Kirkwood, CA Report: Fast Fun Powder

Report from March 8th, 2019

With fresh snow throughout the week, Kirkwood was again covered in a blanket of powder. The snow year has been phenomenal with over 530″ for the season.

Throughout the first week of March, several inches fell each day resulting in great conditions for the weekend! Due to spring-like conditions the week before, a dense snow base developed. The fresh dry powder created a perfect canvas to ski fast and hit some classics.

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On my second run, I decided that the snow was deep enough to hit Kodak, a classic drop. Upon landing, I found that under the soft powder a much firmer layer lay in hiding. Having learned my lesson I chose steeper landings for the rest of the day. Regardless, Kirkwood skiing was all-time.

Dodging rocky JAWS. Skier/Image: Adrian Dolatschko

After a phenomenal snow year, the mountain is extremely filled in with snow. Many smaller features have all but disappeared. On the bright side, more technical areas are becoming increasingly accessible.

An Alternate Entrance to a Classic Hit Skier/Image: Adrian Dolatschko

Due to the high snow levels, new entrances to classic lines are opening up left and right. Similarly, there were fresh powder stashes all over the mountain. Even tracked out snow was still soft and supportive which allowed for fast and aggressive skiing.

Recently, Kirkwood announced an extension of the season through April 14, with the addition of 3-day-weekend on April 19, 20, 21. Given the recent weather trends, it appears that the snow season in the Sierras is approaching spring.