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Because we measure storms in feet, not inches. This latest storm dumped another 5 feet in the mountains, and it's now GAME ON for the ski resorts. This latest storm came in a bit wetter than the last one, building a base and covering a lot of the rocks and other obstacles. Note that there are still a few lurking about, as we found on Heavenly's Face run yesterday, so you still need to be aware of things under the surface.
It's been a few years since we've seen this much snow this early in the season, and my legs are definitely not yet in shape. After 3 consecutive days of skiing powder, I'm walking a bit stiffly.
But it is SO worth it!
Whether it's truly El Nino or just snow dances paying off in spades, Lake Tahoe got hit hard by a snowstorm yesterday and today. It's a much needed boost, both in terms of the snow pack and general attitude, for it's a lot easier to get excited about winter and ski season when things are actually covered in snow.
Despite all the giddiness about powder snow, I didn't ski at the resorts today. Yes, there is 3 feet of new snow at the higher elevations, but there was a lot of bare dirt (and rocks) at the ski resorts before this storm, so I'd rather wait until there's a better payoff. And lower risk of hitting a rock and hurting my already decrepit self.
Instead, the dog and I explored our meadow, which just a few days ago was bare dirt in many places. I spent an hour breaking trail in light and pristine shin deep snow, then enjoyed the fruits of my labors and skied back on said track.
Heck, I was so blissed out by the new snow that I didn't even say anything rude to the lazy-ass chick who was walking in my ski track. Talk about her lucky day.
Early winter at Lake Tahoe tends to result in recreational limbo. There’s not enough snow to ski beyond the few resort groomers, and there’s too much snow on the trails to mountain bike or hike.
So low-expectation explorations are required if one doesn't want to head to lower elevations for snow-free trails. On Sunday we headed out to Carson Pass, near Kirkwood, for some low-angle touring with the dog. We knew it would be rocky, but were a bit surprised by just how many were still visible. After negotiating the approach to Winnemucca Lake (usually much easier in deeper snow pack), we decided to attempt skinning up towards the saddle next to Round Top. Conditions were bare enough for us to quickly recognize the folly of that goal. So after a few hundred feet of up, we headed down. It was a nasty, brutish descent, with wind affected snow that didn’t do much to hide the rocks lurking underneath, and some ugly survival skill like turns on my part.
But it was a glorious day to be out, and it was nice to feel the rhythm of skinning again, even if it was mostly cross-country.
Because my life isn't full enough with work, teaching, playing and my feeble attempt at finding balance, I've started writing about telemark and backcountry skiing in the Lake Tahoe region for Examiner.com.
Check it out - and don't worry, I'll still be ranting about stupidity and posting photos of my latest culinary disaster here.
Ski season has finally started at Lake Tahoe, with the openings of Mt. Rose, Heavenly, Northstar-at-Tahoe and Squaw Valley this week. N and I actually had plans to head to Mammoth (which has been open since October), but his asymptomatic manflu reared up again, leaving him with no desire to move, much less drive 2+ hours to ski - especially after a snowstorm left the roads a bit messy, and the mountains with upwards of 6 inches of new snow.
The weeks before ski season always leave me in an uncomfortable state of limbo. The days are too short - and cold - for any long mountain bike rides, and hiking requires more layers and planning. Add to that a stupid injury (mine), the start of a bad cold (N) and unusual arctic temps, and we realized our options were limited this weekend. In the end we headed to Fallen Leaf Lake, an area neither of us had been to recently.
While cynics may claim this is but a dusting, last night's storm brought a few inches of snow to our house at lake level, and the resorts are reporting up to 6 inches.
While the phrase 'El Nino' has been used a lot when referring to this upcoming winter, I've remained cautiously pragmatic. Color me skeptical, but I know how fickle Mother Nature can be, so I like to err on the side of caution.
Last weekend we attended the local roller derby team's first home bout. It was a great opportunity for me to see the rules of play in action, since I had seen and read about the game, but not seen it live. Before the bout began the announcer and teams ran through a demo 'jam' to show spectators what the game is about. I got it on film, with my shaky camera hand and all. A better video is the one that was put together by a local website, Tahoeticker. They had music and interviewed Sister Slayer, the president of the team. It's a good group of women who have really welcomed this (tattoo-less) noob, and I'm looking forward to actually playing a bout sometime soon.
This week is national bike to work week, an event that's feted in the Tahoe region with locally sponsored giveaways and freebies for cyclists. What this means is that for one week there are a lot more people riding their bikes, and many of them are as clueless on two wheels as they are on four wheels.
Suffice to say even with heightened caution and observation I'm still seeing extraordinary examples of stupidity. Like the group yesterday who were riding 4 abreast on a road, ignoring the fact that they were blocking cars and other cyclists from passing. Who then yelled at me when I passed them.
Or the guy riding against traffic (without a helmet, as apparently he had no brain) who nearly hit me, despite the fact that it was a straight road.
So it goes without saying that I'm really looking forward to *next* week when all these folks return to driving their cars again, leaving the bike lanes free once again. That peace of mind is well worth paying for my coffee.
