Bring It On

The last storm left 3 feet on the walkway and almost 4 feet in the yard where it is shaded and wind-sheltered and the snow doesn't sink down so fast.

As this gets posted on Sunday morning, we'll be in the middle of what could be the biggest snow so far in the season. 3 more feet or so? One weather report said it was within the realm of possibility that we get 5 feet above 7000 feet (which is usually what we get at our house).

Hard to shovel but fun to play in. And so very pretty.

Here's hoping the Earth mother keeps it up.

Ski Areas Open?! Yes!

 Current news is that Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood are opening early. As always, check the websites before you go. In this new world, you have to purchase your tickets online and in advance. You can't just show up and expect to ski. But the new advance purchase means fewer crowds, so it's a good thing.

https://www.skiheavenly.com/

https://www.northstarcalifornia.com/

https://www.kirkwood.com/

Martin Hollay - Still Skiing At 101!

 The Tahoe Tribune did a story on South Tahoe local Martin Hollay who received yet more honors at Palisades Tahoe Resort. See the story at the Tahoe Daily Tribune, link below.

Photo from the Tahoe Tribune

https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/south-tahoe-ski-legend-hollay-honored-at-ceremony/

At 101, Martin is still skiing, still smiling, still charming everyone he meets.

My wife and I first met Martin in 1990 at Heavenly Resort. He invited us to spend a day skiing with him. It was a blast. He gave us an "insider's" tour of the mountain, skirting around the boundary fences, heading down wonderful tree skiing where the public is not allowed to go. Several times, ski patrolers saw us. They just waved us through because we were with the #1 VIP on the mountain!

When we stopped for lunch, we met some of his friends from Hungary, where Martin was from. What a charming group! Martin pulled out his metal lunch box that he'd had from the time he was a boy, and he served us Hungarian food, crackers, cheese, sausage, and other treats.

We learned that Martin and his friends had left Hungary around the time of the Soviet invasion in 1956. The Hungarians had begun to resist Soviet rule, and the Soviets wanted to crush the uprising. Martin came to the United States and ended up in Tahoe, where he ran the Heavenly Ski Patrol for 25 years.

Martin also told us stories about competing in the Olympics. He knew everybody significant, including, of course, his younger friend Stein Eriksen.

Not long ago, I had the honor of doing a book signing with Martin at the Lake Tahoe Museum in South Lake Tahoe. I had my most recent book and Martin had his: I Was So Lucky: The Life Of Martin Hollay.

We had a great afternoon together, and he told me amazing stories. One I'll never forget was when I asked him about his current skiing.

He said, "Oh, yes. You know the Top of the Tram at Heavenly and the Roundabout Run that goes down from there?"

"Of course," I said.

"I still ski Roundabout every morning."

"Wow, that's great," I said, impressed that a man in his mid-nineties was still skiing down 1,700 vertical feet every day. I added, "I've always loved the views of the lake as you ski down."

He looked a little taken aback. "Oh, no, I don't ski down. I ski UP. On my cross-country skis. Then I ride the tram down." 

That was a revealing look into Martin's life. And it suggests one of the main reasons he is still so vital at 101 years of age.

My wife and I have done a fair amount of skiing in our lives. And some of that was on our back-country skis, climbing up a good distance and then skiing down. But I don't think we've ever climbed up more than a thousand vertical feet on our skis.

Martin does 1,700 feet every morning.

An amazing man.

Tahoe Ski Resorts Opening!

Palisades (the new name for Squaw Valley) and Boreal are both open as of yesterday!

South of Tahoe, Mammoth is open!

It is rumored that Mt. Rose will open in a week. Heavenly, Northstar and Sugar Bowl will be a couple of weeks after that.

All of the other resorts will likely be soon after, earlier than normal, thanks to the "atmospheric river" a week ago that dumped up to 3 feet on the mountains.

Have fun!

P.S. NOTE!!! BE CERTAIN TO CHECK THE WEBSITES OF ANY AREA YOU WANT TO VISIT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE OPEN AND TO GET YOUR RESERVATIONS!!

Don't Despair, Ski Resorts Are Open As Late As May

 

Here ski resort closing dates as reported in several places. The list moves roughly from the South Shore to the North Shore.

Kirkwood         April 11

Sierra                April 11

Heavenly          April 18

Homewood       May 5          

Diamond Peak  April 11

Northstar           April 18

Mt. Rose           May 5

Squaw-Alpine   May 1

Sugar Bowl       April 25

Tahoe Donner   April 4

Donner Ski Ranch April 1

Soda Springs      April 18

Boreal               April 11

As always, check before you go. Make sure the resort is still open, and make sure you have reservations if they are required.

