| May,21 2005 Alpine Meadows Ski Report |
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| Written by Ryan Wexler | |
| Saturday, 21 May 2005 | |
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WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO! What else can you say when skiing conditions are this perfect. The 5 days of rain we endured was painful, but the end result is that the entire mountain has been sculpted into the smoothest, most consolidated, dense spring corn snow imaginable. The skiing was perfect all over. It was a warm day, but we got a freeze last night and because the snow is so consolidated it doesn't really require a hard freeze. Even the most sourthernly aspects were not getting too soft. Beaver and Estelle finally opened today after nearly a two week hiatus and they were putting out the love. To get there now, as a result of the rain, you have to actually remove your skis and hike across the PCT, which is typical this time of year. The most south facing pitches like High Beaver Proper and the skiers left ridge were soft, but skiing just right. If you looked to places that weren't getting so much sun like Hanging Snow Fields, the snow was a bit firmer and also smooth and skiing perfect. One item of note for all you adreline junkies, the Cathedral of Estelle still has a skiable line through it. Even Bernies Chute and the south facing aspects skiing above the parking lot were not too soft. The lines below the buttress were good, but thin and required the two step shuffle through some serious willow bushes to get through in places. The rain certainly opened up a few crevasses and lots of hollow spots in the snow so keep your eyes sharp when skiing steeps. The ridge accessing High Beaver and Estelle closed down at about 11:45am, to let it bake up until tomorrow. Keyhole was absolutely going off. At the crux the K1, and K2 area is skiing particularly well. On some of those northern aspects you would find some firm snow in the shade but for the most part it was consistently soft and smooth. High Yellow was in really good shape as well. The Sherwood Cliff area was skiing particularly good in the afternoon, I am sure it was firm in the morning though. One casuality of the rain to note is the coffin. It is reportedly unskiable now with a mandatory air required in the choke, when just 10 days ago the choke was wide open. Kangaroo, was not running today, but there was a bevy of rails and little hits in the mini terrain park even including a slanted box. They were however doing maintainence in the main park and it should open tomorrow. The only bad thing about the skiing today is that we had to stop eventually. It is days like this when the sun is shining and the conditions make you hoot and hollar after every run that remind us why we ski. If you have burnt out on skiing or just given up for the season and stashed your skis in the attic in exchange for your bike; then I recommend a fresh coat of wax, some sun tan lotion and a couple phone calls to your skiing buddies. Because I guarantee you won't find a better way to spend your day tomorrow than hanging out on the slopes, getting some sun and skiing good snow with your friends. |
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