Conditions Report
Report from February 18th, 2019
With the Februburied theme continuing in the Sierras, I headed to Kirkwood to catch the tail end of another storm system. Due to a storm every week, the February snowfall has been historic with almost 20ft this month alone.
Every time I drive into Kirkwood the snow walls bordering the road get higher and the street signs have progressively disappeared. It was a bluebird day and the plan for the day was to hit some classics.
Our first run down the Wagon Wheel Bowl was chalky due to the strong wind that had reallocated the snow. As soon as we got into the trees though, the powder was knee deep and incredible. It was going to be a good day.
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My goal for the day was to hit Kodak. A benchmark 30-footer that was perfect with the recent snow conditions. After warming up we headed to the feature. Upon landing, the snow gently caught me, showing just how good these February conditions are. Unfortunately, I also found some avalanche debris in my run-out, but the landing was still soft.
Later in the day, I teed up a mellow version of Soulsearcher, another classic. Yet upon landing, the snow was uncharacteristically hard. It seems that due to the high wind, some areas of the mountain have fared better than others leading to a mix of variability between waist deep powder, chalk, and ice. Luckily it snowed several feet of snow after a quick bout of rain early last week so most of the mountain is incredible.
Throughout the rest of the day, we tracked down powder patches. Conditions and coverage are truly amazing. There are very few wind-blown icy patches and avalanche debris are present but sparse. We skied until the lifts closed, making the most of the best conditions I have ever seen in Kirkwood.
Snow Numbers:
Forecast:
Noaa Predicts
- Several inches of snow throughout the week
- Cold Temperatures
- Bluebird days at the end of the weel with another incoming storm
Photos:
