Feb 22: Fresh Snow at Alpine and Countdown to Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup

After a short spring break, winter is back in Lake Tahoe. It’s just the beginning of the storm cycle (Palisades reported a couple of inches of snow overnight), and the next few days will be snowy and cold.

Report written by Claire Weiss

Only two days left before the World Cup cheering crowd descends to Palisades Tahoe!

Are you ready? Check the official website and brochure, which will help you to navigate the resort during the race events.

Knowing it was the middle of ski week, we decided to skip morning crowds and come later in the day. It was snowing when we arrived at Alpine. We saw a few inches of new snow in the parking lot. Subway was closed, but we found a spot next to the lodge and ventured to Roundhouse, which seemed to be a safe choice with low visibility.

Top of The Sherwood.

We did a few laps on the Dance floor and Charity. It was so lovely surfing through the cold powdery snow! The visibility was variable, though; we tried to keep near the run’s edge next to the trees. The left side of the Werner Schuss was a bit skied out, and you can catch the firm snow between the turns, but the right side was soft and fluffy.

After Roundhouse, we skied down the Yellow – it was very soft and smooth. It was almost 3 pm, and we decided to check the Sherwood area, so we hopped on the TLC. The visibility at the top of the Sherwood was better than under Roundhouse. We skied through the trees to the Sherwood Face. It was groomed sometime before, so it was skiing very nicely with the layer of very light snow.

Sherwood Trees.

We did one more lap on Sherwood before returning to base. The snow in the trees was very soft, although the lift line next to Sherwood Face was scratchy.

We went to the Summit for the last lap, which had limited visibility. Very few people were skiing The Summit, so the snow was less tracked in the Wolverine bowl. The Waterfall had up to 10 inches of fresh snow between the bumps, so you could get a face shot with each turn!

Skiing The Charity.

Get ready for a powder day tomorrow! The forecast is for 10 inches of cold wintery snow by tomorrow morning, and it will snow all day. So dress warm, and consider skiing near the trees where the visibility is slightly better on stormy days. And don’t forget to check Mountain Operations, Parking info on the Palisades Tahoe app, and road conditions before heading to the resort. Expect delays and traffic tomorrow, as “Thursday is a new Friday.”

The sun peeking through the clouds over Roundhouse.

The Sherwood.

The Roundhouse.

The Dance Floor.

Alpine Lodge.