Snow Report, New Year’s Day



NorthStar 1/1/2012

I’ve been very impressed with how the ski resorts have managed the available snow to make skiable terrain. The runs have been few, but their quality has been pretty good. The more man made snow you could make, the better the runs.  Unfortunately, the conditions have taken a change for the worse. I visited 3 resorts today and found the snow quality much different.

There have been just too many warm days to keep the snow on the runs. It’s really been melting away. We also had rain on Friday which further made a mess of things. Alpine Meadows coverage was horrible at the bottom. They are reporting 18 inches at the base, but I don’t believe it. They have a reported 9 inches at the top. Squaw Valley had a half full parking lot and more dirt than snow on the mountain. They report 12 inches of snow at the base and aren't reporting the coverage at el. 8200. 

Alpine Meadows 1/1/2012

I skied NorthStar today and was very disappointed in the snow coverage. Normally I wax on about NorthStar’s brilliant snow making capability, but it seems they must have run out of water.   Runs that were open a week ago are now closed.  The runs that are still open are showing dirt. I hit far too many rocks today. They marked a few hazards, but not all of them.

Bottom line: We need snow. The man made stuff isn’t enough anymore.

A snowless Squaw Valley 1/1/2012