Lake Tahoe 2015/16 - Year of Godzilla Baby Jesus

[jed peters]

Tahoe mags, need some help.

GF and I are doing a roadtrip up the coast from San Diego over Thanksgiving week (11/19-28). The plan was to stay on the coast all the way up to Humboldt, then back to SF for a few days before heading home, but with all the recent snow we're thinking we should head to the mountains after we get north instead of hanging around SF.

I know Mammoth has been getting hammered, but don't keep up with Tahoe snow as much. I've got the Mountain Collective (and she's buying tickets), so we'd be looking at Squawalpine somewhere around 11/26-27.

So far are we looking at WROD skiing, or some actual terrain (like Mammoth)? If we REALLY want to ski in November is it worth the extra drive to head down to Mammoth and just ski there?

Any cheap spots to stay if we make it to Tahoe? We'll have all our camping gear, but GF doesn't dig winter camping. Maybe a lower elevation spot nearby would be $.

Obviously this is pending weather for the next 2 weeks etc etc, but just wanted to start getting a feel.

At mammoth you are guaranteed coverage and at least marginal skiing for early season.

Who knows what the next few weeks will REALLY bring...but I wouldn't count on squawapine to have much off a couple groomers.

So it's really not a guarantee either way...unless you hit mammoth, then you know you're getting snow/skiing.

[powdork]

this morning was fun


from the drive out i saw another track that cut in to the cirque medium high (unless he/she was just looking in and I couldn't see them)

[truckee_splitter]

Nice work! Hit anything?

[powdork]

could be my last day at the wood this year

[truckee_splitter]

Anyone been up around SB? Just curious...totals would suggest opting for other locations

[Ottime]

could be my last day at the wood this year

two man looks as svelte as it was back on veteran's day '13. Hope this season works out better than that one.

[Ottime]

So who *isn't* going to be at Kwood on Saturday? I know I'll be there.

Not sure yet. Watching that next storm spin right now. It will depend on the swell it kicks up, the arrival of said swell and the arrival of said storm. Could be too much fun on the water to spend all that time in the car. Although the stoke coming out of this thread has started to get me to lean toward a drive up. Life is always through me these really hard decisions to make.



Oh. And I need to see how the mrs. feels about things.



But I will be getting up there Monday afternoon with the kiddo for some storm sledding followed by a powder morning Tuesday. He is super stoked to get up and shred some mid week pow.

[dookeyXXX]

Anyone been up around SB? Just curious...totals would suggest opting for other locations

Scoped out Castle Peak and the Sno-Park on the Boreal side of 80 last Friday when I went to Boreal opening. Also looked at the area up around "Poop Chute" from 80 on my drive up. Looked kinda sparse. Been half toying with hiking into Castle Peak, via Castle Pass to see if there is anything in the ridge area above the Peter Grubb Hut meadow, but haven't been motivated to make the slog (although as of last Friday the 4x4 road gate was still open).

Speaking of turns, I returned to Tahoe Meadows this PM. I'm thinking that there needs to be a coupla new rules of the backcountry (these should be delivered in your best Bob Athey voice, btw).

1. Don't sled/toboggan the boot-pack.
I set a sweet boot-pack yesterday and some tool in Sorels hiked out more'n a half mile and obliterated the boot-pack with his tobaggan (when there were better tobaggan hills closer to the road).

2. If it has ski or snowboard tracks on it, then it's a ski/snowboard run, NOT a tobaggan run.

3. if it has tobaggan tracks on it, then it's a tobaggan run, NOT a ski/snowboard run.

simple, really.

But I digress. The snow is holding up thanks to low temps (I didn't get my first turns in until around 4:30ish). Hit one or two smooth slabs of granite, but nothing major. Still skiing a tad tentative as I'm not wishing to end the season early. That said, there's some decent coverage if you know where to go and you are familiar with the area (i.e. you've hiked it in late spring/early summer so you know what's lurking underneath). Couple more storms, though, and most areas will be good to go and opening it up a bit more will be on the safer side of things.

[TahoeBC]

could be my last day at the wood this year

Skip out on a pass this year?

[powdork]

yup

[skier666]

I'm thinking letting the weekend hordes pack everything down off of 6, let it snow, and then ride on Monday...

[3more]

These predictions are a bit insane for the PNW.
Maybe it will sag south when/if it blows up.



3snowboards

[The Dad]

Well, color me fucked. Alpine Meadows is opening Thursday! Just Kangaroo (seriously?), but I can't imagine Roundhouse and Summit 6 are too far behind.

The time-lapse from the base cam suggests that they're making snow on all runouts, piling up snow to make a lift corral at Summit, and earlier today, they spun Summit. Couldn't tell whether they loaded anyone, but if they did, it was presumably to get things ready. With another 8-14" coming Sunday, who knows...?

[WestCoastPDR]

Ok. Who went for the ride on elephants back?


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Ottime]

Whoa that is a bummer. Still lots o sharky things lurking out there for sliding fun.

[emcee]

GFS came onboard with the Euro today calling for 1.25+" of moisture--with the cold it could easily be a foot plus Sunday and Monday is looking bluebird.

Surf tomorrow and saturday is the plan, ride sunday monday.

I actually sort of hope 6 gets fully tracked out on saturday. The sharks will be way more obvious and exposed while it starts to snow again.

[SchralphMacchio]

Skip out on a pass this year?

yup

Me too! Skin to win. Well, that and Collective, but my lease is in Xmas Valley this winter.

[jahoney]

just your friendly notice that Nino 3.4's november measurement spiked to 2.8 above average

[LightRanger]

Holy shit that's high. Nice work, Tropical Pacific.

[lepistoir]

Rad.

[TahoeJ]

GFS came onboard with the Euro today calling for 1.25+" of moisture--with the cold it could easily be a foot plus Sunday and Monday is looking bluebird.

Most of the snow Sunday comes in early... so it'll likely be tracked out before Monday. Sunday is probably the day.

[powdork]

I'll just be glad the resorts open so y'all can get off my lawn!

[SchralphMacchio]

No judgement on the Eback slide (I wasn't there) ... but the firsthand details are now posted up on the SAC Incidents page by one of the party members. I'm thankful no one got dragged into rocks & trees and that the involved party posted that info for all of us to consume.

Lots of people chomping at the bit and it's not even Thanksgiving yet ... if you follow the AIARE Facebook page or SnowBrains.com, you'll see that within the last week people have been caught in skier-triggered slides at Rogers Pass, Hatcher Pass AK, Crested Butte, and the Eback accident. Early season snowpacks are touchy!

This is a great time to take a minute, relax, and think about the avalanche problems in your terrain options right now before getting after it. Early season (bottomed out on rocks and grass) turns might be super fun, but they also might not be worth ending a season or life as payment.

I didn't see this posted in this thread yet, so here's the Utah Avalanche Center's reboot of their KBYG video. I happen to be in it (along with T Rice, Tremper, Engerbretson, Jimmy Chin, Dav, and many others), if that gives anyone a reason to watch ... it's extremely well done and definitely worth your time.

[TurxSki]

yup

(As I asked Nate & Jessi) But aren't you gonna sorely miss those Morning Hot-Laps, before all the YayArea peeps show up?

[emcee]

No judgement on the Eback slide (I wasn't there) ... but the firsthand details are now posted up on the SAC Incidents page by one of the party members.

It's really frustrating that the link automatically goes to steep and cheap. I couldn't figure out why the life of me why that tab was open, all the while looking for the tab that had the report.

Also nice appearance in the KBYG video, it's great stuff and well worth a watch.