Tahoe Weather, Conditions, Stoke, and What's Up Thread...

[TahoeJ]

No dice on skinning Alpine in case anyone is wondering. The place is plastered with closed signs out front and there were about 50+ employee cars parked in front of the lodge this weekend. Lots of equipment out / stuff going on.

Maybe if the snow levels drop to 6800 feet or so this week (before they're expected to later in the weekend) they'll open early?

[skier666]

Some instagram pics from Kirkwood on Sunday...

Tahoe South...



Kirkwood...



Eagle Bowl...



The Wall...



Penetrable rain crust down all the way was actually kind of fun...

[SchralphMacchio]

wow jah. thats some fucking dedication if thats where i think it is.

If that's where I think that is ... well, my family is all Catholic so any related activities are always an enduring chore anyways
Well scored J ... I climbed a lot of rocks and drank a lot of beer last week. Wake me up when it's December and I'll come along for the next dedicated mission.

[AKbruin]

Since it's a slow day, let me throw these questions out to the masses:

(1) Who has skied Mount Rose proper?
(2) Where did you park and what route did you take?
(3) When is the best time to hit it?

I get the sense that it's not the greatest descent in Tahoe, but it is the second biggest mountain in the region and I stare at it everyday, so it's near the top of my hit list. I'm guessing that I'd park near Mt. Rose resort, climb up the south or southwestern aspect, and probably try to descend the south slopes at a time when they'd corn up. But it seems like descending down the east side to Sky Tavern could be fun in the right conditions too.

[Huckwheat]

I get the sense that it's not the greatest descent in Tahoe, but it is the second biggest mountain in the region and I stare at it everyday, so it's near the top of my hit list. I'm guessing that I'd park near Mt. Rose resort, climb up the south or southwestern aspect, and probably try to descend the south slopes at a time when they'd corn up. But it seems like descending down the east side to Sky Tavern could be fun in the right conditions too.

I want to hear this too......great idea. Would be awesome to wait for snow down to 4300, and make a 5000+ foot decent (even though some of that would be lower level trekking). End at either Timberland or Thomas Creek.

[mcski]

No dice on skinning Alpine in case anyone is wondering. The place is plastered with closed signs out front and there were about 50+ employee cars parked in front of the lodge this weekend. Lots of equipment out / stuff going on.

Maybe if the snow levels drop to 6800 feet or so this week (before they're expected to later in the weekend) they'll open early?

Kind of difficult to argue the point w them in the wake of the accident a couple weeks back, but I always thought their lease did not allow for them to restrict any access to the public via hiking, snowshoes, skins, etc.

[TahoeJ]

^^ I didn't really push the issue so who knows if they would have cared, but figured I'd just stay out of their way. Since everything was glazed over I wasn't missing much, other than the exercise and testing out my Guardians.

[Quadzilla]

Since it's a slow day, let me throw these questions out to the masses:

(1) Who has skied Mount Rose proper?
(2) Where did you park and what route did you take?
(3) When is the best time to hit it?

Kinda a lurker here but I have done this tour plenty of times from different angles and approaches and if done right it has a 2,500 decent and some steepness to it. Thing to do is from Reno and from 431 look at the mountain and see the aspect you want to climb and the aspect that is best for skiing. Looking up there you see a open face that looks pretty good but it is a East face and most likely sun effected and crusty, so look to the area that faces NE and you see a steep tree shot that is next to the open face, that is the area that I think has the best potential for powder, steeps and longer run. OK, how do you approach it to climb and ski? First, it is a all day mission and just doing one run will be around 4,000 climb and two laps would be around 6,000 +-. this depends on where you start. There is a couple of ways to approach. First would be to start and finish from the hairpin turn just below Ski Tavern. Parking is sketchy sometimes you can park in a little area across 431 and cross the hiway, You want to immediately cross Galena Creek as there might be a bridge there, then high tranverse all the way up to the open area(one hour) skin up from there to the knob(one hour+) move to the NE and ski the tree shot down a long ways 2-3,000 vert. Climb it and do it again or climb out of the canyon and retrace back to car. You need to look ahead and skirt the many aspen trees. Two, my fav is to park in the last row at Mt. Rose resort, X 431 go beyond the old storage building, decend the 500 vert to Galena Creek, there is a bridge there so look for a cut out in the aspens off the pole line. High traverse to open area, climb and ski, retrace route back to resort. This tour can start from tamarack trailhead or that pullout before tamarack trailhead for additional vert and climb. Anyway, hope this is useful, this is a decent tour. The tree shot is totaly in the shade and holds powder for a long time so it has potential well after storm.

[Max Archer]

Stupid question, but I've never driven up to Tahoe during a storm before. If we get something decent this weekend, would it be a total dumbass idea to try and drive up there in my FWD with all-seasons and chains? I've got some snow experience but don't know exactly what the Sac-Tahoe drive is like when there's snow falling.

