Powder Day…

The snow seems to be making up for lost time because December 23, 2008 was yet another powder day in Tahoe.  

I skied at Alpine Meadows today and was shown around the mountain by a super fun crew of skiers.  Being new to this ski area, it was great to get the full tour.  The snow was thin in places, but if you picked your lines wisely, you could definitely ski for real.   

Take a look at the photo below of the untracked and distinctly big-mountain “Buttress.”   Not too shabby considering that the season is only about 10 days old. 

Little Alaska…

Yesterday Adam Rucido and I skinned out to Little Alaska in Ward Canyon.  For background, Little Alaska is an area of spines, gullies and cliffs at the head of Ward Canyon, south of Alpine Meadows ski area.  The terrain is visually inspiring and great fun to ski. 

Upon reaching the top it was clear that the previous day’s wind event had created deep slabs on the most asthetic  features.  Given that all of this terrain funnels into to deep gullies, we opted for some less hazardous options characterized by open slopes leading to spines in trees.  The snow was smooth cold wind buffed powder and the run was excellent.  At the bottom, Adam immediately claimed “best of the year.”   The season is now only a week old, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that run stays high on the list for quite a while.

Snow in Tahoe…

At last, there is snow in Tahoe.  The storm started late last Friday night, but really got rolling Sunday and Monday.  Now there is 18 or so inches at lake level and more than 3 feet in the mountains.  This is great news for skiers, ski areas and the local economy. 

I went out yesterday morning with Jeremy Benson, Jay Lynn and Adam Rucido to ski a lap on Sherwood.  The snow was cold, light and deep.  This made for fun, but slightly scary skiing, given that there is no base to speak of.  One more storm will do the mountains well, but ski season has officially begun.

   

What to do on the hottest days of the year? Remember the best ski days…

In Tahoe last winter, the best ski days were in late January and early February.  The snow was deep and cold and summer was a long ways away.  This helmet camera video is from an incredible early February day skiing “The Bubbles” on Donner Peak with Jeremy Benson, Jay Lynn and Rylan Cordova.  Music by the Go Team.  Enjoy.

It is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Just a reminder.

Skiers should keep in mind that it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere.  If time and resources allow, I would recommend taking a trip to ski in Chile or Argentina.  It can be really, really good.  Here are some photos from a few years ago.