Black diamond Alpine Meadows, CA
Lower Saddle drops 313 vertical feet over 798 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 37° about 10 feet below the top. That's steeper than 90% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 47th steepest of 132 named runs at Alpine Meadows. It faces north.
Facing north at an average 23°, Lower Saddle gets about 45% of the winter sun that flat ground at Alpine Meadows does, December through March. That's shadier than 96% of the runs we've measured, and the 24th shadiest named run at Alpine Meadows. Its top sits at 8,280 feet.
Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.
under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.
Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.