[powpig]

THE GFS MODEL HAS INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE
WESTERN SLOPES THROUGH SUNDAY TO NOW INDICATE WHAT IS WAS A DAY
AGO WHICH WAS OVER 20 PLUS INCHES OF RAINFALL OVER FAVORED
SOUTHWEST AREAS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA NORTH OF I-80.

Sounds like it's about time to start collecting pairs of animals for the ark.

[powdork]

Stupid question, but I've never driven up to Tahoe during a storm before. If we get something decent this weekend, would it be a total dumbass idea to try and drive up there in my FWD with all-seasons and chains? I've got some snow experience but don't know exactly what the Sac-Tahoe drive is like when there's snow falling.

yer gonna DIE!!!!

or you're gonna drive in the rain

[powdork]

so apparently it's gonna rain a lot. where and when is a mystery

THE GFS MODEL HAS INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE
WESTERN SLOPES THROUGH SUNDAY TO NOW INDICATE WHAT IS WAS A DAY
AGO WHICH WAS OVER 20 PLUS INCHES OF RAINFALL OVER FAVORED
SOUTHWEST AREAS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA NORTH OF I-80.

[jfost]

so apparently it's gonna rain a lot. where and when is a mystery

no mystery, it will rain a lot in the "favored SW areas N of 80"...

I was more hoping for the ubiquitous ENE areas WSW of that fake tree cell phone tower behind the Safeway in Truckee.

[BGnight]

The spot forecast for Shasta just went full retard: This May should be good!

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick....1945333480835

[powdork]

that's totes my fave fake cell phone tower.
and wow that's 107 inches in two days

[BGnight]

This is sorta gay:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/product...p?lead=2&var=p

Proves that long range forecasting is a joke. 2 months ago all the brown was green for this same time period.

[SchralphMacchio]

The spot forecast for Shasta just went full retard: This May should be good!

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick....1945333480835

and here it is visually


That bitch is centered right on Shastafari ... and you can credit ME for the epic dumpage ...

I just booked my Svalbard trip for May and expect to be in Scandinavia for most of the month - missing out on the epic California Eastside spring we're going to have. Of course, if those dumbass Siskiyou County supes don't pay to plow the roads, well none of it will be easily skiable until June anyways

[AKbruin]

That's a quality humblebrag.;-)

[SchralphMacchio]

I know, it's going to be so depressing

[4matic]

Stupid question, but I've never driven up to Tahoe during a storm before. If we get something decent this weekend, would it be a total dumbass idea to try and drive up there in my FWD with all-seasons and chains? I've got some snow experience but don't know exactly what the Sac-Tahoe drive is like when there's snow falling.

With the relatively high snow levels it won't be a problem as long as you are proficient chaining up. Practice now before you head up. Generally, if Tahoe roads are open they are passable. The big thing is having a feel for when the roads will open and close.

[SchralphMacchio]

this weekend, would it be a total dumbass idea to try and drive up there in my FWD with all-seasons and chains?

The real question, is why?

Watch the winds with this storm ... but with this much precip coming down as super wet and heavy sludge, do you think anything decent will open? Watch the timing ... Sunday might be okay at the more wind-protected resorts. You're also looking to completely soak your clothes, even if you have the hottest new GoreventtechIQ material. Props to you if you score anything ... you can laugh at me for staying home to get laundry and chores done in the dryness of my own house.

[Driver]

Stupid question, but I've never driven up to Tahoe during a storm before. If we get something decent this weekend, would it be a total dumbass idea to try and drive up there in my FWD with all-seasons and chains? I've got some snow experience but don't know exactly what the Sac-Tahoe drive is like when there's snow falling.

I wouldn't do it but that's just me. people certainly try, but there are too many Priuses and mini vans off the road every week.

[willie61]

You sould have no problem with these storms, the snow levels will be at pass levels, In general if you do not have snow tires on a 4wd thet will make you chain up before it gets nasty, I drive every storm that comes tru and once you do it a couple of times it's cake. Chaining up SUCKS! it's cold and wet and takes a lot longer then doing it in your driveway, get the proper tires and do use all a favor so we don't get stuck behind you going 20mph.

If it is snowing bad the 88 will genrerally shut down at some point for a short time, but if it's snowing that bad Kirkwood is shut too.

80 always seems to have some sort of big rig accident that shuts it down of hours at a time, screw that.

50 is rarly shut down even in the worst storms, it just moves slow because of the flat landers with chains who refuse to buy a AWD or 4wd and are into skiing and crawl along at 20mph. The plows do an excellent job on it, but sometimes when its coming down real heavy you may have to drive tru 6"to 8" before they can catch up, but it will be open.


Just plan on allowing about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. extra travel time.

[old goat]

Snow's no problem. Other drivers are.

[Superstar Punani]

I wouldn't do it but that's just me. people certainly try, but there are too many Priuses and mini vans off the road every week.

Exhibit B

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/articl...-5-4064736.php