TAHOE: LAND OF THE SNOWFLAKES -- 17/18 STOKE

[powdork]

Did they have off piste open, or the early season closures? Curious, as the photos I saw of the Kw ridge line look nicely filled in.

Have fun out there folks and be careful. Still plenty of early season hazards.

Yeah. Kirkwood....
The ridge line is nicely filled in. And they could open the rest too (can't see the stream at 4 though)


while we enjoyed a hoppy beverage at the top we watched the bombs go off under the notch. then we heard them in the funnel area but there was noone on the ridge so we were a bit confused.


unfazed, we skied down








when we got to the bottom we looked up to see they were shooting sentinel bowl with the howitzer. we had lunched behind the trees on the ridgeline

[powdork]

Alright, checking in to this thread. Snow is officially in Tahoe and Squaw opens today. Already getting powder jitters...

janky films janky?

[Mokomahonah]

So... Mammoth got 6 feet up top. Might be worth the drive for those on the South / East side. Got my first taste of FOMO on Facebook this morning with some friends' pics from down that way.

What was open at Squaw? I heard they had to evacuate people on Gold Coast yesterday.

They were only running gold coast, but let you hike mainline and the Siberia reidgeline.

[TahoeJ]

janky films janky?

No.

My friend Ricardo - he's been using that screen-name elsewhere for a long time and that was the first thing I asked too.

Kids' race teams starting after turkey day or not until Dec 1st?

[gimpy]

Instabase out on south side of the pass but the soft powder is all depo'd in the gullies n folds. Bombs from kwood sounded right next door with the thin snowpack. No tears were shed putting bikes away for winter. Woot!

[Wobby]

Quick TR from yesterday.

Great snow. Seriously from game off to game on overnight. Thick Base, like the mountains had been stucco'd.
Found good coverage to about 8000' Feet in the Rose Zone. Good pow on top, although wind affected. Lots of people out. Proletariat and Hourglass got tracked out quickly, despite the avalanche on Thursday.

As far as the instability/faceted layer:
We dug a pit on sheltered, N facing aspect at about 9000'. Had about 100 cm of snowpack, mostly consisting of incredibly thick and well bonded storm snow. The faceted layer was present at the bottom, but did not appear to be too much of an issue. The facets were wet and fairly consolidated, they also appeared pretty compacted. I would still be careful on high elevation/north facing steep aspects, but we didn't judge the snowpack to be very dangerous. Apart from the slide on Hourglass, no other signs of potential instability were observed.

Pics

Hourglass and slide


The goods


Beefcake is stoked on the return of winter


plastered slopes


Hope anyone out there today is having fun and staying safe!

[gnarbro365]

Short term weather forecast is quite boring, so, as usual, I am living in fantasy land. Euro keeps us drier than a popcorn fart, but the GFS shows some precip rolling through. So far this year it seems like the GFS picks up on precip early, and the Euro verifies ~7 days out. Cross your fingers...




Turx, if I see ya'll again, I'll be sure to ask for some change.

[powdrhound]

The Animal House is now:



And we now Officially have Reuter Bowl:

[Ottime]

I wonder how that is all posted. There are a few cliff bands there, shown on the map, that could get some folks in trouble. I wonder if all that shit has postings like a typical inbounds area, or if it just a new trail map. Another reason to say fuck vail.

[bodywhomper]

Kirkwood. Wow

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[gone2alpine]

I wonder how that is all posted. There are a few cliff bands there, shown on the map, that could get some folks in trouble. I wonder if all that shit has postings like a typical inbounds area, or if it just a new trail map. Another reason to say fuck vail.

Not any different that Squaw relabelling various parts of Alpine's High Traverse as the "Pacific Crest Bowls"...then selling it as friendly intermediate terrain.

[TahoeBC]

The old crumdgion at the end of Danberg must be thrilled

[Ottime]

The old crumdgion at the end of Danberg must be thrilled

I actually bet he is happy. His arguments was always that that land behind the houses was part of the resort, and there fore one could not skin up it. At least that was one line of thought he had. This gives him a reason for other not to use that lot as a trail head.

