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The Flume

Blue Northstar, CA

Steepest pitch12°
Vertical133 ft
Length1,497 ft
Average pitch5°
FacesN
Top8,355 ft

The Flume drops 133 vertical feet over 1,497 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 12° about 1,480 feet below the top. That's steeper than 6% of the 5,615 blue runs we've measured in North America, and the 85th steepest of 90 named runs at Northstar. It faces north.

How well The Flume holds snow

Snow preservationExcellent

Facing north at an average 5°, The Flume gets about 62% of the winter sun that flat ground at Northstar does, December through March. That's shadier than 83% of the runs we've measured, and the 6th shadiest named run at Northstar. Its top sits at 8,360 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.

The Flume profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like The Flume elsewhere

Nearby at Northstar

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.