Brendon Drury living in paradise.

After a mild start to the winter Tahoe was blasted with ten consecutive days of snowy weather and a series of storms which blanketed the valley floors with multiple feet. It was time to dust off our pow boards and do some squats in preparation of the sunny forecast on the horizon. Myself and boy posse decided to ditch the crowds at Squaw and overtake Alpine next door for a few days of epic shredding. I’d be jealous if I were you too.

Alpine Meadows is one of 15 resorts in the Tahoe area. Although it’s only a few miles from Squaw and has connecting peaks it receives a lot less exposure for a few reasons. For one it’s smaller in size and for two it’s known as more of a “skier" mountain because of the traverse. Those reasons however make it that much more desirable for those who are willing to put in a little effort. Think about it, skiers don’t ride the same terrain as snowboarders so it’s easier to find fresh tracks and the trees are insane because of it. Then there are the hikes. There are several accessible minimally exhausting hikes just minutes out of bounds. It’s like a dream you never thought would come true. Welcome to your blissful reality at Alpine.

Through the darkness lies possibility.

Storm trooping.

It was hard to get the shot but it’s still pretty sick. Silver Serino cat tracking.

Stefan Echo testing it out. Love his style.

On our first day the weather was quite windy and the clouds were still socked in. The Summit peak was less than desirable with almost zero visibility and somewhere around 60 miles per hour winds. After checking out a cat track below we headed over to the Scott chair which is more preserved from the gusts. Since the weather proved a downfall for photos and such we decided to shred the goods and come up with a plan for the following day; which was slated to be sunny and warm with no wind. That night another 18 inches dropped and I awoke to bright blue skies and a glistening lake.

Silver Serino blasting through the pow.

Double overhead in the barrel. Serino.

Stefan Echo launching.

Find your own line. Brendon Drury did.

We met at 8:30 a.m. since the chair opens at 9 and stood in line with our bagels and coffee. Don’t get me wrong, I love Squaw, but it’s honestly more of a stress on pow days then fun sometimes. There’s generally a few hundred peeps lined up before the chair even starts running. It’s pretty ridiculous actually. At Alpine, the commotion was minimal. There weren’t even that many people in line (and most were skiers). To top it off they were blaring Bob Marley while we waited. An overall uplifting vibe started off the day right. We ended up about twenty chairs back or so. Reaching the summit, endless possible line options had us all amped. We hiked out about fifteen minutes on the ridge to what appeared to be heaven. Mmmm…I love my life.

To my right, right before I dropped. Gorgeous!

Here we go.

Serino cliff dropping some yadda da.

Riding away.

Sending.

Knees up Drury.

Cat track drop. Serino.

Echo.

The rest of the day we spent time around Scott again where we found a mini ice cliff and then hiked once more from the Lakeview chair out to an area called Munchkins where I somehow survived snow that was over my head. It was intense and scary and difficult and tiring but that’s what riding pow is all about and I know we’d do it all do it again without thinking twice. If you’re in the area, it’s well worth it to explore Alpine and venture uncharted territory. And if you have a season pass to any other resort be sure to bring it on Thursday’s where you can purchase a ticket for only $25 bucks. Now that’s a deal.

Echo off the ice cliff. Love it.

Drury’s turn.

Silver powafied.

Front flipper Triple S.

The top of Lakeview.

Hiking is oh so fun. Brendon thinks so…

And so do I.

Drury.

Worth it? Yes. Drury.

Fun!