The day began with a 30 plus mile an hour breeze at the top of Summit Chair. It was a cold wind, but cold weather keeps the snow surface in better condition for a longer period of time. Sunshine blasted the slopes out of a beautiful blue sky and began warming up cold fingers as the morning progressed. Another good size crowd showed up to take advantage of winter snow conditions. Skiers and those boarding seem to fill up groomed runs to capacity in the morning hours, and today was no different. The surface below the new snow we received earlier in the week is firm. In certain areas of the mountain you will hear and feel a scratchy surface where other skiers have turned and piled the new snow to one side or another. I listened to skiers coming down Scott Chute this morning. It was loud and obviously firm especially on the skiers right side of the chute.
Scratchy Bumps in Scott Chute
So much for the good skiing “Inbounds”. Other than a few turns in the bowls accessed by the High Traverse I have not ventured far from the main ski runs this season. Today I finally left the boundary line in search of some untracked powder. We were not the first to leave skier packed slopes in search of powder. We did find nirvana in one of my favorite, somewhat, hidden slopes. We were not the first to make tracks in this beautiful treed field, but we did find plenty of fresh light snow to fill our hearts with happiness.
Editor’s note: This area is “out of bounds” terrain and requires the knowledge of how to ski the terrain without injury, and how to find your way out without ending up miles away from the resort. If you are injured or lost, ski patrol may not rescue you. Additionally, avalanche danger and other dangers usually mitigated by ski patrol are not happening out of bounds. It is not recommended for casual visitors.
If you are heading to Tahoe this weekend drive safely. There are lots of cars on the road. Luckily most roads are dry, but there are plenty of icy patches remaining. I would expect parking lots to fill quickly tomorrow which means leave early if you want a parking space close to the slopes.
Enjoy your day,
Andy
Did anyone give Gentian or Promised Land a try today? After giving Chute that Seldom Slides an unsatisfactory try, I decided against it. Never saw anyone go in or come out either. LMK
Not since Wednesday. New snow scraped to oblivion…
Our group did try Gentian before we went OoB, and it wasn’t bad…not as good as the last few days, but there was no one there at all, which was truly special!
I took the opposite approach to the day, skiing Summit until things got slick, then heading out to the sunny slopes of Sherwood and Scott in search of snow transitioning to corn. We are not there just yet. Sherwood offered transitional snow that was starting to clump. Maid Robin offered perfect little mini moguls with soft snow. By the 4th lap, it became a game to avoid the slick spots in the bumps. We later moved on to Scott, where Bobbys and Ridge are a bit farther along in the transition.
Scratchy underneath is an understatement. Thursday, I hit a solid ice patch atop the Saddle at PT, (a run otherwise perfectly groomed), spun 180 degrees, fell over backward, slid 100 yards down the hill on my back, and when I finally managed to stop, realized I’d popped my ACL. Season over. Be careful out there.