Description:
Note: Alpine Meadows was recently acquired by a joint venture between KSL, the owners of next-door-neighbor Squaw Valley, and JMA, the owners of Alpine (and Homewood). It remains to be seen what changes / integration we'll see for the 11-12 season. But as of this writing, the two areas are not connected in a way that would allow you to ski from one to the other without skinning/hiking. This page will be updated as things change.
Mild and wild. That's Alpine Meadows in a nutshell. With unique kid's programs, holiday races and a family ski zone, the mild mannered among us have plenty of options at Alpine Meadows, while Tahoe's most famous open-boundary policy, guided out-of-bounds tours and waist-deep powder through old growth forests are as wild as it gets. Alpine Meadows features 13 lifts (including one high-speed sixpack and two high-speed quads) so most of the resort's 2400 skiable acres are easily reached, although a little hiking is required to reach some of the hard-core terrain. But with over 400" of annual snowfall, powder hounds have plenty of incentive to get to those hard-to-reach areas. As Alpine Meadows is just six miles outside of Tahoe City, lodging options are plentiful and the nightlife is non-stop. As many visitors have said, a trip to Lake Tahoe encompasses more than just great skiing and riding.
A FEW TIPS AND TRICKS:
Families:
Alpine has one base lodge. This is great for families because you know where your kids will end up at the end of the day or lunchtime. The bottom floor of the lodge houses the rental and demo shops, ski repair and retail ticket windows. It is also the home to Kids' Camp - Alpine's fantastic program for kids ages 3-6. The rental office can take care of signing up for ski school, rentals and tickets all in one place if you ask. If you're not sure about ski school, the ski school desk is on the 2nd (middle) level of the lodge. Also on that middle level are day lockers, Special Tickets office (season passes, military and other special tickets), First Aid, Ski School desk, bathrooms and one of Alpine's best kept secrets: the Family Zone. More on that in a minute. The top floor has the cafeteria and two bars. Also, in the breezeway that bisects the lower level you'll find Treats - home of good breakfast and lunch offerings, plus the most amazing home-baked goodies you'll find anywhere - try the cookie pie. Both Treats and the coffee bar on the upper level offer very good coffee.
Family Zone in the lodge: Alpine Meadows welcomes families in a host of ways. One of the best is the Family Zone on the middle level of the lodge. Located near special tickets, there are couches, large tables, a play structure and even a small climbing wall for kids. There's a special kid/parent friendly bathroom with a changing table, plus a TV. Families with small children will find this area invaluable. You'll be hanging out with other like-minded parents (who will usually agree to keep an eye on junior for a moment if you need to use the rest room). There is no formal babysitting program at Alpine, but if you bring your sitter/nanny, this is the perfect place for them to hang out with the kids. Picnic lunches are allowed in the family zone so you don't have to be stealthy about the snacks you brought. Combined with Kids' Camp for 3-6 year-olds, plus Junior Mountaineers for 7-12 year-olds, the family zone makes Alpine one of the most family friendly mountains in Tahoe. You can even spy on the Kids Campers on the magic carpet just outside the window.
Food: For the past few years the cafeteria has been offering a great kids meal option. Your choice of hot dog, chicken fingers or mac n cheese, plus a cookie, bag of mini carrots and apple slices and a Ski Patrol Dog trading card - all for around $6. Add a drink and you're set. There's also pizza, a salad bar and a burrito bar in the cafeteria. If you'd like a slightly more upscale offering, try the fare in the Last Chair bar. The house-made potato chips and the turkey panini are highlights in there. If all you need is a drink, try the bar at the other side of the lodge - it is sometimes less crowded.
Ski Check: staying for a few days? Alpine offers a free ski check during the day and overnight check is either free or very cheap. Ski check is just outside the lodge to your left as you head for the lifts.
On Mountain food: There are essentially two options here. One is the Chalet at the base of the Scott Chair and Yellow Chairs. This is a great little restaurant that serves hot drinks, soups, sandwiches, delicious breakfast pastries and other snacks. There are also bathrooms and free water at the Chalet. Hydrate! On the backside - Sherwood - you'll find Alpine's famous Ice Bar. This is undergoing reconstruction as of Fall 2011 so we'll have to see what's there this winter. But the Ice Bar is a great place to grab a drink and hang out in the sunshine. Springtime brings music and bands to the Ice Bar on occasion, and the "beach" can be a fun hangout.
The Skiing:
Green-Blue-Black-Double Black. Keep in mind that the rating scale for ski run difficulty is a sliding scale and is relative to the easiest and hardest things on that individual mountain. There is no run at Northstar, Homewood, Diamond Peak, etc. that comes close to Alpine's most challenging runs. And if you're visiting from the midwest, you can be sure that Alpine offers a much higher level of challenge on it's Black Diamond runs that what you're used to at home. That said, most of Alpine's terrain -- even the most challenging -- can be attacked on different lines that vary in difficulty.
Beginners: The Subway and Meadow chairs are Alpine's primary beginner zone. There is also a Sun Kid magic carpet located between these two lifts for first-timers. When you graduate from Meadow, you'll most likely be heading up the Hot Wheels chair. Don't let the run down from Hot Wheels (called Weasel run) intimidate you. And if it does, go sign up for a lesson. Once you've mastered the runs under Hot Wheels, dramatically more terrain becomes available to you. The Roundhouse chair serves the lower 1/2-2/3 of the mountain and a wide range of Intermediate and Advanced terrain. Beginners beware: There is no easy way down from the Summit of Alpine Meadows. Don't ride the Summit six-pack chair if you aren't a decent intermediate or advanced intermediate rider.
