MAKE TAHOE DEEP AGAIN ~ 2016/17 OFISHUL SNOW/FOOD/WHINE & STOKE THREAD

[TahoeJ]

apparently silverado is closed to keep it pristine for a warren miller flick.

If that's true I hope they did it already, otherwise what a waste of good snow (counting multiple storm cycles). Anything exposed to sun that wasn't already cooked after yesterday surely will be by the end of today. Found some pretty mixed conditions this morning.

[powdork]

1. 10 or so years ago resorts started to consolidate. part of that puzzle is that they can save by eliminating duplicate expenditures (why have two marketing departments for two mountains under the same ownership?, why have kirkwood and heavenly both open late? why have squaw and alpine both open late or on bad weather days?
2. About the same time, the new consolidated resort ownership groups (as well as individual resorts) started focusing on cheap pass sales rather than day ticket sales to generate revenue. More recently online sale via (liftopia and snow.com, etc.) have cut further into sales at the ticket booth.

Both these things make it less appealing for resorts to open on a bad weather day where incremental sales are likely to be nil but expenditures would be high.

Good news is Squaw just announced they will allow you to wakeboard down the waterslide. So there's that.

[SchralphMacchio]

Also, horrible snow but great coverage on pyramid today. No surprise. Just like being able to have 4k' of turns to my car.

[mcski]

Absolute all time parking clusterfucks at alpine and squaw both Saturday and today. Total and complete mismanagement.

[Paul Blart]

Absolute all time parking clusterfucks at alpine and squaw both Saturday and today. Total and complete mismanagement.

I don't think it's mismanagement as much as it is just too many people trying to access one place at one time. Every resort in North Lake has been fucked parking wise the past few weekends

[mcski]

Really, allowing cars to turn off 89 and continue up Alpine or Squaw roads when the parking lots are full isn't mismanagement? Sorry, but putting
some parking staff at the 89 intersections to direct traffic seems pretty mgmt 101 to me , so ya I'll stick with a complete management fuck up.

[Paul Blart]

Really, allowing cars to turn off 89 and continue up Alpine or Squaw roads when the parking lots are full isn't mismanagement? Sorry, but putting
some parking staff at the 89 intersections to direct traffic seems pretty mgmt 101 to me , so ya I'll stick with a complete management fuck up.

The solution is pretty simple, if you want a spot, show up earlier. You can't direct traffic on a county road without permits from CHP/Placer County. I can understand management putting up a sign on 89 saying that the lots are full similar to what Nstar does on 267 but turning cars away from the roads/lots isn't much of an option considering 9/10 people you tell to go home will say fuck you and go check for themselves anyways.

[gnarbro365]

This thread is such a bummer now. Is this really what you guys think about all day? How Squaw is screwing you over? If the management is THAT bad, why even go? Why support them?

Like gimpy said, buy a fucking touring set up and quit yer bitchin'.

I demand more stoke.

[dhklauer]

Stoke-
Views are good. Snow was shit.

[mcski]

The solution is pretty simple, if you want a spot, show up earlier. You can't direct traffic on a county road without permits from CHP/Placer County. I can understand management putting up a sign on 89 saying that the lots are full similar to what Nstar does on 267 but turning cars away from the roads/lots isn't much of an option considering 9/10 people you tell to go home will say fuck you and go check for themselves anyways.

Before they put the traffic lights in, they regularly had sheriffs directing traffic on 89. Not too hard to do, but they have to be willing to pay. Lots were full at 830ish. No skin off me, I didn't go this weekend, just aghast at the inability to manage crowds.

Nice pic. Love that view of SH.

[TheK12]

The solution is pretty simple, if you want a spot, show up earlier. You can't direct traffic on a county road without permits from CHP/Placer County. I can understand management putting up a sign on 89 saying that the lots are full similar to what Nstar does on 267 but turning cars away from the roads/lots isn't much of an option considering 9/10 people you tell to go home will say fuck you and go check for themselves anyways.

Exactly this! I was part of that CF at Alpine on Saturday and some guy went off on the guy on Alpine Meadows Rd telling people that the lots were full and should not go up. Something about spending alot of money and parking being mismanaged. The guy just looked at him, smiled, and said "it's what happens when 25,000 people show up for a weekend".

5 years of drought, cheap passes, and the Bay and Sacto areas being twice as large as they were 5 years ago. This problem isn't going away anytime soon regardless of how bad or how well parking is managed. Solution - show up early.

On the plus side, somehow lift lines were non existent once you actually made it up to Alpine/Squaw. Very weird thing... parking lots were stuffed to the gills but very little waiting in line so all in all, pretty good 2 days. Snow was amazing on anything that was steep and didn't directly face the sun.

