Black diamond Kirkwood, CA
The Wave drops 335 vertical feet over 1,023 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 39° about 260 feet below the top. That's steeper than 94% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 15th steepest of 58 named runs at Kirkwood. It faces north.
Facing north at an average 20°, The Wave gets about 57% of the winter sun that flat ground at Kirkwood does, December through March. That's shadier than 87% of the runs we've measured, and the 9th shadiest named run at Kirkwood. Its top sits at 9,270 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.