Intermediate and Advanced skiers: The options at Alpine abound for you. Want to enjoy some wide sunny runs, head to the backside and ski Sherwood Run. You get to Sherwood via Ray's Rut which is at the bottom of Lakeview. You can ski there from the top of Hot Wheels, but most people opt to take Scott Chair and traverse over on either Winter Road or Summer Road (they're parallel, winter on top, summer on the bottom). Look for the signs to Sherwood when you get near the bottom of the Lakeview chair. Speaking of Lakeview, Outer Limits and Mountain Run offer wide groomed (albeit a bit steep) options. Plus, one of the best views / Kodak moments is right at the top of the Lakeview Chair. Take a moment to soak in the beauty of Lake Tahoe while you're up there. Scott Chair offers the intermediate/advanced skier great views of the expert Scott Chute on the ascent, then lovely Scott Ridge or Bobby's Run on the descent. The entrance to "Skateboard Alley" is near the bottom of Scott Ridge where it rejoins East Creek / Weasel run. Skateboard Alley is a natural, gladed half pipe that is popular with kids. It will dump you out near the Chalet. Other great intermediate terrain on the front side includes the Alpine Bowl, Sun Spot, Yellow Trail, Charity, Dance Floor, Ladies Slalom and Banana Chute.
Expert Skiers: You're going to love Alpine Meadows. Alpine's steepest run is called Keyhole. Expect a sustained 40+ degree descent with some rocks and other obstacles thrown in for good measure. To get to Keyhole, you'll need to make a short traverse and hike. Obey the open/closed signs when doing this. You can either hike up the ridge from the summit chair toward the antennas atop Ward Peak, then traverse east to the Upper Saddle, or traverse past the top of the Alpine Bowl Chair (the one with the little house at the top) and then up the traverse track. If there are no tracks headed up there, it probably isn't open yet. Snowboarders wanting to access this terrain (also sometimes called High Traverse) will want to either take the track up to the antennas from the Summit Chair, or wait until a few skiers have side-stepped up - otherwise you'll be post-holing the entire way. From the Upper Saddle area and the top of Keyhole (not one and the same, but close to one another), you can ski the steep terrain back down the front side - Palisades, Keyhole and Lower Saddle, or turn south and ski down the back side of Alpine toward the Sherwood lift. Keep in mind that the back side gets lots more sun and depending on temperature, wind and snow, conditions are likely to be very different than on the front side.
Boundary Policy: Alpine Meadows is well known in Tahoe for it's open boundary policy. Don't let that 2400 skiable acres number fool you. That's the inbounds terrain. Alpine offers a great deal of inbounds terrain that is accessible with a short hike, plus a host of beyond-boundary options as well. But just because there's an open boundary policy does not mean anyone who can spell randonee should be heading OB. First of all, read the policy - you can pick up a copy at the base of most lifts. If an area is roped off and/or marked "closed" by ski patrol, that means it is closed. This may seem obvious, but closed does not mean open. If marked closed, it is closed for a reason and you should respect that. Alpine has a fantastic ski patrol that is just as anxious as you are to get things open and go enjoy the awesome off-piste options. But they also know all too well that things can go wrong and they'll take the necessary precautions to keep you out of trouble. Also, ski patrol neither patrols, nor guarantees they'll be able to rescue you should you go out of bounds. In practice, they'll make every effort to help you should you get into trouble (and are able to let them know about it), but rescues inbounds will always take priority. And you should not be going out of bounds unless you have a beacon, shovel and probe and the skills to use them. Alpine's ski school offers guided side-country options if you're unsure or just want a knowledgeable person along.
Some more side/backcountry tips: Do not ski down the back side of Alpine into the Granite Chief Wilderness. This would be the terrain to your right if you're hiking the High Traverse back over to Sherwood, or to your left if you're hiking the ridge / PCT above Wolverine Bowl, Beaver Bowl and Estelle Bowl. People have been lost for days and some have even died back there. It can look really tempting to ski down it. But if you do, you're in for a very long hike back up (or up to a 5 day walk out if you decide it would be smart to follow the drainage out). Some of the most popular sidecountry terrain is off Lakeview down a spot called "Outer Outer" (skier's left of Outer Limits and outside the ski area boundary). If you don't cut right before the base of Lakeview, skiing this area, which has unmarked cliffs and drainages, will eventually put you on the road that leads up to Sherwood. Be respectful of the people whose yards you are skiing through, and be careful on the road. Similarly, another sidecountry option, mostly accessed via either Scott Chair or Lakeview chair are the areas of Condo Run, Subdivision Bowl, Munchkins and Field of Dreams. Like other sidecountry options, Alpine does not generally do any avalanche control in these areas except to protect structures and roads below, and slides are not uncommon. There are many unmarked cliffs and some chutes have 'mandatory air' drops in them. If you don't know where you're going, don't go. And again, be respectful of homeowners when you end up in their driveway. Most of these options will drop you off somewhere on the residential roads that run up the east side of the valley that leads up to Alpine. You'll have to ski or walk out the road until you get to the access road and then hitchhike or walk back up to the main parking lot. Do not ski Munchkins or Field of Dreams unless going with someone who knows the area and all of you have your avy safety gear -- and know how to use it.
Avalanche Information & History
On March 31, 1982, Alpine Meadows experienced one of the most deadly avalanches in Ski Resort history. Since then, Alpine has developed one of the most advanced Avalanche Control programs in the world. (editing in progress...stay tuned for more)
http://vimeo.com/3479357