[bodywhomper]

Just found out that Ivan closed Fasta Pasta for medical reasons? I hope he's alright.

Is this ivano, Italian restaurant owner/chef of many years in South Lake Tahoe?

Yes

Thanks. I just informed an old close mutual friend.

[B__]

[2_1_3]

I demand more stoke.

Ask and ye shall receive!

Dr. Morales, DMD will fix your grill and then make some floaty turns above Washoe Lake. He's starting work in Zephyr and Minden in a few weeks.


The angelic choir sings on...


A view that doesn't get old. The snow was outrageously good (this was early in the week). Laps were made and laughs were had.


Sam enjoying the light easterly flow which kept the snow most excellent throughout the day.


Doc BMo snakes Scotty's line down a classic escarpment with Boca in the distance.


213 seen in double by ScottiePippen.


After getting jobs, many Sierra Nevada denizens feelin...

[smallies]

I like that one.

[old goat]

Really, allowing cars to turn off 89 and continue up Alpine or Squaw roads when the parking lots are full isn't mismanagement? Sorry, but putting
some parking staff at the 89 intersections to direct traffic seems pretty mgmt 101 to me , so ya I'll stick with a complete management fuck up.

The solution is pretty simple, if you want a spot, show up earlier. You can't direct traffic on a county road without permits from CHP/Placer County. I can understand management putting up a sign on 89 saying that the lots are full similar to what Nstar does on 267 but turning cars away from the roads/lots isn't much of an option considering 9/10 people you tell to go home will say fuck you and go check for themselves anyways.

Showing up earlier only works up to a point, and that point has been reached. Saturday traffic was backed up to Truckee at 730. What is happening now is that everyone is coming earlier and earlier so the lots fill earlier and earlier--pretty soon the lots will fill by 6 am, but there still won't be more parking.

Letting people drive up AM or SV road to full lots shows a total disregard for customers. One more example of KSL's giant fuck you to the community. The ultimate result will be that only people who own or rent in the village will be able to ski Squalpine on the weekends.

This thread is such a bummer now. Is this really what you guys think about all day? How Squaw is screwing you over? If the management is THAT bad, why even go? Why support them?

Like gimpy said, buy a fucking touring set up and quit yer bitchin'.

I demand more stoke.

If this thread is so bad why even read and post here. Go to epic and quit yer bitchin'. http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...70#post4905870

[irratator]

I demand more stoke.

Great shots, Stoking!

[54-46]

Showing up earlier only works up to a point, and that point has been reached. Saturday traffic was backed up to Truckee at 730. What is happening now is that everyone is coming earlier and earlier so the lots fill earlier and earlier--pretty soon the lots will fill by 6 am, but there still won't be more parking.

Letting people drive up AM or SV road to full lots shows a total disregard for customers. One more example of KSL's giant fuck you to the community. The ultimate result will be that only people who own or rent in the village will be able to ski Squalpine on the weekends.



If this thread is so bad why even read and post here. Go to epic and quit yer bitchin'. http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...70#post4905870

KSL has to be fucking up the traffic control on purpose to support their claim that more condos will reduce traffic. Mere negligence cannot possibly mess it up that badly, could it?

I was backed up on 89 at 7:30 on Sat, but found parking because we were a carpool. This morning, we had 3 adults, 3 teens and a 10 y/o in the van and rolling by 7, and parking was OK.

The skiing was excellent both days and since we're were in the early wave, we missed the main AM rush, ate lunch early, etc. Well worth the trouble but KSL has to do better.

[reid]

On the plus side, somehow lift lines were non existent once you actually made it up to Alpine/Squaw. Very weird thing... parking lots were stuffed to the gills but very little waiting in line so all in all, pretty good 2 days. Snow was amazing on anything that was steep and didn't directly face the sun.

Same at KW. Shuttles were packed, parking was not-quite-holiday-weekend bad, and there was... nobody in line.

Got out at the crack of noon both days this weekend, and the groomers were all time.

Forgot to bring snacks, so I found out a red bull, a couple 20oz gatorades, and a deli case chicken caesar wrap was $28. But hey, 10 or 20% discount for paying with a pass, so there's that.

[gnarbro365]

If this thread is so bad why even read and post here. Go to epic and quit yer bitchin'. http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...70#post4905870

Guess you didn't pick up on the heaping spoonful of sarcasm.

In other news, KSL totally fucked this area up with their mismanagement too...

[old goat]

Guess you didn't pick up on the heaping spoonful of sarcasm.

