Tahoe: give thanks to Ullr!

[Ubersheist]

Man... it seems like every year around Christmas and Thanksgiving for the last 3-4 years, I've missed some excellent storms while doing the family thing miles away from where ever it is that I am living. Goddamn holidays.

[Darkside]

[QUOTE=BigSexy]

This was also my first day on my Spatulas. Holy crap...they're tricky on hard pack. Oh, and powder performance is adequate (not, this is the sickest ski I've ever skied, I'll never ski anything else on a powder day). There were so many people on them at Alpine, at one point we almost had a 6 pack of Spatulas.
QUOTE]

Is this the McConkey effect? I have never seen more then a couple at one time at the resorts up here (pnw)

Well, because the snow is generally so heavy here, I don't really think there's a better ski for the job. While that might explain a bit, they're also the best powder ski I've ever been on. And Shane and his neighbor are selling them cheap to locals. The facts all add up, son. Join the cult.

[bcrider]

Today was a let down to say the least.

Yeah, I was let down too…the blue skies and blower pow really sucked!

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic30042.jpg

http://splitboard.com/TR_PICS/tallac...004/towlie.jpg

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic30050.jpg

[lph]

Had i known about the high winds i definitely would have gone and lapped waterhouse/powderhouse.

sweet pics bcr.

[LegoSkier]

Well, because the snow is generally so heavy here, I don't really think there's a better ski for the job. While that might explain a bit, they're also the best powder ski I've ever been on. And Shane and his neighbor are selling them cheap to locals. The facts all add up, son. Join the cult.

Did any of you notice the guy also up in the front of the summit six line on tele spatulas that were all red? Are these different/homemade or just a paint job on standard spats?

[Darkside]

Did any of you notice the guy also up in the front of the summit six line on tele spatulas that were all red? Are these different/homemade or just a paint job on standard spats?

They're super super secret K2 prototypes! No, just kidding. Mark has a spancer, but loves the Spats so much that he painted them so he could get away with rocking them.

[FreshPow]

Sugarbowl was fabulous Saturday. Early AM stormy weather filtered out the riff-raff. I was getting fresh tracks as late as 12 PM. Sun blared out at 1ish and it was a beautiful thing.

[Arty50]

I...hate...you...all!!!!!!

As for Spatulas on hardpack, there are two methods: slide or ride your tails. Actually, there's a third of sorts also. The other day my quads were burning since I was riding my tails down a long groomer. Then it dawned on me, "Hey, if I ski switch I can pressure the tips and still carve." Worked like a friggen charm. Now they're my favorite ski for riding switch since it's more natural.

[Telenater]

Yeah, I was let down too…the blue skies and blower pow really sucked!

Just curious, what did you find when you dug a pit? Saturday we were finding 10 inch slabs with propogating crack inbounds at KW, and Sunday we had several windloaded areas slide.

[Greydon Clark]

Just curious, what did you find when you dug a pit? Saturday we were finding 10 inch slabs with propogating crack inbounds at KW, and Sunday we had several windloaded areas slide.

Yeah, that slab eliminated the need for a second cup of coffee.

good point, nater. i gotta say that in 3 years at kirkwood, sunday was the most slide activity i have seen.

Yeah, the last couple weeks Kirkwood has been getting crazy wind loading.

[lph]

Just curious, what did you find when you dug a pit? Saturday we were finding 10 inch slabs with propogating crack inbounds at KW, and Sunday we had several windloaded areas slide.

good point, nater. i gotta say that in 3 years at kirkwood, sunday was the most slide activity i have seen.

[bcrider]

Carson Pass conditions and West Shore conditions are going to be quite different due to many reasons that you already know Nate but…this is what we found where we were at.

The storm started off warm and wet then turned colder as it progressed. As expected this created a good bond between the old snow layer and the new snow. The first foot or 18inches was wet and heavier than the last 10-12inches of dry powder on top. A classic Sierra storm and one of the benefits of a maritime snowpack.

We found no propagation cracks, loose snow sloughs, skier triggered slides, or natural releases on the main ascent ridge.

Where the problems arose where on the east faces between 8500 and 9500ft. These slopes were wind-loaded with an 8-10inch slab. Ski cutting released slabs very easily and made us adjust our descent a little…once past it…it was back to the boot-to-knee deep blower pow.

Most of the slopes we skied were only 30 degrees or so and not very sustained so the risk was very manageable with simple route finding.

The only natural activity we saw was coming out of the front chutes (also on said aspect and elevation as noted wind slabs).

I’m guessing that it was much windier over on carson pass than on the west shore, resulting in more wind-loading. One more reason NOT to ski Kirkwood.

