A little dusting of fresh snow fell on the mountains on Wednesday night, with a bit of hope of a powder day on Thursday. But yesterday was quite breezy, and the Summit lift was on hold, so we hoped to find traces of the new snow on the upper mountain.
We arrived mid-day and hopped on the Roundhouse. Today was much warmer, with highs in the 50s. The snow at the base was still not bad in the afternoon, and although there were some spots of wet snow, it was not sticky.
Skiing under the Roundhouse lift line.
The upper part of Werner’s Schuss had quite a few firm spots with soft bumps in between. Both Charity and Dance floor felt like skiing on butter. Next, we took the Summit to Wolverine bowl.
Overall, it was good wintery snow, with some hard patches on the upper part. The off-piste bumps were soft on the sunny side but quite firm in the shadows, especially in the spots scraped off by the fellow skiers and riders who came earlier than us. The Face moguls were a mix of soft and hard snow.
Wolverine Bowl at Alpine today
After Wolverine, we went to check out the Alpine bowl. It was lovely, sunny, and smooth in the upper part, with somewhat slushy snow on Rock Garden.
The Palisades and the High Yellow still have good snow but watch out for icy patches.
Overall, the conditions are good, considering the last significant storm was a while ago. Be prepared that some steeper high-traffic areas will be hard and bumpy. Less busy north-facing slopes in the shadows still hold great chalky cold snow if you put a bit of effort into getting there.
The wind is gradually changing direction, bringing hope of moisture to the Sierra on Sunday.
Tomorrow will be warm, with the wind starting to pick up in the afternoon. So start earlier and follow the sun.