Ah, a heaping dose of sarcasm. Always a great way to encourage the positive vibes you crave.
While I get it that negativity is not pleasant, the bitching and whining in this thread you have such a problem with (you've complained about it at least 4 times by my count, which hardly counts as positivity on your part) does serve a useful purpose. No doubt KSL management is reading this thread and threads with similar complaints in Epic and Unofficial Squaw, and the more they see the level of discontent--which threatens Squalpine's reputation as a destination resort nationally--the more likely we are to see some improvements. In the meantime, I commend you for finding great turns in the backcountry--until the morning you show up to find no BC parking anywhere. In the meantime--since you want separate threads for stoke and for complaining--why don't you start one or the other. And maybe a third thread for complaining about the complaining.

BTW re the complaints about traffic not being stopped at the bottom of AM road when the upper lot is full--a few weeks ago Squaw was doing exactly that at the bottom of SV road--so it can be done, if KSL cares to.

[TahoeJ]

I doubt KSL gives a fuck what any of us think. Now, the out of town tourists who were bitching on their Facebook page this weekend after spending X-dollars and flying across the country to get there and being turned away? That surely catches their attention. I feel genuinely horrible for those people - can you imagine?

I keep asking my bay area friends who only ski groomers why they come up after there's a bunch of fresh snow they don't even ski on anyway? That always cracks me up.

I've got something like 12-13 days in this month and only 2 or 3 of them at a resort (all weekdays) even though I have 2 season passes. It's just not worth the hassle right now. I'm sure I'll get my money's worth in the spring when everyone forgets there's still great skiing to be had.

Oh and here's a photo just to keep this thread properly balanced. Snow was still good below treeline and mostly shaded areas but punchy and firm elsewhere.

[SchralphMacchio]

... thread drift ... any South Lakers have any use for either of the following?
I'm next up in the general area Feb 11-12 and can bring these up.

Free ... Burton Republik 163, waaay beat up. Missing a 2" piece of edge that I filled in with epoxy, some cracks in topsheet, a dimple on the base. I used this as my resort rock board for early/late season dumps. Fully cambered, narrowish waist width. It's Johan's model of freeride board from early 2000s?, before Burton introduced Terje's T6.





EDIT: dibs called on splitboard, but the solid is still available
Dirt cheap (PM me offline and we can work it out) ... Burton Supermodel 159 homemade split, pucks mounted regular stance, my guess around +18/+5 at probably 20" width. I have G3 gen1 Alpinist skins, I think pretty decent glue condition. I have slider tracks, available with/without mounted ~2011 Drake SuperSport bindings that I can throw in - and I would be swapping out the Dynafit toe adapter in the pic for standard touring brackets. Oh yeah, also have Voile Split Decision Ski Crampons as well. So price would be dependent on what you need.

I used this setup as my primary splitboard for years, then rock splitboard, then loaner splitboard, then fruitboot test setup (hence the Dynafit adapters). Probably 80 days of use - has lost a fair bit of stiffness but still good enough to get someone out into the BC. It had gaptooth from day 1 but that was never an issue. I personally wouldn't be dropping Third Pillar with this setup, but a for a friend who wants to check out Powderhouse / Round Top Saddle etc,. not a bad way to get into the game before dropping a bigger gear commitment, and cheaper than renting from Wattabike if you use the setup 2-3 times.

[gageyk]

If this thread is so bad why even read and post here. Go to epic and quit yer bitchin'. http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...70#post4905870

This place has turned into Epic!!

The same complaint every weekend. That indicates to me the issue isn't going away yet people still show up during the peak drive time week after week and complain.

Maybe don't go during these obviously congested times?

BTW there was a reader board southbound 89 about 2 miles north of Squaw indicating all parking lots were full.

Did you thank a ski patroller this weekend?

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

I'm not a fan of KSL, but (other than a few tactical errors, like not setting up traffic cones on the main road until 8:15 on Saturday and 8:00 on Sunday) there isn't much that they can do in the moment when all 40,000 passholders decide to make the trip. The parking lot was full at 10 on Saturday, and 9:15 or so on Sunday. I think KSL does need to do better management at the entrance - we saw a lot of really, really pissed people idling on the main road when we took the kids home from Shooting Stars at 12:30. Props to the guy in the Tundra that tried to get past the backup by going in reverse in the outbound lane.

But even so...where were the crowds? KT had no line either day, and Headwall was maybe 2 minutes at the longest. The snow was really good on Saturday (anywhere shaded and steep), and spots were still chalky on Sunday.

I've got my fingers crossed that this past weekend was the confluence of the #JanuBURIED hype train, difficult travel conditions for the past few weekends, and lack of blackout dates on the non-gold passes. But as long as we're ranting here, I'm getting a little tired of folks in X5s doing 55 mph in the fast lane. Channeling my best John Pinette here, but GET OUTTA THE LINE!