OFFICIAL TAHOE 18/19 STOKE, CONDITIONS, WEATHER THREAD

**duffski** · 12-14-2018, 11:07 AM

Sorry to hear that we lost one of the greatest surgeons and an all around fantastic person here at Lake Tahoe.
https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/ne...tephen-bannar/
This might deserve its own post here in the ski forums since I am sure he has fixed up many people from all over the world. He fixed my badly broken thumb a couple years ago and I am grateful for that. RIP Dr. Stephen Bannar

**Banh Mi** · 12-14-2018, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by TahoeJ

How is the off piste / BC right now? Any aspects left with decent snow? Haven't been there since the end of November.

I'll be solo at Squawlpine tomorrow if anyone is around.

I might go out tommorow. I snapped my neck up a little, and am on flexoril, so will be taking it a bit easier.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**gimpy** · 12-14-2018, 12:08 PM

Awwww......fuk! Dr banner was pretty much the man here in the slt ortho world. He was my aftercare dr after my ankle snap and always came across as a solid human and funny personable dude in contrast to many of the personalities I’ve run across in the local medical community. Drs in Vegas told me my athletic life was pretty much over. As soon as I got back to Tahoe, Banner was like “fuck that, motion is lotion” and helped me get back my old ways. He was quite the character at some local Xmas parties I’ve attended and his vibe will really be missed in the community+++++

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**2clue** · 12-14-2018, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by duffski

Sorry to hear that we lost one of the greatest surgeons and an all around fantastic person here at Lake Tahoe.
https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/ne...tephen-bannar/
This might deserve its own post here in the ski forums since I am sure he has fixed up many people from all over the world. He fixed my badly broken thumb a couple years ago and I am grateful for that. RIP Dr. Stephen Bannar

My condolences to his family, he put the thumb back on one of the guys I was working with back in 2011 after a table saw accident. Good guy and good surgeon.

**sruffian** · 12-14-2018, 01:17 PM

will be at kirkwood solo tomorrow. hit me up if you want to take a lap or two - or look for the guy w/ mismatched gloves and a giant mitt on his left hand over a wrist cast

**Paul Blart** · 12-14-2018, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by TahoeJ

How is the off piste / BC right now? Any aspects left with decent snow? Haven't been there since the end of November.

I'll be solo at Squawlpine tomorrow if anyone is around.

Anything true north facing is still really fun. Skied a primarily northeast line yesterday that had a minuscule but noticeable crust. Winds are pumping over here at alpine right now

**Huck Pitueee** · 12-14-2018, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by TahoeJ

Ha, funny you say that. I have 188 Anima Freebirds with Tectons as my touring pow ski.

Got a great sale price on them and highly stoked. Paired them with the Dynafit beast binding and thought they would be a safer binding but. They make a loud sound on each step and are very hard to change risers. Plus the heel riser is much lower then previous Daimar. Would not recommend
.

**optics** · 12-14-2018, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by Ottime

Mine is 7. He gets around. Likes Thunder Bowl. Skis comfortable off 6. Has skied 10 late on a powder day. Super happy on 4/5/7/11. He says he won’t ever again ride chair 1. He loves skiing with other kids. Enjoys the outdoors, walks in the beach and companionship.

Sorry, realized it started to sound like a a dating classified.

We are back up Dec 27- Jan 2, then some weekends mid winter. He tends to get out more come March and April (part of why I hate Vail closing down so early - he is a spring skier by schedule)

Cool. I'll track you down Feb/Mar.

Mine is on 5/7 all day, needs a buddy to chase to keep him progressing. Couldn't do Jets and he's always the top end of the group for the the weekend group lessons and ends up not getting pushed.

He'll be 4/6 ready by then, I think.

Also his eyes match his porsche.

**Skeeze** · 12-15-2018, 01:32 AM

Upper mountain was closed today at Squaw but north facing snow in the trees off KT was good, particularly if you traversed just past the Saddle. It wasn’t ultra consistent, but there was some good wind sift in the moguls lookers left of Oly Lady.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**Ottime** · 12-15-2018, 02:21 AM

Originally Posted by optics

Cool. I'll track you down Feb/Mar.

Mine is on 5/7 all day, needs a buddy to chase to keep him progressing. Couldn't do Jets and he's always the top end of the group for the the weekend group lessons and ends up not getting pushed.

He'll be 4/6 ready by then, I think.

Also his eyes match his porsche.

Those group classes are tough on the weekends.

Once he’s skiing 6/11, look into All Stars. It is out of EK. It’s three hours of skiing with no break. My kid has done it three times. Twice solo, and once with one other kid. He get much more out of it than any group class with more than two kids. We were lucky enough to get in a ten pack of lessons, mostly mid week, when he was four. A number of those classes he was stage only kid in class. His first time skiing 11 was on one of those solo days. When he got stuck in a big class, he was often the youngest and strongest skier. He got benched one day for telling the instructor he’d meet them at 7, and split off solo down the Ditch of Doom.

