14/?? The OFFICIAL Tahoe Thread

[powdork]

If you can change your flight time, consider also changing to leaving out of Sacramento if possible. Also, Kirkwood seems like it could be ok if you're stuck flying out of San Fran. In general you are going to be going in the right direction leaving the mountains on a Friday afternoon. All the traffic will be heading the opposite way.
according to gmaps, kirkwood -3:31; sierra at tahoe-3:14; sugar bowl 3:16; squaw -3:29

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

Reno is another option for flying out, and is about 45 minutes down the hill into Nevada (Sacramento is about 90 minutes back into California). Reno and Sacramento have about the same level of service (read: you'll be connecting somewhere in the middle of the country). Both airports are largely served by Southwest, so it might be tough to get back to the Southeast that night, as Southwest doesn't do red eye flights.

X3 on Sugar Bowl, if we have any snow by then. If not, you might think about resorts with more snowmaking capacity. Boreal has decent snowmaking, and is on the summit just past Sugar Bowl. Squaw...well...not sure how much snow they will choose to make. Northstar has substantial snowmaking capacity, but it's a longer drive from SF (3.5 hours) vs. Sugar Bowl (a little under 3, depending on traffic, weather, and how fast you drive) and isn't exactly known for gnar...

[Marshall Tucker]

has to be out of SFO, but all very helpful. Thanks kindly! MT

[alfajores]

@marshall there is a zipcar Subaru crosstrek at Oakland airport if you really need AWD. Near BART (which goes all the way to SFO) there is a few AWD in Oakland area on zip car. You may pay less through enterprise if you reserve it through a rewards program. Otherwise, you might be able to carpool up. Where will you be staying? What is the day of the week you would be skiing. I'm at the lodge in Heav ATM

[SchralphMacchio]

If it's storming that day, Sugar Bowl would be a better option because you'd be on the right side of a freeway closure if it happened. Rental car with AWD would be a smart decision.

Pure speculation on the weather/coverage/conditions at this point, obviously.

If you really really need to make the red eye and we get a serious storm, do this, because you will be west of any pass closures if a big mother of a cold storm comes through with lots of snow below pass elevations (the last time that happened in December was in 2012, but you never know, we could get a Sierra classic and Donner Pass (I-80), Echo Summit (HWY 50), and Carson Spur (HWY 88) could all close. There is still a chance that a jacknifed big rig could ruin your day if it snows a ton, but at least you'd know that no pass closures would be in your way.

[skier666]

Agreed on the Sugar Bowl idea...I've actually been in a few big storms after a day of skiing there and you just roll right on I-80.

Anywhere else and you're screwed on a huge storm...but remember its been a few years since our last MASSIVE STORM.

Kirkwood - closes right at the Carson Spur on HWY 88
Heavenly/Sierra at Tahoe - closes at Twin Bridges on HWY 50 (but you may be able to leave Sierra if skiing there for the day)
Squaw/Alpine/Northstar - closes at 89/80

[lepistoir]

I would buy your ticket to Dodge Ridge now so you don't jinx our Dec 21st mega storm.

[~mikey b]

If any of you assholes have a Dodge Ridge ticket and you don't come visit me at work this season I'll be butthurt. Or if you aren't going to use them send them to me, I'll find folks to give them to.

[powfiend]

Instead of talking about how to fly and drive to tahoe in a few weeks, where there will still be presumably no skiable acerage there should be a discussion of how to fly/drive elsewhere where there is snow! Ill start it off with this awesome lil deal i found the other day. 190 each way from oakland direct to stockholm and about 250 to oslo on norweigan air. there arnt flights daily but there are enough to make a nice little trip work. Plus from Stockholm you can fly to geneva for about another 60 (because sweeden has terrain about on par with boreal). Also trying to find cheap tickets into durango sometime in the end of december/jan for preseason at silvy so if anyone has found any deals post em up!

In other news, singletrack below 7500 was super tacky today! Looking forward to another epic mountain bike weekend while the kooks are ripping it up on the WROD. I guess any skiing is good skiing to some but when there is brown pow to be had fogetabout it! hope everyone has an awesome weekend

[SchralphMacchio]

holy shit PF, what time of year? Combo that with a flight from Oslo to Tromso in March and it's touring powtopia!!! .... mmmmmmmm, Lyyyyyyyyngen ...

[powfiend]

March/april is a little more expensive, around 600 round trip. Not bad for direct flight from oakland to oslo though. The best part is you dont even have to goto SFO

[Nevada29er]

Reno will have direct flights to Heathrow (Eng) on some airline ive never heard of, like $500 roundtrip this year. You could ski the Italian or French alps on the cheap. They're trying to attract euros to Tahoe.

