Black diamond Alpine Meadows, CA
West Palisades drops 257 vertical feet over 447 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 44° about 270 feet below the top. That's steeper than 99% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 19th steepest of 132 named runs at Alpine Meadows. It faces northeast.
Facing northeast at an average 35°, West Palisades gets about 33% of the winter sun that flat ground at Alpine Meadows does, December through March. That's shadier than 99% of the runs we've measured, and the 13th shadiest named run at Alpine Meadows. Its top sits at 8,400 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.