. The snow coverage is still great here—we did a few laps in Alpine and Wolverine bowls.
The upper parts of both bowls still hold snow very well, and we found excellent corn skiing there, especially on the groomed parts. By 2 pm, there were already soft bumps on the groomers, but the snow was not sticky (though the flat sections were getting warm).
The Face held a thick layer of soft corn on healthy-sized moguls. A few rocks are cropping up in the middle—watch out for them. The snow on the runout to the base was warm and wet but was still sliding well, perhaps thanks to some salting by resort teams. Still, there are practically no rocks or bare spots on the main runs, despite snow melting fast in this warm weather.
We were pleasantly surprised that both Yellow and ABC chairs were spinning and decided to check on Yellow Trail. Unfortunately, most of it was closed for Ski Team use, so we ventured to Weasel. The approach was quite sticky, but the run itself was nice, buttery skiing until the flat near Yellow Chair.
It will be warm again tomorrow. If you come early, just follow the sun to get the best snow and enjoy skiing at North America’s Spring Skiing Capital. And don’t forget to enjoy a few of the free WinterWonderGrass shows at Palisades this weekend!
