Sugar Bowl Conditions Report: Snow Top To Bottom, Take Me To Pow Town!

The storm we’ve been so patiently waiting for this winter is finally upon us.  Well, sort of.  With variable temperatures and some misleading reports (such as Squaw claiming snow at the base when it was certainly rain), Sugar Bowl was certainly the place to be.  It snowed, and snowed HARD, the entire day and total wait time in lift lines: 0 minutes.  You could skate onto the chair the entire day, and watch as your tracks disappeared.

First thing in the morning the snow was dense but still relatively dry top to bottom.  As the day progressed, things heated up a bit, and the lower mountain turned to some classic thick Sierra Cement.  But it did remain white throughout the day, with snow all the way down to the base.  This is just the snow we’ve been looking for, some nice pasty Sierra Cement to cover up the rocks and to stick in all the nooks and crannies on the mountain.

Today qualified as the first real powder day of the year, one where you aren’t constantly dodging all of the lurking sharks and snow snakes.  Off of the top of Lincoln you could go anywhere you wanted, without the fear of sacrificing your skis.  With the new snow, Sugar Bowl was also able to open Disney today, where the Donal Duck trees were harboring some sweet turns.  While Disney was fun, Lincoln was the lift of choice as the added elevation made for a little better and more consistent snow.

Unfortunately, the Pineapple Express is coming in hot and heavy and snow levels are looking like they may rise above the top of Lincoln tonight.  Moving into Sunday morning there’s hope, with snow levels slated to drop back to around 6500′:

* TIMING OF IMPACTS: RISING SNOW LEVELS TO ABOVE PASS LEVELS TODAY
  HAS DECREASED IMPACTS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS
  WILL DIP AGAIN BETWEEN 6500 TO 7000 FEET SUNDAY MORNING.

Remember to be careful out there, as the Avy danger is current rated High near and above treeline and is Considerable below treeline.  With the cold snow starting out the storm and things heating up we have an upside down snowpack on our hands.  Be heads up and be sure to check the Avy forecast before heading out (sierraavalanchecenter.org).