Summertime skiers, snowboarders savor Sierra slopes

ALPINE MEADOWS — The Giants are playing ball. Lawnmowers are humming. People are eating corn dogs at county fairs and drinking beer at Sousa concerts in the park. All signs say it is summer.

But in the mountains, it’s still winter.

“Best day ever,” skier Patty Robbins of Truckee said under cobalt blue skies on Saturday, her 197th day of skiing during a record-breaking snow season. “But every day feels like the best day. This has been a fabulous year.”

In tutus and bikinis, shorts and sunscreen, crowds trudged across gravel and grass to reach lifts that take them to the resort’s highest peaks, still holding pockets of 12 feet of snow. This was one of the whitest winters on record, with statewide Sierra snowpack more than double, or 256%, of average.

The descent was soft and soggy but celebratory, with brown mud and dandelions poking at the edges of trails. A long and narrow route — dubbed “the white ribbon of death” — delivered skiers and snowboarders to the bottom, where the resort’s “Freedom Fest” hosted live music and other entertainment.

After an estimated 60 feet of snow, the resort’s lifts will finally grind to a halt for the season at 2 p.m. July 4, nine weeks later than last year’s May 1 closing date. They’re closing not due to lack of snow, but other practical concerns, including short staffing and maintenance. The slopes must be cleared of trash, skis, poles, gloves, phones, GoPro cameras, AirPods and other lost items.

In the southern Sierra, where snowpack was 322% of its average, Mammoth Mountain plans to stay open until July 30. Tahoe’s other resorts are already closed, due to equipment issues and U.S. Forest Service rules.

“Nine months of skiing. A season to remember. It’s been quite the run,” said Andrew Hays of Olympic Valley, who calls summer “the abyss.”

This winter, though, cold temperatures and winter storms inflicted whiteouts, hurricane-force wind gusts and avalanches in the region. Residents are still reckoning with collapsed roofs, broken windows and fallen trees.

Saturday’s skiers agreed: Snow sports are a lot more fun — and safer — when your nose isn’t turning blue in a 5-degree blizzard.

In the eastern Sierra, the snow is welcomed by Mount Whitney climbers, providing footing that is sturdy enough to hold an axe and crampons, said Dave Miller, owner of International Alpine Guides in Mammoth. Above 11,000 feet, the mountain is blanketed in snow.

“The snow coverage provides for easier approaches to some of the climbs that we do because you’re not walking on rock, talus and loose sand,” he said. In addition, there is plenty of fresh water for hydration.

But traditional summer activities like hiking and backpacking are harder when there’s still a lot of snow. Every footstep sinks into a deep snowy “post hole,” causing muscles to burn. “Sun cups” — a pattern of bowl-shaped hollows, typically 1 to 20 inches deep, formed by intense sunshine — add to the challenge.

On a recent hiking trip to Yosemite’s Gaylor Lake, “we had to traverse some of the most widespread and deep ‘sun cups’ I have ever encountered in my over 30 years in the Sierra,” said Beth Pratt, director of the California Regional Center of the National Wildlife Federation. “My legs are still sore.”

Excavators and snow blowers are still clearing Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite, five weeks later than its average opening date of May 25, according to metereologist Jan Null. The park’s Glacier Point Road is finally open, but only on weekends.

Summer hikers in the Tahoe area risk getting lost. “They’re anticipating walking on dirt the whole time,” said Sarah Krammen, president of Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue. They might not dress appropriately.  And hidden streams can be treacherous.

In unfamiliar terrain, snow can make routes hard to find, she said. With signage and stacked rock cairns still hidden, “it’s definitely hard to tell where the trails go,” said Krammen, who recommends using CalTopo maps. “People aren’t finding the trail, and they’re not familiar with the area, so they can’t tell how to get back down. It can be disorienting and dangerous.”

Along the Pacific Crest Trail, an estimated 233 miles remain buried in snow, said Scott Wilkinson of the Pacific Crest Trail Association.  The snow is forcing many hikers to “flip-flop,” hopscotching from one section of trail to another rather than walking the direct route, he said.

Hikers willing to brave the route are carrying extra equipment, such as crampons and an ice axe. Some start the day around 3 a.m., when the footing is solid, then rest when midday conditions turn to slush, he said.

As Saturday’s temperatures soared, the snow turned into mashed potatoes. But limited skiing beats the alternative: no skiing.

First in line for the day’s lift, Matt Winter of Incline Village vowed to spend the rest of the weekend on the slopes.

“We’re here until the bitter end,” he said.