tseeb
Well-known member
I left San Jose at 6 am after checking that highway 88 to Kirkwood was open. It was a night of record rain and some rare thunder and lightning in San Jose. Snow, chain control and sign saying Carson Spur (very active avalanche area just before Kirkwood) was closed all hit at once before Pioneer, elevation less than 3,000 feet and 45 miles before Kirkwood. I considered backtracking, then driving North to Placerville. But it would have taken an hour to get to US-50, then probably 2 hours to Heavenly, who may not have had much open (and I later heard closed early due to lightning), or even longer to Kirkwood coming in from the East over Carson Pass. So we took our time, stopped and did a little grocery shopping in Pioneer and got to the Spur, about 20 minutes after it had re-opened. It was already (or still?) closed Westbound and we were stopped in the avalanche zone for a couple of minutes while rotary plow cleared snow so one lane of vehicles could get through.
It was after 10:30 before we arrived, and after not finding any good parking around base of chairs 5/6 and 10/11, we returned to Timber Creek base. By the time my wife was ready for her first day of skiing this year, it was too far after 11 for a day with reported 19-25” of new snow in last 24 hours. We skied one run on Timber Creek, then Solitude before making our way to The Reut chair. I skied down with her once, then rode chair with her, before moving to Cornice chair, where I got 4 quick runs before we met at 1:30 for lunch. I found some short stretches of untracked and lightly tracked powder, but since I started too late and did not have a time for long hikes, missed the best of the deep, dry powder.
We took a short lunch break at Monte Wolf café, where I was able to confirm with ticket office in same building that my ticket from 4/1 should work to take a friend skiing at Kirkwood one day this year. We went out again, both a little chilled from sitting. We took one run together on The Reut, where one of my wife’s new skis pre-released and she went down in unpacked snow. She was having a hard time hiking up to it, so even though I was about 50 feet below, I went and got it and helped her get it back on. At least we both we warm by this time.
We separated and I took two runs on the Wall. First time, I stayed looker’s left, along the top of closed Eagle Bowl. Chairs 2, 3 and 4 also did not open, and I’m not sure it is was due to staffing and cost-saving or avalanche issues. Up high, I found good tracked out snow between some rocks. Lower down, above top of The Reut, I found some deep untracked. Next time up the Wall, I spotted a place where I though I could come off the ridge, then traverse towards the corner of Wagon Wheel Bowl. It was a very steep entrance and all I could do was one turn, where I picked up way too much speed, then hang on. I did find some lightly tracked by traversing into the corner. Then I took Cornice twice more, once hiking towards the corner and once, with my wife down Sentinel Bowl. She did not like the unpacked, mostly tracked out bowl and, for the top half, took the narrow groomed trail that come down skiers left of the bowl. I found some deep, untracked along the edge of the bowl and in the trees. At best, groomed runs at Kirkwood were groomed only cat wide, with tall edges and a lot of snow fallen and pushed into the groom. We quit at close to 4:15. It snowed moderately most of the day, finally lightening up about 3 pm when all the pictures were taken. I finished with 15 lifts and 17K vertical.
It was after 10:30 before we arrived, and after not finding any good parking around base of chairs 5/6 and 10/11, we returned to Timber Creek base. By the time my wife was ready for her first day of skiing this year, it was too far after 11 for a day with reported 19-25” of new snow in last 24 hours. We skied one run on Timber Creek, then Solitude before making our way to The Reut chair. I skied down with her once, then rode chair with her, before moving to Cornice chair, where I got 4 quick runs before we met at 1:30 for lunch. I found some short stretches of untracked and lightly tracked powder, but since I started too late and did not have a time for long hikes, missed the best of the deep, dry powder.
We took a short lunch break at Monte Wolf café, where I was able to confirm with ticket office in same building that my ticket from 4/1 should work to take a friend skiing at Kirkwood one day this year. We went out again, both a little chilled from sitting. We took one run together on The Reut, where one of my wife’s new skis pre-released and she went down in unpacked snow. She was having a hard time hiking up to it, so even though I was about 50 feet below, I went and got it and helped her get it back on. At least we both we warm by this time.
We separated and I took two runs on the Wall. First time, I stayed looker’s left, along the top of closed Eagle Bowl. Chairs 2, 3 and 4 also did not open, and I’m not sure it is was due to staffing and cost-saving or avalanche issues. Up high, I found good tracked out snow between some rocks. Lower down, above top of The Reut, I found some deep untracked. Next time up the Wall, I spotted a place where I though I could come off the ridge, then traverse towards the corner of Wagon Wheel Bowl. It was a very steep entrance and all I could do was one turn, where I picked up way too much speed, then hang on. I did find some lightly tracked by traversing into the corner. Then I took Cornice twice more, once hiking towards the corner and once, with my wife down Sentinel Bowl. She did not like the unpacked, mostly tracked out bowl and, for the top half, took the narrow groomed trail that come down skiers left of the bowl. I found some deep, untracked along the edge of the bowl and in the trees. At best, groomed runs at Kirkwood were groomed only cat wide, with tall edges and a lot of snow fallen and pushed into the groom. We quit at close to 4:15. It snowed moderately most of the day, finally lightening up about 3 pm when all the pictures were taken. I finished with 15 lifts and 17K vertical.