Enjoy!!!

 

Only 5 - 8 Feet Of Snow, And You Can't Get Here From Anywhere

 In the winter of '92 - '93, Tahoe set several snow records. One memorable event, after a particularly big storm, was when one of Tahoe's radio stations broadcast phone calls to ski resorts asking about how much snow the resorts had received. The calls to both Diamond Peak and Kirkwood were notable. Both said - in essence - "The good news is that we've got eight feet of new snow. The bad news is that you can't get here from anywhere!"

The recent storm buried Tahoe. While Kirkwood  (to the south) only got 5 feet, the Interstate 80 areas (to the north) got up to 8 feet.

Snow removal is better now than in the early '90s. However, the highways in and out of the Tahoe Basin were closed, and, for a time, you couldn't get here from anywhere!

Enjoy!

P.S. The resorts are following new pandemic rules, which require RESERVATIONS. So don't just drive to Tahoe and expect to ski. Do your research and get your reservation first.

Some Ski Resorts Already Open!

We've already had some great snow in Tahoe, and reports are coming in on opening dates. 

Photo from Northstar's website.

Please note, before you get too excited, there are some significant changes this year due to the pandemic.

*Some areas are currently only open to Pass Holders.

*Some areas are requiring quick Covid tests.

*Some areas require you to use their new reservation systems. (Yes, it's a bit confusing!)

Please Google each area you're interested in and go to their website for details.

As if this writing, here are current opening dates:

Heavenly - OPEN

Northstar - OPEN

Mount Rose - OPEN

Donner Ski Ranch - OPEN

Boreal - Opening Nov 23

Squaw - Opening Nov 25

Alpine Meadows - Opening Nov 25

Kirkwood - Opening Dec 4

Diamond Peak - Opening Dec 10

Homewood - Opening Dec 11

Sierra At Tahoe - Opening to be announced

Sugar Bowl - Opening to be announced

Snow Making Begins

With the nighttime temps dropping below freezing at the lake, it is often much colder at 8000 or 9000 or 10,000 feet. And the November sun is now low in the sky even at noon. So there is little of the sun's heat that reaches northeast-facing slopes. That means that the snow-making machines are being turned on in select parts of the ski resorts. 

As temps, and the sun, drop even further, more of the mountains will be covered in snow. Add in a storm or three and Tahoe skiing will be ready by opening day, which is traditionally Thanksgiving weekend. Just 4 weeks away!

Here's a pic off Heavenly's website. This will rev up your winter-play anticipation!

Skiers And Boarders, An Avalanche Dog May Save Your LIfe

In the old days, if you were at a ski resort and got caught up in an avalanche and buried, you could well have been out of luck.

Even if someone witnesses the slide and reports it, this photo shows what ski patrollers see when they look up at an avalanche slide: A big, long pile of disturbed snow with no indication of where you might be buried.

Avalanche Slide - Is someone under that snow?

In the old days, the ski patrollers would line up across the slope and all march up while they poked poles into the snow in hopes of hitting a buried person before the person died, smothered by the snow. Unfortunately, the average person buried in an avalanche doesn't make it more than 20 minutes or so.

Today, however, every Tahoe resort has avalanche dogs on staff. If a patroller who has a trained dog sends it up the slope in the picture, the dog has an uncanny ability to find anyone buried by simply sniffing for the scent of humans.

If you're buried in an avalanche, hope this girl is nearby and given the command to find you!

A trained avalanche dog trots across the residue slide, searching for a scent. If they find it, they race to its source and start digging in the snow.

There is no machine, no imagining device, and no rescue technique that can do what a dog can do.

One more way that dogs are amazing.

Here is an article on the SFGate website about avalanche dog training. Avalanche Dogs

Ski Resorts Open, I'm Watching Harness Racing Horses Under Palm Trees

Some ski resorts are now open, and the rest open soon.

Mt. Rose, Alpine Meadows, and Squaw Valley are all open. Heavenly is due to open soon, and the rest won't be long. Yes, the territory is currently very limited. However, winter weather is supposed to hit us on Tuesday.

No snow where I am... I'm exhibiting books down at the Sacramento Harvest Festival at Cal Expo for my last major book launch event. It runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

What do I love about California? Well, among other things, the weather is spectacular.  It might be cold up in Tahoe, but before the Harvest Festival opens each morning, I walk over to the race track and watch the Harness Racers in training. With a backdrop of palm trees, they come around the track, trotting and pacing.

For those who are curious, when trotting, horses move their legs on the diagonal. Left front and right rear at the same time, then right front and left rear.

