SquAlpine operations update.. Kind of a bummer they only estimate KT until 5/12 but daily operations? on granite till Memorial Day is pretty sweet seeing as it's closed early the past few years. Shame about alpine mostly closing down but at least there is a real reason with the new hot wheels chair on a timeline.
https://squawalpine.com/explore/blog/spring-summer-operations-schedule
Was at alpine this morning since the high-T opened for the first time since Tuesday's refresh. The 4-5" was enough to buff everything out again but it didn't fully freeze last night so between 9-10:30 it transitioned from cornish snow to full hot mank and they closed it. Was decent for a couple laps.
N* was actually really good yesterday with aspects off piste and in the bumps softening up with a longer 10-2:30 or so window. Boca, promised land, and Polaris all had really fun soft deep bumps. Alpine 3-5" Tuesday was the 2 hour powder window. It was good early but got really funky and grabby quick. Anything remotely steep the heavy sluff was chasing you down.
As far as the convo going yesterday about the connector Gondi and KT south here's what I've heard through the mill. KT south is white wolf and is (likely) going to be a private lift for the residents of the new white wolf project. There have been meetings and plans in the works for a few years that will turn WW into a 30-40 home plot private community built up into the hills. I haven't seen the plans but envision a couple roads winding up the canyon that are ski in/out allong the KT south lift. Not sure how they are going to put a bunch of huge houses up there with all the avy danger allong the ridge?
I feel like the project is pretty under the radar due to the fact Troy owns that land so no one is really fighting it from Sierra watch, keep squaw true, etc. Not sure how it will work or its affiliation with ALTERRA/SVSC.
http://whitewolftahoe.com/
http://unofficialalpine.com/?p=9306
The Gondi going with #4 seems like a good choice IMO. It will preserve the terrain out in buttress/Bernies keeping it hike to terrain and have the least impact on the GC wilderness. Only thing that seems strange is where the second loading station will be placed above the alpine parking lot. It's kind of out there and sitting at 7000' so you wouldn't be able to access it from the parking lot and it's a straight side hill traverse above the lot back to the bottom of the main lifts. Looks like it might really just be a station for the white wolf people to access squaw since KT south won't go up to the top to access squaw . Possibly for access to KT south which would not be a private lift? Not very clear..
Just sayin'
