Alpine Meadows ski resort in Lake Tahoe, CA held its passholders appreciation party last night at the top of the Summit chair. This was the first time they’ve held a public party up there and it was a resounding success. Over 400 people came up the Summit chair between 5:30pm and 6:30pm and hung out next to a large bonfire on the top of the mountain.
We hung out, some people may or may not have snuck up beers, we watched the moonrise then sunset. People were ecstatic. The simultaneous moonrise and sunset had everyone’s head on a swivel.
Howling at the moon was mandatory and contagious. There was a guy singing and playing singalong songs next to the fire. There was a ferociously good vibe going around.
At 7:45ish, ski patrol ushered us down the mountain and the turns were the best of the day. When it’s this warm out during the daytime, the skiing is best at night. Who’da thought? Very carvable, very responsive snow guided us from the summit right into the Alpine Lodge where a DJ was spinning and two bartenders were pouring. A great BBQ was raging on the deck and the cafeteria was open for food as well.
The party went strong until about 10pm when people had had their fill and started heading home. Every human at the party was on the same wavelength, was getting along famously, and were genuinely happy. We’d all just been reminded that we live on a very natural and celestial planet called Earth and that the world doesn’t begin and end with what our smartphones tell us to do.
After the party, Tahoe was treated to a fantastic total lunar eclipse that was as surreal as it was creepy. I can see why the ancients thought it was the end of the world. There was essentially no moon for about an hour last night…
Thanks Alpine. This was one of the coolest parties I’ve ever been to.
PHOTO TOUR:
Thanks for sharing these photos! What a great time