Unofficial Alpine

Alpine Ski Blog

Ski Resorts Still OPEN in North America:

This is a comprehensive list of the ski resorts still open in North America.  The Canadian Rockies received record snow this year (Sunshine Village = 406 inches thus far) and … Read More

Mt Hood, Cooper Spur: Backcountry Conditions

This tour turned out to be a blessing.  With a bleak, rainy forecast we planned on climbing in thick cloud and skiing in mush.  What we got was the complete … Read More

Man Fires Gunshot in Truckee Near Schools | Three Public Schools Put on “Lockdown”

A crazy man fired a single gunshot today within 0.6 miles of 3 Truckee public schools.  Truckee Elementary School, Truckee High School, and the Sierra Continuation School were all put … Read More

Mt Saint Helens: Backcountry Conditions Report

This ski tour started out as so many in the Pacific North West: warm and wet.  With a perpetual low pressure forecast, we weren’t expecting great ski conditions.  Or even visibility … Read More

Wind, Snow, & Cold Thursday @ Lake Tahoe | The Last Storm of the Year?

Will this be the last storm of the year for Tahoe?  It’ll definitely be the last storm for Squaw as they close on Sunday.  Alpine is open for two more … Read More

Mt Rainier: Backcountry Report

While we were able to get a few fun turns without feeling like we were trapped inside a ping pong ball whiteout, now ain’t the time for skiing Mount Rainier. … Read More

The Line of the Week !! – The Chugach BN

The Line of the Week Point’s North Touring Camp – Chugach Mountains, Alaska You never know which way your day will turn. There we were, deep in the Chugach. The … Read More

Lake Level Snow in Tahoe Basin This Week | …6-9” Possible Above 8,000 Feet

On Saturday & Sunday we had temperatures of 74F and 73F.  By Thursday, we’re gonna be looking at lake level snow.  Spring in California is “Cybil.” Tahoe is going to … Read More

Lighting CLOSES Squaw Today | Get Off Lake Tahoe NOW!

Squaw Valley shut down today due to lightning strikes at about 2:30pm. “Lightning and thunder have us shut down for the day. If you are on the hill, time to … Read More

Backcountry Conditions Report: Mt Shasta

Mount Shasta is primed and ready for an awesome corn cycle.  Above 10,ooo’ the mountain is smooth and flat everywhere and just waiting for a nice melt. Usually this time … Read More

Record Highs for Lake Tahoe This Weekend | 73ºF Saturday, 74ºF Sunday

This past weekend was even hotter than they’d forecasted.  Damn near 75F in South Lake.  How much longer is our snow gonna stay around with temps like this? NOAA.gov: A … Read More

Meteor Hits Lake Tahoe Basin | Loud “Boom” Shakes Houses

At around 8am, a large boom was heard across Lake Tahoe, CA today. The North American Aerospace Defense Command has received reports of a meteor strike near Kingsbury Grade in … Read More

Miss Superpark Comp @ Squaw This Week

50 of the Earth’s top female snowboarders will be at Squaw Valley USA this week, Monday thru Thursday.   They’ll be here for Miss Superpark #8. SOME OF THE BIG … Read More

Smoking Weed & Skiing – A Winning California Combination?

Happy 4/20 to all the cannabis loving happy people out there.  Of course, today is also Hitler’s birthday, the anniversary of the gulf oil spill and Columbine shooting so it’s a weird day … Read More

Tahoe = Record High Temps This Weekend | 70F on Sat, 71F on Sun

15-20 degrees above normal is a lotta degrees above normal… This just might be our first hint that summer is coming.  As little as 7 days ago, it was cold … Read More

2012 Praxis Skis Blowout Sale | Use the Unofficial Coupon Code Inside for a Bigger Discount!!!

Lake Tahoe based Praxis Skis are “handcrafted in the Sierra Nevada Mountains”. Owner and operator Keith O’Meara has been at it for a few years now, and along with his … Read More

This Year vs. Last Year vs. Average Year | Lake Tahoe Snow Totals

March and April really were huge for Tahoe.  Without all the snow that fell during those two months, we’da been hurting pretty bad and it really coulda been the worst … Read More

5 Rapid Fire, Hideously NAKED Backflips | Shane McConkey Tribute

5 naked backfllips in a row?  Then 3 more naked tricksters?  All off the same jump in bounds at a ski resort?  G.N.A.R. At this point in the year, it … Read More

The Line of the Week !! – Tweezer Couloir

The Line of the Week
 Point’s North Touring Camp – Chugach Mountains, Alaska Tweezer Couloir Last week I had the great fortune of spending a week with Points North’s Heli-Assisted … Read More

Squaw-Alpine Connect CLOSED Again Today | Wet Avalanche Danger

The Squaw-Alpine Connect was closed once again today.  It was expected to open monday, announced to open today, and hopefully will be open tomorrow. Today the concern was wet snow … Read More

The 2011/12 Ski/Board Season is Almost Over | Does That Freak You Out?

If you’re a snow freak, this should be freaking you out right about now.   The 2011/12 ski season is almost over.  In many places throughout the West, we aren’t … Read More

KT BACKCOUNTRY GATE | Squaw’s First Backcountry Gate! Official Word From Squaw

Here is the official word from Squaw Valley concerning the new “soon to be OPEN” KT Backcountry Gate.  OFFICIAL WORD FROM SQUAW:  Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley, in conjunction with … Read More

5th Annual TRAINS Event by High Fives Foundation

TRAiNS 2012 presented by High Fives Foundation to help spread the mission of the non-profit. Volkl Skis, Marker Bindings, Alpine Meadows, and Squaw Valley supported this event that brought Nick … Read More

Squaw-Alpine Connect = *POSTPONED*

We’ve just found out that the Squaw-Alpine interconnect will be Postponed.  It was scheduled to happen today.  The mountains are all ready and the cat tracks are in, but something … Read More

Squaw-Alpine Connect OPEN for 1st Time Ever

UPDATE:  SQUAW-ALPINE CONNECT = *POSTPONED* Tomorrow, we will legally leave Squaw’s boundary for the first time and more importantly, get to ski some of the mysterious White Wolf zone for the … Read More

Vail Finalizes Kirkwood Deal for $18 Million

Vail has officially finalized their purchase of Kirkwood ski resort in California for $18 million.   Shareholders of seller Kirkwood Mountain Development, including that company’s CEO David Likins and CFO Nathan … Read More