Thanks, Tony. A couple of follow-ups:
- More skier traffic -> higher likelihood of icy surface. Especially true on steeper slopes. Correct?
- When do you get a coral reef surface?
- Dust on crust, coral reef is equally dangerous as an icy surface?
Tony Crocker":39ejvhk0 said:
Not really. Lower slopes are more prone to melt/freeze than higher ones, and flat slopes are more prone to melt/freeze than steeper ones with less direct sun
I got this completely wrong. Higher elevation -> brighter sun due to less atmosphere. So a beginner slope high on the mountain will still be icy if it is sunny.
But there are nuances. How warm is the current day vs. the one that produced the melt/freeze in the first place? To the extent the current day is cooler, some slopes may not soften all day. The first warm day is often really good, as you get the softening part without the freeze beforehand.
I don't think I understand this. What is the importance of softening without the freeze?
In the Northeast rain incidence is the least midwinter and very high in the shoulder seasons, November and mid-March and later.
No plans to visit North-east for skiing but good to know.
But rain vs. snow likelihood on the West Coast is driven more by storm patterns and ocean temperatures. Rain is most likely in November, then in December and least likely in February/March. January and April are in between.
Temperatures also follow a weird pattern here. I remember a 55 degree ski day at Northstar in January.
What about Utah? I believe rain is not likely in the Cottonwoods due to their higher elevation. What about the other areas like Park City, Powder Mountain?
Avoiding unpleasant conditions for ski areas withing driving range is mostly a function of following current weather patterns closely. For Tahoe
Bryan Allegretto at OpenSnow is the best resource IMHO.
Thanks, I will start following this.
Once on the hill, watch other skiers while riding chairs. Those are the "guinea pigs" testing snow surfaces you may not be sure about. On questionable slopes Craig Morris at Fernie called them "sacrificial lambs." Listen for "loud turns" on icy surfaces.
If unsure about iciness, I will only get on that lift if it allows downloading or has a cat track down. A flat icy slope is less scary than a steep one.
I believe these are the mountains with high elevation beginner/lower intermediate terrain in Tahoe:
Heavenly: good intermediate terrain at high elevation, no beginner terrain at higher elevation.
Mt. Rose: good beginner and intermediate at higher elevation (8200)
Kirkwood: low on the mountain but still high elevation (7800)
Squaw: beginner terrain @ 8200. Some intermediate terrain up high.
Alpine: some intermediate at higher elevation but it ends at low elevation.
Others don't have beginner/intermediate terrain at high elevation.
*** Utah ***
Cottonwoods: the base elevation is high by Tahoe standards but all beginner terrain is low on the mountain.
Park City: beginner terrain low (same as Northstar). Some intermediate terrain higher and north-facing (Silverlode).
Canyons: higher beginner/intermediate terrain above Red Pine. North facing intermediate terrain at Iron Mountain/Dreamscape/Daycatcher.
Deer Valley: don't know
Powder mountain: some beginner terrain above 8k as per the trail map.
Snowbasin: not much beginner/low intermediate terrain.
Beaver Mountain: the whole mountain is lower elevation than others so best for mid-season only.