Summer skiers come out for last weekend at Alpine Meadows
ALPINE MEADOWS -- The lifts are rolling through the Fourth of July holiday weekend. It's music to the ears who don't want a historic winter to end.
Dan Shuffleton has had a great morning skiing.
"Phenomenal," he says. "All day long I loved it. I'll do it again tomorrow."
He and his buddy Phil came all the way out from Ohio for summer skiing. Not for additional fun in the sun and skiing as an add-on. They came out just for this.
"Everyone goes to the beach in the Midwest anyway, so we figured why not go skiing that seems way better than the beach," jokes Shuffleton.
And the vibes on the hill, as told by "professional rad getter" Andy Hayes, are "strong."
Immaculate vibes here at Alpine Meadows. Summer skiing is undefeated.
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"Very strong. Just gotta keep going. Radness doesn't take a day off. If the lifts are spinning, you gotta be out here winning," Hayes says.
A sentiment echoed by resident "safety specialist" and Tahoe native Jake Tystrup.
"The vibe is ... it's good!" he says. "This is the best season I've experienced out here, especially with the ridiculous dumps we've had this season and letting us ski 'till the Fourth of July. It doesn't get much better, obviously."
The mountain is open until July 4, which caps off its' Freedom Fest from July 1-4 -- and doesn't need to game the system of pushing all its snow onto one trail to stay open.
"It's absolutely insane," Palisades spokesman Patrick Lacey explains. "We actually opened the week before Halloween and we're still skiing right now."
It's one of two resorts in California (Mammoth remains open until next week) with lifts running and skiers are taking advantage.
"I hope there's more winters and summer to come like this," says Paolo Puchard. "Fingers crossed."