[TahoeJ]

It's worth pointing out that if there's a big storm and 80 is being shut down, there's a good chance your flight out of Reno / Sacro / SFO will be delayed or cancelled. SFO of course being the least on-time airport in the country these days (that's why I always fly out of Oakland, which happens to be the most the on-time airport).

So - did anyone check out the WROD at Gnarstar or Heavenly?

[lepistoir]

Rained hard all night in Arcata. Anyone get any snow down there?

[old goat]

Reno will have direct flights to Heathrow (Eng) on some airline ive never heard of, like $500 roundtrip this year. You could ski the Italian or French alps on the cheap. They're trying to attract euros to Tahoe.

I looked at the web site--looks like it starts next season. The prices are insanely low. I wonder if tickets will be available to US customers, the point of the flights being to get Euros to ski Tahoe. They do fly from Gatwick to Geneva but saturdays only. I didn't bother to see if the times were compatible to make a connection.

It's worth pointing out that if there's a big storm and 80 is being shut down, there's a good chance your flight out of Reno / Sacro / SFO will be delayed or cancelled. SFO of course being the least on-time airport in the country these days (that's why I always fly out of Oakland, which happens to be the most the on-time airport).

Hasn't been my experience--I've never had flight delays out of Sacramento due to a big winter storm--fog is the big problem, at least in the past. I haven't flown out of SFO often enough to know how often bad weather shuts things down but I suspect most delays and cancellations are due to problems at whatever airport the plane is coming from. SMF is pretty good for on time IME. Reno is a great little airport to fly in and out of, barring bad weather, and snow down to Reno is becoming increasingly scarce.

[powdork]

Rained hard all night in Arcata. Anyone get any snow down there?

Rained hard here all night. To the top of everything according to the radar. Still is

[lepistoir]

Thanks PD. Could be a boon by consolidating the facets SAC has been talking about.

[SchralphMacchio]

Let's turn those facets into snowcone mush ... keeping the singletrack alive!

[Ottime]

Let's turn those facets into snowcone mush ... keeping the singletrack alive!

Um, facets? What facets. Facets require cold weather, and more importantly snow. Rain to the top melted most everything mid month. And inversions have kept the overnight temps really warm where there was any snow left. But in the spirit of positivity, yeah rain is good. According to the marketing machines, the mountains have to get a good wetting anyway for a good snow season. So yeah, yay, rain to the top.

[powdork]

Um, facets? What facets. Facets require cold weather, and more importantly snow. Rain to the top melted most everything mid month. And inversions have kept the overnight temps really warm where there was any snow left. But in the spirit of positivity, yeah rain is good. According to the marketing machines, the mountains have to get a good wetting anyway for a good snow season. So yeah, yay, rain to the top.

i know you've seen this before, but it talks about our crappy year last year (before showing awesome conditions elsewhere). it WILL come

[alfajores]

Rained hard here all night. To the top of everything according to the radar. Still is

So glad I didn't camp in Markleevile. On the other had, my choice led to me going to see hunger games with the so and 500 children. Lose?

[TahoeJ]

Screw it, I'm going to go to Heavenly tomorrow morning to break my legs in and watch the Niner's game in the afternoon. Since I spend most of my time on the other side of the lake, any recommendations for a good place nearby to watch the game?

[powdork]

Coldwater Brewing company just opened in the middle of town. Otherwise right when you get off the Gondi, Basecamp Pizza has a decent beer selection on tap. Haven't been downtown in a week so I'm not sure if McP's has opened but that would be another option.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Um, facets? What facets. Facets require cold weather, and more importantly snow. Rain to the top melted most everything mid month. And inversions have kept the overnight temps really warm where there was any snow left. But in the spirit of positivity, yeah rain is good. According to the marketing machines, the mountains have to get a good wetting anyway for a good snow season. So yeah, yay, rain to the top.

Cold weather isn't required for faceting, just a temperature gradient. On clear nights with near freezing temps the snowpack can develop near surface facets.

[Ottime]

uh, yeah. it is pretty clear that there are (or were) facets, so you kind of have to take my post as meaningless drivel. otoh, anything you can do to make it snow? im just made at alex for praising high elevation single track. he can get that shit coastal.

sun is coming out down here. gonna have a chance at an epic sunset. With the high filling back in, winds are going off shore, and the next few days will have some fun surf.

do i earn my no caps bonus????

things look good ten days out tho