Double black (off-piste) Alpine Meadows, CA
The Castle drops 361 vertical feet over 543 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 52° about 180 feet below the top. That's steeper than 100% of the 2,251 double black runs we've measured in North America, and the 1st steepest of 132 named runs at Alpine Meadows. It faces northeast.
Facing northeast at an average 43°, The Castle gets about 46% of the winter sun that flat ground at Alpine Meadows does, December through March. That's shadier than 95% of the runs we've measured, and the 25th shadiest named run at Alpine Meadows. Its top sits at 8,460 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.