All types of conditions at Alpine
Conditions Thursday at Alpine Meadows were fast and very much in between weather regimes. We found both soft wintry snow and sun-softened cream cheese across the mountain.
Cold overnight temperatures left much of the off-piste firm in the morning. Groomers were a good choice to start the day, though one had to be mindful to keep their speed in check.
Roundhouse groomers were a great start
Even before 10AM, the sunny parts of Sherwood were beginning to soften. "A thin layer of cream cheese atop a firm crust" is how one skier described it.
A smear of cream cheese at Sherwood
Areas around Summit that get sun such as Sunspot and skier's left of Wolverine Bowl were not bad by 11am.
Windy at Summit
Sunspot had great snow
Softened snow around Idiot's Delight
Lakeview was quiet and very firm as expected. Grooming helped, but even then the effects were starting to fade away by 12PM.
Quiet and firm at Lakeview
By noon, Sherwood Face was soft and already quite thick. Not horrendous, though not spectatular either.
Getting thick quick at Sherwood
Sherwood Cliffs had some fun wintry snow in contrast to Sherwood Face. While definitely packed, edges held well and there was no crust.
Likewise, D7 had great snow. The Face under Summit chair was enjoyable too - faster than D7 but still enjoyable.
Great soft snow at D7
Overall, a little bit of everything at Alpine Meadows. The day highlighted how much conditions can vary across the mountain. Skiing is fun, and science is cool.
Lots of improvements to make to SnowSignals AI. We'll dial back the corn formation model, which seems too optimistic at the moment. We'll start factoring in groomer quality as well. Lastly, we'll add gradations of packed powder to represent what we experienced today at spots like Sherwood Cliffs and The Face.