Alpine Meadows 4/28/98


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Base: 7000' Vertical: 1,800' Summit: 8,700' Lifts: 12	25% novice 40% intermediate 35% advanced Snowphone: (530)581-8374

By: Frank Encinas
4/28/98

Finally...,is the word that came to mind when I found out that I was all clear to head to Alpine Meadows on Tuesday. I had been looking foward to going all year. Money was the main reason why my plans were not going through. I had a pass at Alpine the year before, and that was one of the best years I've had up here in Tahoe; as far as skiing goes. Plus, I was really looking foward to skiiing with all my friends that have Alpine passes. This year I had mostly skied at Mt. Rose, which was not all that bad. There are a few things that Rose is lacking that Alpine has plenty of. One of them is terrain...Alpine has some of the best terrain of any of the resorts in Tahoe. The second is a high speed lift system. It is so nice to get on the chair and be up to the top in six mintues...high speed chairs rule. I can not forget to mention the open boundry policy at Alpine. This provides you with some fantastic opportunities for those who can brave a small hike.
	I called my buddy, Matt Winter at 7a.m. to see if he was ready to go. After his summoning, he came to get me and we were on our way. We arrived to the resort at about 8:30a.m., got ready and met our other partner in crime. It was already pretty warm but I knew that it would be breezy up top, so I dressed accordingly. As we were walking up to the lift we noticed that our buddy Ryan had got the "commissioner's" parking place. He is mister early to rise, I was looking forward to skiing with him.
We got on the Summit six pack, or the "Summit Couch" as it is affectionately known by the locals, and headed to the top. We were trying to debate weather to do a warm up groomer or head straight up to High Traverse, the majority said groomer. We made our way to Alpine Bowl and made a screamer to the bottom. The snow was already begining to soften up at the top, but the bottom of the mountain was still firm. After that it was time for the first hike of the day. We met up with Ryan and he told us Estelle Bowl was real good. We took his word for it and made the short hike over.
We got to the top and found a nice cornice to drop in. We waited for our cameraman to get down below the cornice and get set up to film. Ryan dropped in first, he got a little back in the air but landed it. I could see that the snow was pretty heavy already. I dropped in and sunk in, almost eatin' it. The rest of the bowl was pretty heavy so we headed to the bottom. Our next run we decided to take an old favorite of mine, High Traverse. We hiked out to to Grouse Rock (approx. 15-20min) and Ryan decided to launch the cornice just before we got there. Just a little to rich for my blood. This side of Alpine offers some great spring corn snow in the morning. The Sherwood chair greets you at the bottom of the bowl. Be sure to hit this side of the mountain in the morning because Sherwood only stays open till about 11:00a.m. Our next mission was back down to the Summit lift and hike over to Keyhole. This is a challenging, great pitched run...depending were you dropped in. Ryan and I dropped in Keyhole One. A little tricky getting into but so worth it. Then, Scott chair opened up just after 11:00a.m. and we took advantage. About this time of morning, the runs on the Scott side start softening up. It's always good to keep track of which lifts open and close throughout the day. The sun exposure and warm temps of springtime keep Alpine chairlifts servicing only those runs with good snow quality.
	All in all, it was just like I had remembered spring skiing at Alpine was like. Hanging with friends and enjoying the sunshine. I can't wait to return and have some more fun playing in the snow. Until next time, may all your turns be great.

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