Tahoe-March 25-30 Long Post (Sorry!)

Superbman · Mar 31, 2008, 11:20 AM

Well here goes:

I flew into Reno at 12:00pm on a Sunny Tuesday-my Buddy Luke and His wife (who had been there since Saturday skiing) picked me up at the Airport and wisked me away to hit some afternoon skiing in the warm Spring Sun-Mt. Rose (only 25 minutes from the Airport) was our destination-however , the Winds were kicking (30-40mph gusts) and Mt Rose had it's top lift closed and the Chutes closed so we pushed on to the next nearest area between us and our Townhouse in lovely Carnelian Bay-that was little Diamond Peak-a family ski area in Incline Village, NV.

1. Tues-March 25 Diamond Peak-a Fun little Place!-Look, it's no destination resort and time and fate brought us there-but we had a great afternoon skiing slushy spring snow. It's basically one long ridge with some fun, mildly challenging and mildly steep tree runs, groomers, a couple of mini chutes-honestly we enjoyed it. Stopped at the Hacienda for cervezas and fish tacos on the way to our Townhome.

2. Next Day was again very sunny...but very, very windy-some places were reporting ridge top gust of 90mph (!!!)-only a few areas were offering lift service of anykind and only Alpine Meadows was running to the top. So we headed out to ski Alpine Meadows! We'd wondered whether the sun would trump the wind and soften the mountain up as we took a few warm up runs on the groomers. Well, it didn't, the winds (damn convection) kept the corn at bay and left us with mostly frozen crud to navigate. Nonetheless we soldiered on and found a few good runs-the best snow was under Sherwood Chair on the South side where the Sun had at least a fighting Chance against the prevailing winds. Some true spring-like Tahoe bumps had formed and a completely empty high speed lift served this terrain so we spent an hour or so here. We also fanned out and explored everything we could (from Our Father to CB Chutes)-the wind just prevented it from softening. Too bad, because alpine is blessed with an abundance of great terrain and steeps, and like everywhere in tahoe it has just plain stellar views. Also, Alpine Meadows was EMPTY-seriously, it was like we owned the place-which, regardless of conditions is a great experience. All in all a good day-but not the epic spring days you hope for. We finished with a few beers at a tavern on a brook right near the entrance rd to Alpine-great spot, actually.

3. Thursday. No wind, good sunshine-but colder temperatures prevailed. We decided to head to South lake Tahoe and ski Heavenly. Look, I know a lot of folks dump on Heavenly because 1.it's crowded and 2. It's shamelessly corporate (pricey)-both accusation hold water for sure, but, Heavenly also boasts the most diverse terrain and varying faces (and more altitude) than anywhere else in tahoe. The base area crowds can be a drag, but once you get to the goods (Mott canyon, Kilibrew, even the Face) you'll find the crowds dissipate and Heavenly serves up some of the best steeps, and undoubtedly the best tree skiing in Tahoe. And that was the case again today. The hunt for good snow took some effort as the colder temps mitigated the effects of the strong sunshine-but we found great snow on the Sunny side of Mott canyon-which is served by an absolutely empty double chair. We also hit some great trees (which are everywhere at Heavenly). By 2:30 the Face (Gunabarrel and East Bowl, East Bowl Trees,etc) was finally warmed up to typical Tahoe Spring goodness and we spent the last 1.5 hours lapping the gunbarrel chair wearing out ourselves silly on the incompatrable bumps of the Heavenly face.. Honestly, among the many must do's in skiing, afternoon laps on the heavenly face in high strong sunshine (with that glorious lake in view with every turn) is one of the best IMHO). Again, though the mountain was crowded there was no wait on the Gunbarrel express and almost no skiers on the runs (except a few very talented bumpers).