The things that seem crazy about this
1) It is about a mile of ridge hiking to get to that zone, so it is way out there.
2) Thick forest obscures views from the valley so you can not see skiers or hazards from below.
3) That zone adds several hundreds of acres to be patrolled and swept at the end of each day even though only a few will venture out that far regularly
4) They can now "close" that terrain to those of us who may prefer being in the side country. But now if you skin up into it, you will be skiing into closed terrain.

Seems like a huge liability for Vail, without much benefit. It is not like anyone can expect a new lift. Vail has done nothing to improve any of the other lifts. So the resources used to get that area fully avi controlled and patrolled seem huge compared to the numbers who will use the space.

It also makes me wonder if KW's advertised 2300 acres includes this stretch (it is included in the FS agreement) or if this pushes us toward 2600 acre. I bet it is the former, as KW's advertised 2000 feet includes the TC parking lots and the very top of Thimble peak and still comes up three feet short.

And.... I was alway told that Rueter Bowl is that different aspect off Martins. More easterly. Not that I'm confident in my info, but the area just under Martins I though was Avalanche Bowl, and further looker right would be Notch Rock and Back 40. Looks like the Spur is still OB thank good. Can you imagine the mayhem. And seeing KW typically tosses a few charges into the sidecountry, I wonder if they will control the roll in to the Spur.

fucking vail.

[4matic]

Vail has done nothing to improve any of the other lifts.

I've almost forgotten about lifts breaking down and utility power is in. They fixed 6 last year quickly when it was damaged and 10 also needed emergency repair. Grooming to accomodate snowboarders on the Sentinel traverse has been excellent too.

Wasn't there a lift to Reuter Bowl in the master plan?

[TahoeJ]

3) That zone adds several hundreds of acres to be patrolled and swept at the end of each day even though only a few will venture out that far regularly
4) They can now "close" that terrain to those of us who may prefer being in the side country. But now if you skin up into it, you will be skiing into closed terrain.

Didn't they already do control work all the way out to the spur anyway?

But yeah, patrol can't be thrilled about having to sweep all of that every day, which also means they will probably close access by 2pm or so.

[Ottime]

They ran the ridge out to the spur but didn't do anything with any roll overs lower down. It is not controlled as is inbounds terrain. They would likely need to do ridge line and several vertical routes. And they only do that now well after controlling the rest of the mountain. It's not like Vail has increased the size of the patrol team. I guess when Vail is competing with KSL it will be good to have a part of the mountain that does not open for weeks. But at least Silverado has fucking chair access.

[Ottime]

I've almost forgotten about lifts breaking down and utility power is in. They fixed 6 last year quickly when it was damaged and 10 also needed emergency repair. Grooming to accomodate snowboarders on the Sentinel traverse has been excellent too.

Wasn't there a lift to Reuter Bowl in the master plan?

Homeowners connected to the grid. Not Vail. Don't believe the marketing. And I didn't mind an occasional diesel fire when my pass was cheap, the vibe fun and the bs was low. KW never had a rent a cop pay me down in front of my son for the crime of skiing with a backpack.

Not actually in the master plan. They made a master plan, went through EPA process, and got approval. Then, in Cohen drew two more lifts. A mid mountain lift up Lightning and a Martins Point lift from the top of 9. Can't really call these part of the plan, as they are literally no more than lines drawn on paper. No planning, no work on or approvals. VR would need to go through a lot of work to build it, and they really have not shown interest in real improvements. Lifts still break down. Shuttles break down. But they did give us the ice cube bar. No, this is just a marketing expansion without service.

And man, how many people are going to ducking hate life on that return. Of course that map could be wrong and only go far as the cat road. That is likely it. Return won't be as bad, a little less terrain to patrol. But not if it goes to the Spur Rock as drawn. In fact, traversing along that boundary line looks not realistic. A list of aspect and mountain to wrap around.