When pacing, horses move both right legs forward at the same time, then both left legs. I'm told that pacing is faster than trotting. (When I was young and had horses, they didn't pace, they only walked, trotted, cantered, and galloped.)

As always, regardless of gait, horses are gorgeous animals.

Check Out Summer Snow At Kirkwood!

We just drove out to Kirkwood, the base of which sits at 7800 feet. Talk about beautiful, summer back-country skiing. Round Top (10,400 feet) and The Sisters (slightly lower) are buried in snow. Caples Lake is still mostly frozen, and the runs at Kirkwood could be covered with skiers. Except the skiers are all thinking about summer stuff. But with this much snow, summer stuff should include skiing.

Round Top is on the left, The Sisters on the right.

In the middle of June, the runs at Kirkwood are still heavy with snow.

Summer Skiing At Squaw For $5

My wife and I once skied at Alpine Meadows in June. It was a wonderful combination of hot sun, great snow, and purple butterflies that filled the air all over the mountain.

Now you can enjoy June skiing for $5.

Really? $5 Skiing? Skiing in June?

Yes, it's true. Squaw Valley, which is planning to stay open until July 7th, is offering $5 Fridays in June.

There are a couple of catches. (Of course!) You have buy the ticket a couple of days in advance. You have to do it with a special app. And there are only 500 cheap tickets available for each Friday. (Otherwise, the ticket is still a cheap $39.)

Here's the link to $5 Fridays.

Will Tahoe Skiing Go Through April? Try JUNE.

When will resorts close this epic 2018-2019 ski season?

Nearly all of the Tahoe resorts plan to be open through next Sunday, April 21st. Some, like Mt. Rose and Donner Ski Ranch, will be open through April 28th.

But Heavenly has announced that they will be open every day through the 28th and, after that, they will be open weekends through Memorial Day.

And get this all you Colorado aficionados, Squaw plans to be open until JULY 7! Of course, they can't guarantee the weather will cooperate. But that shows how much snow they have.

Enjoy!

Skiers... Just How Much Snow Has Fallen?

Have we had epic snow yet this year?
No.
Is it looking very good for this early in the season?
Yes.
Are all the lifts and runs open?
No.
Will they be soon?
Yes.

Squaw Valley

A quick check shows that Squaw has a base depth of 37 inches.
That is more than Vail or Whistler Blackcomb or... Take your pick.

Maybe it's time to book your trip to Tahoe.

Big Storm, Big Resort Openings

What a great start to an early ski season! The mountains got up to 30 inches!

Current open areas include:

North Shore:
Boreal, Squaw/Alpine, Northstar, Soda Springs, and Mt. Rose

South Shore:
Heavenly, Kirkwood

Note that only portions of the areas have lifts currently running. But more snow is on the way, and the resorts will be fully open soon.

Have fun!

Skiing Is Here!

This last week, the ski areas have started making snow. I saw a bright white patch up near the top of Heavenly, and they opened Friday! The snow coverage may not be huge (Heavenly started with 15 acres), but it will be fun to get out on the boards.

Boreal and Donner Ski Ranch have opened.

Squaw/Alpine report a couple of runs open - I believe on the Squaw side.

Better yet, the forecast calls for a wet period beginning this coming Wednesday. And while wet can mean rain at lake level, that can translate into significant snow at higher elevations.

It appears that winter is about to arrive.

P.S. Before you make plans to drive up the mountain, double check the areas to see that they will be open.

Jackie, The Very Nice Ski Instructor

Last weekend, I exhibited my books at the Candy Dance Festival in Genoa, Nevada. It was, as usual, a mob scene.

One fun experience was when a charming woman with her two sons in tow came to my tent. She introduced herself as Jackie, and she explained that 28 years ago, she'd been a ski instructor at Heavenly.

The view from Heavenly

That was the year my wife and I moved to Tahoe. We wanted to take a break from the real world, so we decided to try the "ski bum" life for a season and got jobs at Heavenly. I worked as a "liftee" helping skiers as they rode the lifts. I asked the supervisor if I could be assigned to the "Mighty Might," a type of rope tow on the beginner hill where skiers grab onto "paddles" attached to the tow.

To give you some perspective, the total vertical drop at Heavenly is 3,600 feet. The total vertical drop of the Mighty Might hill was 10 feet. But you'd be amazed at the trouble (and fun!) beginning skiers can get into with just 10 feet of rise and drop.

The Mighty Might assignment was considered the lamest, most uncool job in the lift department. But I saw an opportunity to make it my own. I put up a blackboard and wrote down the names of countries that the beginning skiers came from. Dozens of countries every day, from all over the world! I put up fun quotes. And when I wasn't busy, I sat in the sun (or in the storms!) and wrote.