3. Friday-Mount Rose. Look, this is easy, Mount Rose (especially midweek) rules. I just love places like this. The weather, again was a little tricky-the high winds returned by early afternoon and closed the main area lift. No big deal t me however, as the Chutes remained open as well as the backside 6 person express. The mountain was basically empty. If you haven't skied the Chutes at Mount Rose-make it a point next time you're in lake tahoe-they're easily my favorite terrain in region. In spite of the wind they were full of damn near perfect, cold midwinter snow (they're very sheltered, very high, and completely north facing). The Chutes serve up the best sustained steeps (from low 40 degrees up to low 50's degrees pitch) for 1500-1800 ft. There's small cliffs to huck (if you like), steep trees (over by the chuter lift-pretty awesome, actually) and just one fantastic steep turn after another. The two lifts required to keep running them goes very quickly. We spent almost the whole day here (especially after the winds began to really howl-the Chutes are completely wind protected) and honestly it was the best day of skiing I've had all year.

4. Saturday-Sugarbowl! Last day of skiing. Sugarbowl picked up a heavy 4-5 inches of fresh snow, and colder temps were prevailing today. No where else was reporting snow and, on a Saturday, I prefer to avoid crowds than chase legendary (read Squaw) terrain, so we hoofed it up to Sugarbowl. What a fun place-I hadn't been there before. Although it seemed busy at first we didn't wait in a single lift line (they have high speed lifts everywhere). We found unbroken snow for most of the morning (especially over in the Strawberry Field area), by mid morning the heavy snow was in piles and a fair amount of the frozen crud base could be felt. However, even this softened as the day warmed, and while the snow wasn't the easiest-it was soft and fun. We found plenty of great stuff to ski all over the mountain-the place is definately worth a visit-it's got steeps, trees and bowls-though, it doesn't have the verticle (at least it didn't feel like it) that some other places do. It is also a snow magnet and gets years snow totals similar to kirkwood (as was evidenced by the snow they received and no one else did).

All in all a good trip. We only got a few tastes of the more legendary tahoe spring skiing (the Heavenly Face), but, we made many, many great turns. I know, I didn't hit Squaw this year-my friends did before I got there-basically, we were faced with weather based decisions and the cards never stacked up right for Squaw this time-honestly there is so much great skiing in Tahoe it requires some tough choices. Also, I've been to a fair amount of ski areas and regions, Tahoe, is well and by far, the most stunningly beautiful-I mean, turn after turn as you gaze down at the deepest blue lake you've ever seen ringed by tree covered snow capped mountains with the Suns setting off a cerulean sky-it's breath-taking. One of the best parts of this sport are the places it takes you-and Tahoe, with or without skis-is one of the best.

Below are a few links to Google videos:

This is my man, Luke on the CB Chutes at Alpine Meadows: -don't let the camera fool you, this run is steep-and the conditions were less than Ideal (it looked like Spring corn, but it turned out to be frozen Crud

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...17973181461957

This one is Me on the Sunny side of Mott Canyon-it's steep and soft (a little heavy and sticky, too)-not quite hero-snow corn, but plenty fun just the same

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...65123312657048

And This one is Andrea (Luke's Wife) skiing what I think is Nancy's Couloir in the afternoon at Sugarbowl-again, the camera doesn't reveal how steep this is-and the snow was pretty heavy and a little funky underneath. She does pretty well with it (better than I did for sure!)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...49732427113187

TheBEast · Mar 31, 2008, 11:49 AM

Excellent report! Kickin' good time I'm sure.

billski · Apr 2, 2008, 7:55 PM

man, you were a nomad. Those hills are so close to each other it's easy to do. Did you have a favorite? Great piks, but no Squaw?

dmc · Apr 2, 2008, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superbman

1. Tues-March 25 Diamond Peak-a Fun little Place!-Look, it's no destination resort and time and fate brought us there-but we had a great afternoon skiing slushy spring snow. It's basically one long ridge with some fun, mildly challenging and mildly steep tree runs, groomers, a couple of mini chutes-honestly we enjoyed it.

Not going to dump on heavenly... I'll dump on diamond Peak..

I copped a free ticket to that place once... Rode 4 runs and got in the car and drove to Mt Rose... No offense.. But that place bored me to tears... Compared to the big boys there - it's a snow tube park...