[SchralphMacchio]

WOW. That map shows the top of Dangberg literally coming up to the resort boundary.

I actually bet he is happy. His arguments was always that that land behind the houses was part of the resort, and there fore one could not skin up it. At least that was one line of thought he had. This gives him a reason for other not to use that lot as a trail head.

Here's the uphill access policy:
https://www.kirkwood.com/the-mountai...ty.aspx?tc_1=7

I don't think the neighborhood people will be happy. Some people may still claim they are using that area for resort egress, not ingress.
And as long as ingress is performed prior to resort operations (7 AM) and coordinated with dispatch around AC work, you still have a valid argument to be able to use that area especially if you rent or own property within the neighborhood association (e.g., "paying into the plowing costs for the pullouts").

They ran the ridge out to the spur but didn't do anything with any roll overs lower down. It is not controlled as is inbounds terrain. They would likely need to do ridge line and several vertical routes.

Yeah, this is also interesting because there are a number of micro-zones and traps similar to lower cirque area ..

Also, really curious to see how they mark the ski area boundary for the return route? Pretty easy to miss the return track and end up in the neighborhood or right off the highway!

My guess? KW could easily keep this area "closed for Avalanche Hazard" pretty much most days except for 3-4 days after a storm or when we go into high pressure and stable snow periods ... Just so they don't have to actively control and patrol it, and it would give them license to restrict public access during those periods.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

The view this morning from my window sill looks cloudy and socked in over Rose. A quick check of their web cam confirms that.

Today is feeling like a good day to ride the couch and let the legs recover from very fun weekend of skiing.

Rose was reporting a storm total of up to 40" of new snow on Friday and the whole mountain slated to open on Saturday. With that in mind and Falcons team training starting at 9:00 a.m., my boy and I were out the door by 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Goal was to beat the traffic and avoid getting stuck behind an accident on MRH. Roads were clear and traffic was light and we sailed into the Main lodge side with no worries and parked right up front. Both Zephyr and Northwest were scheduled to open at 9:00 a.m. When I saw a group of boarders in line at 8:00 a.m. for Northwest I told my kid "See you at noon" and was out the door. Slid into line with five boarders and added one skier. FIRST CHAIR and I "only" had to wait an hour. Didn't know what to expect snow quality wise, rain crust, mank, breakable were all possible scenarios. By the time Northwest popped exactly on time a decent line had formed behind us. Got to the top of Northwest before Zephyr was unloading and skated hard for "Hollywood bowl". Both the snow quality and coverage exceeded my expectations. 6" to maybe 8" of light dry pow on top over a thick base layer that felt deeper than in was. Turned into one of the best opening days I've had in a long time. Took a few iphone pics.


First chair on Northwest's first day! As Quinner would say, "Let's get fired up!"


View up the chair line of Zephyr after my first run. Coverage was amazing for this time of year.


Looking towards Gold run. Was untouched on my first run through there. Held back on my first couple turns, not knowing what coverage and how good the snow was. After three or four turns felt comfortable to open it up. I don't think I hit a single thing all day, and most of it was spent off piste. Just checked the bases on my skis. No damage, not even a scratch.


Looking back down the chair line towards the slide parking lot. Note in all three pictures the lack of people. I thought it would be a total zoo, and the expected hordes never really materialized.

I got in probably seven quality pow runs before things started to get tracked out. Legs were feeling it by 11:00 so I took an early lunch. Met my kid at noon for his break and he wanted to keep skiing and ate most of his lunch on the chair. I skied the rest of the day and when my kid finished at three we stayed out til last chair. Due to low sun angle in the sky this time of year, the slide side get really cold from 2:30 on. I should have kept that extra layer on.

We went back out on Sunday. Light got flat in the afternoon and snow a bit firmer in spots but still fun. Overall it was a stellar weekend of skiing. Everything just fell into place as the snow quality, coverage and crowd conditions way better than I had planned on. Super stoked on that and hanging out with my now teenage son. See you guys out there and ski safe.