When ski instructor Jackie introduced herself in Genoa, she said how she still remembered me on the Mighty Might hill, writing every day on my yellow pad of paper. She was so glad to see that my writing had turned into something.

Then I suddenly remembered her from 28 years ago. And I recalled that my singular impression of Jackie was that she was the nicest, smiling-est instructor at Heavenly. And like me, she didn't consider working the Mighty Might as lame at all. She saw it as an opportunity to help brand new skiers get a great introduction to a fantastic sport in one of the world's most beautiful areas.

As my memory of her came back, I told her two sons about how nice and kind and generous Jackie was with her ski students.

They looked a bit doubtful.

Jackie said, "See boys? I CAN be nice. I HAVE been nice.

What fun!

Atmospheric Rivers Can Dump 10 Feet Of Snow During One Storm

As I write this, the National Weather Service has issued stern warnings for Tahoe and the surrounding area. They say an atmospheric river is going to take aim directly at Tahoe beginning early Sunday morning. If the weather people are correct, come Sunday we will be struggling with massive rainfall, 6 - 12 inches over the next 24 hours.

The snow levels are expected to be high, 8000 - 9000 feet, which, considering the amount of moisture involved, is good for those of us who live here. Why? Because if an inch of rain falls instead as snow, you can get up to a foot of snow. If all this moisture fell as snow, we'd get 6 - 12 FEET. Ask a Tahoe local, and you'll hear that we can handle 4 feet of snow at once. However, 12 feet would be a bit much.

But imagine all that snow up at 8000 or 9000 feet. Those higher elevations could be hit with a major dump of fresh pow. So, skiers and boarders, consider what it will be like at the top of Heavenly, Tahoe's highest area (Remember that both Kirkwood and Mt. Rose are almost as high). On both the California and Nevada sides of Heavenly, the highest chairlift bases are around 8500 feet. The Sky Chair on the California chair goes up to 10,000 feet. The Dipper and Comet chairs on the Nevada side go up almost as high. Mt. Rose rises to 9700 feet and Kirkwood tops out at 9800 feet.

While Tahoe's lower elevations are flooding with rain, our upper elevations will likely have epic snow.

P.S. Over the last week, most of the ski areas got 6 feet or more of snow. They're about to get a substantial addition in a short period of time. Stay tuned...

Late-Winter Magic

The most recent major snow got us away from the computer and painting easel, and we headed out for some springtime back-country skiing. (See last week's post.)

Combine Tahoe views with snow and you get OMG beautiful.

There are a thousand places in Tahoe where you can just head out the door of your vacation rental or SUV and head into the high country. Each hundred feet of elevation gained gets you deeper snow and grander views. (Always be aware of avalanche danger and stay off and away from steep slopes, especially those that face northeast.)

Nearly all of Tahoe is U.S. Forest Service land and open to the public. As long as you don't park where snow removal operations are in progress, your options are endless.

Strap on your boards or snowshoes and find a gradual path up through the forest.

As the sun lowers, and the clouds roll through the mountains, it's time to take a break, pull the cheese and beer out of your pack and take in the view. This view is looking at Heavenly Mountain. The highest hump, lit by the afternoon sun, is the top of Sky Chair at 10,000 feet.

And this view is of Mt. Tallac, 9735 feet, as the sun brushes the ridgeline leading to the summit. The bare slope in the foreground is where the Angora Fire swept through in 2007.

Several of the ski resorts, like Squaw, Alpine, and Kirkwood, will likely be open well into May and maybe even June. And there'll be high-altitude back-country skiing through most of the summer.

Come on up the mountains for spring! The tourist crowds are gone, and you'll have Tahoe mostly to yourself!

Which Is Better? Back-Country, Or Lift-Served?

Planning one last winter blast in the mountains? Then you have a decision to make. Do you want to thrill to the wonders of lift-served terrain? Or do you want to find your own place in the wilderness?

View Of Heavenly Mountain From The Back Country

View From Up On Heavenly Mountain

Here’s quick primer on which sport is better. Find the traits you like most, then check the appropriate sport, Back-Country Skiing and Boarding, or Lift-Served Skiing and Boarding:

Desires I Most Want Back-Country Lift-Served

 

Excitement Check Check

Greatest Rush Of Speed Check

Affordability Check

People Watching Check

Wildlife Watching Check

Gorgeous Views Check Check

Crowd Excitement Check

Exercise Check Check

Least Traffic Check

Solitude Check

Beer and Burgers 
on the Sun Deck Check

Most Vertical Feet 
Skied Per Day Check

Best Place To Meet 
People Like You   Check Check

Best Place To Take Your Dog Check

___________________

Total Checks 9 9


Winner Check Check