Glad you got to Sugarbowl...Place rocks.. Indeed..
Next time hit Squaw....

Superbman · Apr 3, 2008, 1:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmc

Not going to dump on heavenly... I'll dump on diamond Peak..

I copped a free ticket to that place once... Rode 4 runs and got in the car and drove to Mt Rose... No offense.. But that place bored me to tears... Compared to the big boys there - it's a snow tube park...

Glad you got to Sugarbowl...Place rocks.. Indeed..
Next time hit Squaw....

Dude-I think I mentioned that we initially hit Mt Rose-but found it was CLOSED(!) due to winds-I admit I was bummed-but it was after 1pm already and just getting out of the airport I was looking to make turns just about anywhere-again, I'll stand by my thoughts-the little tree runs in the sun at Diamond Peak were pleasant and made for a fun few hours of cheap skiing before the trip really got underway.

I've been to Squaw a few times before-I like it-but, like I said, the weather cards never stacked up right for Squaw (wednesday would have been the day-but the winds had closed KT-22 lift and Granite Chief so what would have been the point?

Superbman · Apr 3, 2008, 1:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billski

man, you were a nomad. Those hills are so close to each other it's easy to do. Did you have a favorite? Great piks, but no Squaw?

I love skiing a different place everyday-it's part of the fun of ski travel. Do I have a favorite? Well, I've skied greater Tahoe a few times in the past as well..Discounting the hassel of crowds and the high lift ticket prices and judged solely on skiing terrain-I admit I'm a Heavenly fan (but the cost and the crossover trail crowds are serious buzzkills). Heavenly's combination of steeps, trees (!!!), classic face bumps, and incomparable views are just fantastic-that is, if the push and shove of a busy resort don't drive you crazy-it's definately a trade off.

I think that the Chutes at Mt. Rose constitute the best skiing area I've hit in Tahoe-they had well and by far the best snow on this trip-If I lived out there I'd probably have a season pass to Mt. Rose and make a few additional trips to Squaw, Alpine, Kirkwood and yes, Heavenly throughout the season.

Who can say a bad word bout Squaw, Alpine and Kirkwood?? They're all great places-though, if I had to rank them--based solely on my own preferences they would be 1. Kirkwood, 2.Alpine Meadows, 3. Squaw.

Sugarbowl was a fine place as well-probably the best 'Saturday" option in tahoe (low crowds, good terrain, lots o' snow).

These are all just my opinion-everybody likes what they like afterall.

It's been a great season for me (and it's still got some life left in it),

dmc · Apr 3, 2008, 1:25 PM

Sorry - just my opinion..

On wind holds I hit Northstar or homewood...

God - I love tahoe...

Superbman · Apr 3, 2008, 1:37 PM

those are two places that I've never skied. Northstar has always been described as intermediate groomer land-is that wrong? And homewood-how is that place (I generally love the smaller second tier mountains-but I've never been-is it similar to Sierra at Tahoe??)

dmc · Apr 3, 2008, 6:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superbman

those are two places that I've never skied. Northstar has always been described as intermediate groomer land-is that wrong? And homewood-how is that place (I generally love the smaller second tier mountains-but I've never been-is it similar to Sierra at Tahoe??)

Northstar has a ton of trees.. It isnt' comparable to the big guys..

Home wood is small but good.. Some steep shots..

But - i'd take Kirkwood, Squaw, Sugarbowl and Alpine over any of those joints...