[Telenater]

Good to know, thanks for sharing.

Looks like you got it good.

[Vinman]

more pic requested by the snow accumulation challenged please

[gimpy]

sorry if anyone showed at waterhouse this morning as i didn't make it. found out i had the whole day off so we decided to do something a little more ambitious that i've looked at forever. trimmer peak's slide paths stare at you from all around the lake and will catch any skiers eye looking that direction. took an hour to get to the base of trimmer and another 2 to get up it. its major league avy terrain and we found lots of loud whoomping and 6-12" windslab everywhere the east winds had hit. we stuck to the trees on the ascent and had to wait and watch for each other a few times when exposed zones couldn't be avoided. got up to about 9,300' when the windslab exposure just got too scary too continue after a nice loud whoomping crack scared us both into submission. so, we peeled and pointed them down the skiers right side of the climbers right avy path where it was shin to knee deep blower bliss. we didn't see any natural releases but quick pits showing windslab on faceted snow w/ loud settling was enough to put the fear of god in us. be careful out there as today was prolly the most sketched i've ever been in my limited bc experience.

[Sierra Cement]

Wow Gimp, that's quite a difference from Powderhouse. The wind really howled up high yesterday afternoon and evening though. Was it universal where the wind slabs were, or just on certain aspects? Even the trees were slabby? How steep are those lines - compared to the Powderhouse trees?
......guess there's a good reason why those two long clearings exist, huh?

Oh, and the bush whacking from High Meadows to the base wasn't too bad?
Way to check out a reeeaaaal nice line, and bail with caution.

[bcrider]

Way to check out a reeeaaaal nice line, and bail with caution.

yep, good call gimpy.
Here's hoping for a future assult on the peak.

[DJSapp]

[silently weeping in the cubicle]

Just wait 'til next weekend. Bro's will be mounted, gnar will be killed.

That is all.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Telenater launching off of a ridgeline:
http://www.loloville.com/telenaterkw28nov04.JPG
Notice the wisps of snow at the ridgeline. Also notice that Telenater is on alpine gear (the stiff Bro Model prototypes.)

Whoa! Nater on alpines!!! Looks yer haulin to there Nate.

Where was that pic taken? Looks fuuuuuunnnn..........

[Telenater]

Whoa! Nater on alpines!!! Looks yer haulin to there Nate.

Where was that pic taken? Looks fuuuuuunnnn..........

You better believe it... Hauling about as much ass as a 5 foot run in will let you...

Taken out in one of the gullies in Palisades bowl.

Alpine skiing is cheating. It's too easy. And the boots suck (thanks for loaning them to me LPH ). I knew my feet felt cold, but the incredible pain when they started to warm up was a bad sign. A bit of frost nip on the bottoms of my toes...

Thanks for the loan of the skis and boots... Helped me confirm that I do want the stiff Bros. Review to be produced in a different thread.

[Darkside]

Good to hear, Darkside!!!!!!!!

I actually tweaked my knee a little that day at Alpine and today was my first day back at it, too.

Yeah, I was sweating on the way to the mountain, I was so excited.

Feels good, eh?

[hardrider]

Wow Gimp, that's quite a difference from Powderhouse. The wind really howled up high yesterday afternoon and evening though. Was it universal where the wind slabs were, or just on certain aspects? Even the trees were slabby? How steep are those lines - compared to the Powderhouse trees?
......guess there's a good reason why those two long clearings exist, huh?

.

Powderhouse was so good today may do it 2morrow as well.

[gimpy]

joe -- the slabs were consistently everywhere up high. when you look at those lines you can see where the pitch eases back a bit from the top rollover to the summit. everything above this rollover was slab as well as everything out in the open w/ an easterly aspect. even in the well spaced trees there was some slabs in spots and pow in others. the line we skied was $$$ even though we had wanted to ski the lookers left path. that one looks like a slightly steeper more consistent fall line but it was all wind slab as it faces more easterly where those fucking winds were coming from. we'll be back for that lookers left sumbitch and the approach from high meadows was a cakewalk in and easy skating out. 3 hours in and 1 hour down and out. and the pitch is prolly similar to the steepest tree section of powderhouse, and maybe a bit steeper over some rollover sections

[hucksquaw]

just got home from 5 days in squaw. saturday was sick as fuck! even though no KT or Cornice or Headwall (for the mostpart) the skiing was some of the best for thanksgiving weekend. 2 weeks of finals and im goin back to squaw for 5 weeks.

re: Mother Nature
Keep it coming!!!

[splat]

Were people hoofin it over to Headwall and Cornice ?
Anybody poach West Face this storm?