Kirkwood, CA 4/13-4/1?/2026

tseeb

Well-known member
Monday, April 13, 2026 Kirkwood reported 14" in the last 24 hrs, 17" the day before and 11"/1" on two previous days. When I checked at 430 AM the Carson Spur just before Kirkwood on my shortest route was closed for avalanche control. Alternate routes are much longer with three passes so I was glad to see it open an hour later.
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I left San Jose at 450 AM and had to stop at Safeway near Jackson for some items my host needed. Then I had 30 miles of chain control (most had AWD with M+S but there were some with chains going 25 mph chain control speed limit to be passed). Turning into Kirkwood at 845 there was some traffic from both directions.
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I parked in lot across road from Timber Creek lift which was scheduled to close on Sunday, April 12, but was needed as all parking filled. After riding Timber Creek and Cornice, I skied my favorite chute next to Olympic Run, then moved to Wall chair, From the Wall chair before 10. Earlier would have been better.
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My first Wall lap was Headwaters finding lightly tracked then a little untracked going to skiers right above Reut chair then skiing some of Shotgun and powder in gullies below it. I rode Reut twice trying to synch up with friend Greg I'm staying with. We got together on top of the Wall. This is him in Notch Chute before 11.
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We once traversed far into Wagon Wheel bowl and also skied False Peak chute and the ridge then the steep face between All The Way and Waterfall. We also repeated my favorite chute between Olympic and Lookout Janek a couple of times. I'd asked patrol the name and they said shot 11. Greg found this sign way up in a tree.
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He skied away before I could take photo of him in front of it. But maybe you can see from photo above way up in the tree it says The Reut after Dick Reuter, Kirkwood's original mountain manager.

Garmin stats and map of my day. We quit before 3 PM. I took off one run as it counted long uphill walk from parking to first lift as a run.
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3623KW1GarminMap.PNG
 
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