10/11 Tahoe Weather, Conditions, Stoke, and What's Up Thread

It was ultra-deep on Crowdedhouse this AM. Trailbreaking was the 2nd most difficult all season, and the down was just barely skiable. I wished for larger skis (and I'm on 112mm waisted 180s and only weigh 140#). In other news, I saw real crowns in the safest, most sheltered place around...anything steep and exposed is a death trap right now. Thanks to CP being closed all day, there were plenty of people behind me on the trail, but I don't think many people did more than one lap--it just wasn't worth it.

The snow is very strange and sluffy today: it isn't bonded to itself worth shit.

It's like skiing in sugar crystals. I almost washed myself with my own sluff skiing a slope I was sure wasn't steep enough for that to happen.

It's still coming down hard, too, with lots of wind in places. The BC is going to be sketchy for a while IMO. Be careful out there.

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Originally Posted by kidwoo

Today is even worse......another few feet of wetter snow on top of all that rocky mountain poofter shit.

http://www.sierrasun.com/article/201...ntProfile=1051

FWIW, this ISN'T the typical backside of KT on alpine meadows road. But if I lived in those houses, I'd be somewhere else today.

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I believe the typical backside slide large today, too. Into a friend's house. Destroyed a car, went through his front door and almost punched another car out the back of their garage. Some sizeable damage judging by FB photos.

Shit. I hope he's okay. I guess so if he's on the facebok. After sinking over waist deep yet standing on a very well defined bottom surface yesterday and then seeing what the snow in my driveway felt like this morning, I knew things were going to be moving. Hopefully it was just the garage and cars that got worked an not the living quarters.

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Originally Posted by climberevan

It was ultra-deep on Crowdedhouse this AM. Trailbreaking was the 2nd most difficult all season, and the down was just barely skiable. I wished for larger skis (and I'm on 112mm waisted 180s and only weigh 140#). In other news, I saw real crowns in the safest, most sheltered place around...anything steep and exposed is a death trap right now. Thanks to CP being closed all day, there were plenty of people behind me on the trail, but I don't think many people did more than one lap--it just wasn't worth it.

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CE, can you go into more detail on where your saw the crowns? I know the area pretty well.

Sort of glad I slept in after skiing and celebrating my birthday yesterday. When I got up I looked at the SAC advisory and decided to stay home and make chicken soup, although I am taking the dogs XC around the house.

Someone skied about halfway up and then bailed, creating a track that others followed. It went much, much farther skier's right than usual (and I prefer to go even farther skier's left to reach the nice, easy terrain). When we caught the others they'd only been breaking for 100yds or so, but the course was set so we pretty much had to stay over there. Anyway, there were a couple of small natural releases (1 with ~6" crown, 1 with ~14") on steeper micro-rolls. I skinned through the debris (much easier to break there than in the above-knee unconsolidated mush everywhere else), and was able to get small portions to move in addition to what had already gone. They were just very, very soft slabs, verging on slough, and didn't go that far or fast. Location would be about 9k, nearly to the shoulder of the bowl. Travis from SAC was there as well, and he'll probably be posting photos and more educated info on their site (he peeked into the bowl and said it had pretty much all slid). Overall it was surprisingly sketchy out there, but on the down nothing really moved on anyone, but we weren't stopping to look back. I think that tomorrow will probably be pretty scary as well.

Mt. Rose yesterday: 20" of fluff. Fantastic. Not crowded at all.

Mt. Rose today: reported 5-6" overnight, updated this afternoon to 13-16". Not nearly as deep, but Chutes were fantastic. Place was a ghost town -- about as crowded as some mid-week pow days.

Also was free Bobo's demo day, which is always fun.

Super burly out there, hope everyone made it home safe.

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Originally Posted by OrganicSkier

The complaint is due to the fact that many of the skiers have no business being on KT in conditions like yesterday. And skiing Aahs chute first run is retarded as well.

People need to respect mother nature much more. Just because you can ride a lift to access it doesn't mean it is safe under these conditions.

On that note, a big slide just came down across from River Ranch and is reported to have hit a couple cars.

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Lol. Go eat a granola bar and jerk off to the SAC report. Mother nature is my bitch and it's you who is wetahded.

Stoke: Managed to barge a closed I 80 with a pair of work boots and a dewalt drill box on my passenger seat along with a good "local" story to get the last 2.5 hours of KT. It was awesome!

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Originally Posted by kona12

The Dad, one of these days we will actually take a few runs together!

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Indeed.

Kidwoo already answered most of the rest of your post, but it seems to me that you answered your own question. The traverse you're talking about comes off the top of Roundhouse and goes under High Yellow into the Sherwood Cliffs. By definition, that's not getting closed because of winds -- it's getting closed because they're afraid that High Yellow etc. is going to rip, either naturally or due to some kind of control work above.

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Originally Posted by kidwoo

FWIW, this ISN'T the typical backside of KT on alpine meadows road. But if I lived in those houses, I'd be somewhere else today.

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Re this and hucka's post, when Sinecure was waiting for avy control on John Scott and got out to talk to the patroller doing road control, he was told that the slide to the access road was 500 yards long and 10-12 feet deep.

Homewood was deep and flat. Fun for a while, but tiring. We got caught in Tahoe City by the 89 slide for a couple of hours, and passed the time at the Bridgetender. A pint of Lagunitas IPA and a bowl of chili cures most ills.

I'll be at Alpine first thing tomorrow, then heading downhill around lunchtime. Look for the fluorescent highlighter green helmet and Wailer 112RPs. With the hill closed all day and winds relatively manageable, I'm hoping they were able to do lots of control. I don't even really care whether Summit opens -- I'd be happy making laps on Scott. Here's hoping....


