Hello Skiers and Boarders,
Wet snow makes for very slippery roads. When you add high winds to the mix you get closed roads and plenty of cars in ditches along with fender benders. Yesterday was the perfect storm as far as roads are concerned. I80 closed which backed traffic up on 89 and made Truckee a mess for those trying to go anywhere other than over Donner Summit.
We did receive over a foot of snow overnight. Winds at the ridge top hit 145 miles per hour. At the lower elevation winds were extremely strong most of the night. They slowly died down in the morning allowing lifts to open at the lower elevation followed by upper mountain access lifts later in the day. The temperature warmed up today leaving roads clear, but wet. The wind driven snow was heavy as overnight temperatures were no very low. Thus, first tracks took an effort to create. Concentration was required to make reasonable turns on skis anyway. Perhaps a board would have been a better choice today. It was the type of snow that easily grabbed one ski sending it off in an unwanted direction which is a good way to blow out a knee. However, the proper technique and concentration can lead to pleasant results. I played around on each side of Yellow Trail and on Standard Run when Scott opened leaving curves in the fresh snow. When we quit it was drizzling with temperatures rising. The few groomed areas with just a little snow on top were soft and nice enough to ski.
(Photo: Mark Fisher) 
(Photo: Mark Fisher)
A couple of photos are attached taken by Mark Fisher. One from the lodge where we stopped to warm up and dry off before heading back out. We think that Alpine has been pretty honest and accurate with there reporting of conditions this year, although the large screen in the lodge indicated no lifts to be open at 10:30 this morning when we took our short break. The Squaw/Alpine app has shown temperatures and wind speeds accurately and scheduled lift opening and times have been relatively accurate and usually updated as changes occur. We like to see from management.
Enjoy your day,
Andy
The Unofficial Alpine Meadows Ski Report
Produced by Andy Wertheim
Tahoe Truckee Realtor
Email: andyinalpine@yahoo.com
Website: www.tahoeriverfrontrealty.com
Phone: 530-583-3483 ext:3