Mar 31, 2008, 11:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
Superbman Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Western, MA- Posts: 13	Tahoe-March 25-30 Long Post (Sorry!) Well here goes: I flew into Reno at 12:00pm on a Sunny Tuesday-my Buddy Luke and His wife (who had been there since Saturday skiing) picked me up at the Airport and wisked me away to hit some afternoon skiing in the warm Spring Sun-Mt. Rose (only 25 minutes from the Airport) was our destination-however , the Winds were kicking (30-40mph gusts) and Mt Rose had it's top lift closed and the Chutes closed so we pushed on to the next nearest area between us and our Townhouse in lovely Carnelian Bay-that was little Diamond Peak-a family ski area in Incline Village, NV. 1. Tues-March 25 Diamond Peak-a Fun little Place!-Look, it's no destination resort and time and fate brought us there-but we had a great afternoon skiing slushy spring snow. It's basically one long ridge with some fun, mildly challenging and mildly steep tree runs, groomers, a couple of mini chutes-honestly we enjoyed it. Stopped at the Hacienda for cervezas and fish tacos on the way to our Townhome. 2. Next Day was again very sunny...but very, very windy-some places were reporting ridge top gust of 90mph (!!!)-only a few areas were offering lift service of anykind and only Alpine Meadows was running to the top. So we headed out to ski Alpine Meadows! We'd wondered whether the sun would trump the wind and soften the mountain up as we took a few warm up runs on the groomers. Well, it didn't, the winds (damn convection) kept the corn at bay and left us with mostly frozen crud to navigate. Nonetheless we soldiered on and found a few good runs-the best snow was under Sherwood Chair on the South side where the Sun had at least a fighting Chance against the prevailing winds. Some true spring-like Tahoe bumps had formed and a completely empty high speed lift served this terrain so we spent an hour or so here. We also fanned out and explored everything we could (from Our Father to CB Chutes)-the wind just prevented it from softening. Too bad, because alpine is blessed with an abundance of great terrain and steeps, and like everywhere in tahoe it has just plain stellar views. Also, Alpine Meadows was EMPTY-seriously, it was like we owned the place-which, regardless of conditions is a great experience. All in all a good day-but not the epic spring days you hope for. We finished with a few beers at a tavern on a brook right near the entrance rd to Alpine-great spot, actually. 3. Thursday. No wind, good sunshine-but colder temperatures prevailed. We decided to head to South lake Tahoe and ski Heavenly. Look, I know a lot of folks dump on Heavenly because 1.it's crowded and 2. It's shamelessly corporate (pricey)-both accusation hold water for sure, but, Heavenly also boasts the most diverse terrain and varying faces (and more altitude) than anywhere else in tahoe. The base area crowds can be a drag, but once you get to the goods (Mott canyon, Kilibrew, even the Face) you'll find the crowds dissipate and Heavenly serves up some of the best steeps, and undoubtedly the best tree skiing in Tahoe. And that was the case again today. The hunt for good snow took some effort as the colder temps mitigated the effects of the strong sunshine-but we found great snow on the Sunny side of Mott canyon-which is served by an absolutely empty double chair. We also hit some great trees (which are everywhere at Heavenly). By 2:30 the Face (Gunabarrel and East Bowl, East Bowl Trees,etc) was finally warmed up to typical Tahoe Spring goodness and we spent the last 1.5 hours lapping the gunbarrel chair wearing out ourselves silly on the incompatrable bumps of the Heavenly face.. Honestly, among the many must do's in skiing, afternoon laps on the heavenly face in high strong sunshine (with that glorious lake in view with every turn) is one of the best IMHO). Again, though the mountain was crowded there was no wait on the Gunbarrel express and almost no skiers on the runs (except a few very talented bumpers). 