Oh, and from Alpine's Facebook page:

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Conditions permitting, Alpine Meadows plans to remain fully operational until April 24 and then transition to a spring operating schedule with select lifts running Friday through Sunday until May 8.

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By tomorrow morning, there will be 15 feet of base at the bottom and 25 at the top. My money says the mountain will be skinnable into July.

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Originally Posted by kona12

PowPig, I will be back in Sac later today, give me a call if you are still stuck at the airport....

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Thanks Kona, but made it up here by Noon, way quicker than I coulda hoped. Amazing the places you can go with a Soda Springs CDL.

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Originally Posted by slave2gravity

Having done the lapping 5 thing today...I would rather have been anywhere else. Even Heavenly. I drove up with a friend from the bay area at 4:30am and we hit the spur around 8:30am, in time for a slide to close the road and us to miss any chance of fresh tracks. Finally got on the slopes at 11:30 to find everything tracked out and most terrain closed. Very disappointed with today, which is too bad considering the snow itself was so good. I hope tomorrow makes up for today...

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Why would you drive through 88 on a day like this? Take 50.

Wed-Sun so far as been mindblowing. Yet again this season. What a season to live in Tahoe.

wow, snowmegadon! i skied some of the lightest blower pow @ squaw the last 2 days that i have ever seen in tahoe. sketchy out there though. be sure to wear your transceiver if you have one and buddy up out there.

just getting out of the house, digging the car out, and the berms and getting to the hill have been challenging the last few days. looks like it winds down tonight and through tomorrow before the next wave hits us. tomorrow should be epic if they can get the upper mtn open!

be safe out there!

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Originally Posted by The Dad

Oh, and from Alpine's Facebook page:

Conditions permitting, Alpine Meadows plans to remain fully operational until April 24 and then transition to a spring operating schedule with select lifts running Friday through Sunday until May 8.

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Right...that inspired me to post a new poll on the closing date at Unofficial Alpine. Alpine mags should visit and cast their vote. Squaw Valley mags can do so too as it seems like Alpine and Squaw like the bragging rights of staying open later. Just use the link in my sig. Thanks for your effort.

Turns out the slide across AM access road was more like 500 feet, not yards. But it was big nonetheless. Lots of tree debris in it and I'd say 10-12' deep.

Homewood was entertaining today. Unfortunately its just not steep enough when the snow is this deep. I'll be at Alpine, not working, tomorrow and Tuesday. Should be amazing. Patrol was still out working when I went by the employee building around 4pm. I saw a couple groomers running - but not sure what they were going to do.

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Originally Posted by The Dad

Indeed.

Kidwoo already answered most of the rest of your post, but it seems to me that you answered your own question. The traverse you're talking about comes off the top of Roundhouse and goes under High Yellow into the Sherwood Cliffs. By definition, that's not getting closed because of winds -- it's getting closed because they're afraid that High Yellow etc. is going to rip, either naturally or due to some kind of control work above.

Re this and hucka's post, when Sinecure was waiting for avy control on John Scott and got out to talk to the patroller doing road control, he was told that the slide to the access road was 500 yards long and 10-12 feet deep.


Scott. Here's hoping....

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Trust me I know Alpines complexities. If you read my post, I didn't criticize, I just said I wasn't sure of their reasons. If it truly was Avi danger they sure were putting a lot of people in harms way. They didn't close the Alpine Bowl traverse until 2 not to mention the whole north side of the base area that is in run out zones.

Plus my comments were more geared towards Scott. They said repeatedly all morning they were going to open it. I happen to know there were no hanging cornices to fear up there.....leaving me to speculate that it must have been the wind....which when I confirmed the winds were fine leads to my annoyance! :)

Anyway, that was such a small part of my day, I want to restate how fun yesterday was!

TheDad, if I clear enough stuff, I may be up in the morning and will watch for ya!

Major good karma to the guy that helped me look for my ski under gunbarrel today at heavenly yeah i was that douche but thanks what a solid day, can't wait for tomorrow!!

Dear Squaw, 45k vert in two days, even with the lines. I am tired, your snow right now is sick.

Goodnight.


...and yes, snow was sliding everywhere, I saw a 20 food wide slide with a 20 inch crown on rider's left of red dog.

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Originally Posted by gone2alpine

Right...that inspired me to post a new poll on the closing date at Unofficial Alpine. Alpine mags should visit and cast their vote. Squaw Valley mags can do so too as it seems like Alpine and Squaw like the bragging rights of staying open later. Just use the link in my sig. Thanks for your effort.

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Ugh, with this much snow, I would really hope for more time.

No reports from the KW crew? Spur still closed. I'm a bit worried that 10 is going to be a big debris field Monday considering the 50" upside down ustable storm snow getting bombed.

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Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio

No reports from the KW crew?

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my garage is extremely organized.
will be there tomorrow with kids if it's a snow day, ready to huck if not.

edit-the bottom of kingsbury is getting hammered now according to the radar. anyone thinking about it BE VE-W-W-WY, VE-W-W-WY CAREFUL.

Still snowing here in Alpine Meadows.

Any guess as to whether summit will actually open today?

Wow what a storm, Sunday was the deepest sledding day ever. It makes me think I would enjoy just standing in front of a snowblower. I wish more of you owned sleds, especially people in Incline Village with trucks :biggrin:

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Originally Posted by Dhelihiker

Wow what a storm, Sunday was the deepest sledding day ever. It makes me think I would enjoy just standing in front of a snowblower. I wish more of you owned sleds, especially people in Incline Village with trucks :biggrin:

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I wish I owned a sled too, brother. (And a home and a new FSR Evo and a new pair of everyday skis and a dirt bike and a ski boat and a KW pass.)