The "Endless" Season

By admin

Stories
May 3, 2017

What a season we’ve had so far, and it’s still going. Take a look back at some of the season milestones that led to what might be the longest season ever!

November 2016

Snowy Opening Day

Opening Day at Alpine Meadows. November 23, 2016. Photo: Ben Arnst

The 2016-17 season kicked off on November 23 the best way possible – with new snow! The stoke was high as we took our first laps of the season on 4″ of fresh snow that continued throughout the day. Skiers and riders were fired up, taking the snowy weather as a sign of an amazing season ahead…

December 2016

Christmas Powder

Conditions at Alpine Meadows on December 25, 2016. Photo: Jeff Engerbretson

Mother Nature and Santa worked together in December to deliver the month’s first BIG storm in time for the holidays! We woke up to 14″ of fresh powder on December 24, and a bluebird powder day with a 21″ storm total on Christmas Day.

#januBURIED 2017

Snowiest Month on Record

Snow piled high along the Alpine Meadows Road on January 23, 2017. Photo: Ben Arnst

Who could forget January? It snowed 16 out of 31 days and the monthly total reached 282 inches. That’s over 23 FEET, making January 2017 the snowiest month at Palisades Tahoe on record!

February 2017

Snowiest February on Record

Granite Chief lift buried after a 7 foot storm lasting February 17-23 at Squaw Valley. Photo: Ben Arnst

February is historically very snowy in the Sierra, bringing the most average snowfall of any month. This February we received 196 inches (over 16 feet), making it the snowiest February on record! Needless to say, once the lifts were dug out we enjoyed plenty of powder on the slopes.

March 2017

Surpassed 600 Inches of Season Snowfall

Alpine Meadows on March 7, 2017. Photo: Matt Bansak

On March 7 following a 3 foot storm total, we officially broke the 600″ mark for the season! This is only the 3rd time in recorded history that our mountains have reached 600″.

April 2017

Surpassed 700 Inches of Season Snowfall

Silverado Zone at Squaw Valley on April 9, 2017. Photo: Ben Arnst

The Spring season may have officially started in March, but powder days continued into April. With several spring storms, our season snowfall total broke 700 inches on April 14, 2017. This is only second time in recorded history that our mountains have reached 700″!

Extending our season

Operating into Summer, as Long as the Snow Lasts

Spring skiing is here and it won’t be going anywhere for a while! With a cumulative snowfall of 714 inches, nearly 60 feet, and a base depth of more than 20 feet, we plan to continue operations at Squaw Valley as far into summer as conditions allow. Here’s a look at our plan for the upcoming months following this record-breaking season:

May 2017: Alpine Meadows will operate Saturdays & Sundays from 8:30am-2pm through closing day on Sunday, May 14. Squaw Valley will operate daily from 9am-4pm through June 4.
June 2017: Squaw Valley will open for skiing and riding on Saturdays & Sundays in June. Hours to be determined, based on conditions.
July 1-4: Squaw Valley will operate daily for skiing, riding and activities. Hours to be determined, based on conditions.

Beyond July 4th

As conditions allow and the snow lasts, Squaw Valley is gearing up to operate the Shirley Lake Express chair on Saturday’s in July…or August! Our groomers will be working to relocate snow to the area to maintain snowpack and allow for summer skiing and riding. Basically, we plan to let you ski as long as the snow lasts!

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