Squaw/Alpine late April?

[LKillick]

Was considering a late season trip to one of the IKON resorts still open, and it seems far easier for me to get to Reno than Mammoth

Do I need to worry about road conditions at this point in the year? I'll rent an SUV if I do this, but I've been reading so much about difficult road conditions and closures there lately, with all the lovely storms. Do I still need to worry about if road conditions will be safe in late April?

Anything else I need to know? I'm craving a bigger mountain Thanks so much for any thoughts. Did a bit of digging but couldn't find out quite what I wanted to know...

 

[Pequenita]

You never can tell, but generally all the big storms are done by then. If there's no penalty to cancel last minute, I recommend booking the 4WD, waiting to see what happens with the weather, and cancelling if you don't need it.

 

[LKillick]

Ah ha! I was more concerned about the possibility of a storm blocking me from getting up the mountain at all -- if the question is more of whether or not I'd really need 4WD, all the better. Thanks.

 

[Pequenita]

Well, my sense of how CalTrans has been operating this year is that it'll shut the roads if they're unsafe, but yeah, your question is basically asking what the weather will be like in 30 days. Also, not to be Debbie Downer, it's unclear who is going to be open in late April.

 

[LKillick]

Well, fair enough. Was more a "is there enough altitude that late season storms shut things down on occasion" type question, but point taken appreciate your advice!