Also just an FYI, my Mammoth bro sent me a text Sunday evening and said the "Wind buff was going off" down there for the last two days.

[ShakeMeUp]

Fun little weekend of touring, got out Friday morning and yesterday mid-day. Pleasant turns during both sessions without a single rock whack. Every user group was all smiles. Looks like it's currently raining to the top, so we'll see what the future holds...

[sruffian]

Turned into one of the best opening days I've had in a long time.

Word. Had a shit eating grin on my face on the slide side for a few hours. Still getting freshies off of northwest after noon. Only skis I had mounted with alpine binders sat morning were 190 bibby's - turned out to be the ideal choice for a NOVEMBER opening day where everything was open, top to bottom, slide side to rose side

[old goat]

I actually bet he is happy. His arguments was always that that land behind the houses was part of the resort, and there fore one could not skin up it. At least that was one line of thought he had. This gives him a reason for other not to use that lot as a trail head.

The things that seem crazy about this
1) It is about a mile of ridge hiking to get to that zone, so it is way out there.
2) Thick forest obscures views from the valley so you can not see skiers or hazards from below.
3) That zone adds several hundreds of acres to be patrolled and swept at the end of each day even though only a few will venture out that far regularly
4) They can now "close" that terrain to those of us who may prefer being in the side country. But now if you skin up into it, you will be skiing into closed terrain.

Seems like a huge liability for Vail, without much benefit. It is not like anyone can expect a new lift. Vail has done nothing to improve any of the other lifts. So the resources used to get that area fully avi controlled and patrolled seem huge compared to the numbers who will use the space.

It also makes me wonder if KW's advertised 2300 acres includes this stretch (it is included in the FS agreement) or if this pushes us toward 2600 acre. I bet it is the former, as KW's advertised 2000 feet includes the TC parking lots and the very top of Thimble peak and still comes up three feet short.

And.... I was alway told that Rueter Bowl is that different aspect off Martins. More easterly. Not that I'm confident in my info, but the area just under Martins I though was Avalanche Bowl, and further looker right would be Notch Rock and Back 40. Looks like the Spur is still OB thank good. Can you imagine the mayhem. And seeing KW typically tosses a few charges into the sidecountry, I wonder if they will control the roll in to the Spur.

fucking vail.

I haven't skied Kirkwood in a long time, so forgive me if I don't understand correctly, but the hike over to Reuters looks to be similar to the hike out toBeaver, Estelle and Bernies at Alpine, with the same lack of visibility from the base and the same snow safety issues. That terrain usually opens in the afternoon of the first clear day after a storm and stays open unless it gets frozen too hard to be safe. Also, sometimes patrol has to hand cut the traverse along the windswept east side of the ridge which can get very firm (see below). When open those bowls stay open until closing.

And now this http://www.sierrasun.com/news/snowsp...misses-report/
The guy whose daughter was killed at AM trying to retrieve the snowboard she dropped into the Granite Chief Wilderness trying to hike to Beaver has appointed himself an expert on ski resort safety and finds all resorts in Norcal lacking. He has no experience in the ski industry or any other qualification that I can deduce. Kirkwood for some reason rates higher than the others. The article doesn't say what criteria he used.

[skier666]

The new KW map is deceiving as a first timer may look at it and seem like they could traverse pretty easily from Chair 6...but it almost completely uphill to Martin Point. From Martin Point with a little bit of traversing you can pretty much get up onto the Spur Ridge. However, its different than Estelle bowl at AM in that you can easily get back to the base, whereas Reuter Bowl isn't very steep and would be a long slog back to Chair 9...that is unless they somehow put in a cat-track back to Timber Creek.

[mcski]

Is that the girl that went missing and found in a tree well or something to that effect or is this another case. The one I'm thinking of went missing during some bad weather and i kind of recall ducking a closed sign being part of the accident.

[bodywhomper]

The speculation about Kirkwood ops is fun. I bet they keep it closed most of the time.

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