If your guy is skiing under chair 5, take him over to Buckboard off 11. It is not any steeps than the first pitch off 5, just more sustained. But it does flatten out.

Elevator Shaft off 4 is the same, just a longer pitch. And requires more stamina getting back there.

**optics** · 12-15-2018, 07:47 AM

Awesome- thanks for the tips.

**Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer** · 12-15-2018, 03:23 PM

While it will be a very long road to recovery, that’s an unbelievable outcome in that situation on Tallac. Vibes and wishing for the best outcome on the other end. Good job by the rescue team.

**Ottime** · 12-15-2018, 04:20 PM

KW skiing great today. Wind blown all over the place and low tide conditions making more books and crannies for the recycled pow to settle. Cool and breezy. A bit too breezy to lap 4 or thunder for the kiddo, but in pretty great winter condition.

**TahoeJ** · 12-15-2018, 04:24 PM

Lots of windblown chalk at Squawlpine. The difference in lines between Squaw and Alpine ceases to amaze me.

Nice making some turns with you Betelgeuse. I thought you might be a little slower after hearing that story with Skier666. ;-)

**powdork** · 12-15-2018, 05:39 PM

Good to see sierraskijournal post on instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sierraskijournal/?hl=en

**NorCalNomad** · 12-15-2018, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by TahoeJ

How is the off piste / BC right now? Any aspects left with decent snow? Haven't been there since the end of November.

I'll be solo at Squawlpine tomorrow if anyone is around.

Yeah N/NW trees that haven't been tracked out it about all that's fun. The wind and flux in temps has really taken it's toll on stuff. Did laps on Sunshine Bowl yesterday after getting bored with Red Dog laps due to the wind hold. Most of the hill was 10ft of stiff wind slab then 10ft of scoured ground, over and over again, sketch in lightweight gear. There were decently sized fields of wind deposit on those N/NW angles but not big enough to really want to do a bunch of laps.

Bummed I wasn't able to go ski last weekend and make more use of the bc.

It was a good day to rip around on groomers inbounds though today. Alpine palisades softened up in the midday/ afternoon to not be bad either.

**bonewrenched** · 12-15-2018, 07:45 PM

Hopefully the system Sunday night / Monday helps with that! I'm going to try and get out on Tuesday if possible.

**tnorts** · 12-16-2018, 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by Ottime

KW skiing great today. Wind blown all over the place and low tide conditions making more books and crannies for the recycled pow to settle. Cool and breezy. A bit too breezy to lap 4 or thunder for the kiddo, but in pretty great winter condition.

did the sun ever soften things up? Looking to lap chair 4 corn cycle but not sure if it will be worth it over heavenly.

**gimpy** · 12-16-2018, 02:19 PM

Sooooo if chair 4 is open, does that mean boundaries are as well?

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**Ottime** · 12-16-2018, 08:51 PM

The policy the last two seasons was if you could get to a boundary w/o crossing closed terrain, it was open.

Your guess is good as any on the actual day you head out. Seems like they change the policy fairly often.

Originally Posted by tnorts

did the sun ever soften things up? Looking to lap chair 4 corn cycle but not sure if it will be worth it over heavenly.

Nope. Never softened. But we were skiing recycled pow. Not sure why you’d want heat to fuck that up. No need for a sun softening.

Any run slightly gullies was great. Anything out of the sun was winter chalk.

Today was even better. Wind blown was all over the place.

Based on this thread, it sounds like Squaw sucks. Maybe it is the gully action and bowls catching wind blown or maybe my son and I were just stoked to be out and not jaded.

I don’t think 4 opened today. Was a bit breezy. It was still on hold, with Vail telling people it was going to open soon, when we left. But all the wind buff zones were in full play today. We were skiing too to bottom goodness, with only a little mini golfing.

OTOH, the full Vail crowd was out. Way more people than Saturday. People driving down the valley road at 40 mph as kids walk around. Dude called me a fucking moron for insisting he merge at the alternate sign, like everyone else. I’m feeling lucky I don’t live a life that I feel like I need to rush through everything just to make it to the end. Can’t wait for the stock market crash when Vail decides they no longer want this little piece of earth. The. Maybe we can get our soul back.

Did I mention how good the recycled pow was?

**jorion** · 12-16-2018, 08:58 PM

Kirkwood skied great today. Awesome deep wind buff on the top of monte wolf and even the parts of the mountain that weren’t buffed were fun chalk. Low angle sun is rad.

PB · 12-16-2018, 09:23 PM

It's been raining for over 7 hours in the valley an not a single flake has drifted down in the mountains - somebody's not doing their job.

**gimpy** · 12-16-2018, 10:05 PM

It looks like some k factor will b in play w this southerly flow. Everywhere else gonna need help
Took my first lift laps of year today at heave n it’s still fully in closed rope bust mode. At least kwood is still better bout that

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**skier666** · 12-16-2018, 11:10 PM

It was hammering rain in the foothills at 4pm all the way back to SF. If it can stay together, I'd imagine some nice totals in the AM.

Squaw was still fun this weekend. Good chalk on West Face, Oly Lady, GS bowl etc.