3. Friday-Mount Rose. Look, this is easy, Mount Rose (especially midweek) rules. I just love places like this. The weather, again was a little tricky-the high winds returned by early afternoon and closed the main area lift. No big deal t me however, as the Chutes remained open as well as the backside 6 person express. The mountain was basically empty. If you haven't skied the Chutes at Mount Rose-make it a point next time you're in lake tahoe-they're easily my favorite terrain in region. In spite of the wind they were full of damn near perfect, cold midwinter snow (they're very sheltered, very high, and completely north facing). The Chutes serve up the best sustained steeps (from low 40 degrees up to low 50's degrees pitch) for 1500-1800 ft. There's small cliffs to huck (if you like), steep trees (over by the chuter lift-pretty awesome, actually) and just one fantastic steep turn after another. The two lifts required to keep running them goes very quickly. We spent almost the whole day here (especially after the winds began to really howl-the Chutes are completely wind protected) and honestly it was the best day of skiing I've had all year. 4. Saturday-Sugarbowl! Last day of skiing. Sugarbowl picked up a heavy 4-5 inches of fresh snow, and colder temps were prevailing today. No where else was reporting snow and, on a Saturday, I prefer to avoid crowds than chase legendary (read Squaw) terrain, so we hoofed it up to Sugarbowl. What a fun place-I hadn't been there before. Although it seemed busy at first we didn't wait in a single lift line (they have high speed lifts everywhere). We found unbroken snow for most of the morning (especially over in the Strawberry Field area), by mid morning the heavy snow was in piles and a fair amount of the frozen crud base could be felt. However, even this softened as the day warmed, and while the snow wasn't the easiest-it was soft and fun. We found plenty of great stuff to ski all over the mountain-the place is definately worth a visit-it's got steeps, trees and bowls-though, it doesn't have the verticle (at least it didn't feel like it) that some other places do. It is also a snow magnet and gets years snow totals similar to kirkwood (as was evidenced by the snow they received and no one else did). All in all a good trip. We only got a few tastes of the more legendary tahoe spring skiing (the Heavenly Face), but, we made many, many great turns. I know, I didn't hit Squaw this year-my friends did before I got there-basically, we were faced with weather based decisions and the cards never stacked up right for Squaw this time-honestly there is so much great skiing in Tahoe it requires some tough choices. Also, I've been to a fair amount of ski areas and regions, Tahoe, is well and by far, the most stunningly beautiful-I mean, turn after turn as you gaze down at the deepest blue lake you've ever seen ringed by tree covered snow capped mountains with the Suns setting off a cerulean sky-it's breath-taking. One of the best parts of this sport are the places it takes you-and Tahoe, with or without skis-is one of the best. Below are a few links to Google videos: This is my man, Luke on the CB Chutes at Alpine Meadows: -don't let the camera fool you, this run is steep-and the conditions were less than Ideal (it looked like Spring corn, but it turned out to be frozen Crud http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...17973181461957 This one is Me on the Sunny side of Mott Canyon-it's steep and soft (a little heavy and sticky, too)-not quite hero-snow corn, but plenty fun just the same http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...65123312657048 And This one is Andrea (Luke's Wife) skiing what I think is Nancy's Couloir in the afternoon at Sugarbowl-again, the camera doesn't reveal how steep this is-and the snow was pretty heavy and a little funky underneath. She does pretty well with it (better than I did for sure!) http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...49732427113187 Last edited by Superbman; Mar 31, 2008 at 12:51 PM.

Apr 2, 2008, 7:55 PM	#3 (permalink)
billski Outing Club Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Lexington, Mass. Posts: 2,581	man, you were a nomad. Those hills are so close to each other it's easy to do. Did you have a favorite? Great piks, but no Squaw? __________________ Millions and Millions of Lifts Served. Since 1976 ACE

Apr 3, 2008, 1:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
dmc DMC TUX Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hunter, NY Posts: 5,818	Sorry - just my opinion.. On wind holds I hit Northstar or homewood... God - I love tahoe... __________________ "The snowboard track is the most aesthetic and ephemeral passage that man can leave on a mountain" Stephen Koch ------------------ DMCs Interactive Tuckerman Ravine Map

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Mar 31, 2008, 11:49 AM	#2 (permalink)
TheBEast Tuckermans Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hampshire County, MA Posts: 109	Excellent report! Kickin' good time I'm sure.

Apr 3, 2008, 1:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
Superbman Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Western, MA- Posts: 13	those are two places that I've never skied. Northstar has always been described as intermediate groomer land-is that wrong? And homewood-how is that place (I generally love the smaller second tier mountains-but I've never been-is it similar to Sierra at Tahoe??)