The Official 19/20 Tahoe Ski Snowboard Thread. Plus bonus Bootfitting Recs!

[heckacali]

So who is slaying the 'roo today???

[gone2alpine]

Slayed. 10 laps of snowcone. Crowds diminished by 9:15 as many arrived for the free mug and beanie.

[old goat]

Slayed. 10 laps of snowcone. Crowds diminished by 9:15 as many arrived for the free mug and beanie.

Belongs in Trip Reports jong. ( I admire your dedication to do 10 laps.)

[hercule33]

Slayed. 10 laps of snowcone. Crowds diminished by 9:15 as many arrived for the free mug and beanie.

That’s some impressive snowmaking. Kudos for Alpine opening, not just Squaw.

[heckacali]

Noice. I'll be there with the kids tomorrow. It's impressive they got that landing strip of snow to hold with the warm days and inversions at night.

[powdork]

the inversions are likely what made it possible. doubt they could have gone higher than kangaroo.

[Mokomahonah]

Patroll said they are working on getting the new lift open to mid station. Similar aspect and whatnot to the roo.
Snow guns still firing this am @squaw. Not close but not too far from having rad dog and hotel run going.

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[bodywhomper]

Slayed. 10 laps of snowcone. Crowds diminished by 9:15 as many arrived for the free mug and beanie.

Looks perfect for ski ballet

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[dookeyXXX]

Rallied to ride The 'Roo this morning with G2A only to arrive at AM and find that Skynet had hijacked the lift. It served to remind me that the Robot Apocalypse starts small with things like chairlifts, cars, and cellphones and that we meat puppets need to stay alert and ever vigilant...
Hung around until 9:40 and then bailed as the word was "it could take a few hours." Quite a few folks were hiking to the top. I am not sure if that was dedication or stupidity...
Since Squaw was on the way home I swung by and found Vets shredding the bunny hill. I joined him and banged out a full Tufnel and called it a day.
Snow was typical man-made and the crowds weren't terribly bad (me'n Vets basically skied onto the lift until 11, which was when we quit and the AM crowds started to show up).

Of the 2 Tahoe WRODs I have skied thus far--Rose and SV--Rose is the winner in that they manage to spread people out better. Also boarders at SV need to learn to strap in away from the off loading area (boarders at Rose were never parked in front of the lift and should be applauded for their superior spatial awareness)..

[AKbruin]

^^^I had a similar experience with my kid this morning. Unless Squaw is terrifically convenient, it's current offering probably isn't worth it.

I scheduled some snowblower maintenance for the last two weeks of this month. I live close to 7,600'. If that's not an invitation to Ullr, I don't know what is. You're maybe welcome.

[gone2alpine]

Belongs in Trip Reports jong. ( I admire your dedication to do 10 laps.)

This thread is two months old and someone finally gets jonged. Good times.

[davjr96]

Hung around until 9:40 and then bailed as the word was "it could take a few hours." Quite a few folks were hiking to the top. I am not sure if that was dedication or stupidity...

I started hiking up thinking I was dedicated. I finished realizing I was stupid.

[powdork]

^^^I had a similar experience with my kid this morning. Unless Squaw is terrifically convenient, it's current offering probably isn't worth it.

I scheduled some snowblower maintenance for the last two weeks of this month. I live close to 7,600'. If that's not an invitation to Ullr, I don't know what is. You're maybe welcome.

I've got one you can borrow in case of a huge dump.
Doesn't work though

[skier666]

Snow tires ordered...so more high pressure in order, sorry.

[dookeyXXX]

I have now ridden all 3 of the WRODs currently operating in Tahoe (I am not counting Boreal, since you have to purchase a Woodward Pass and then hike to ski/ride).

In terms of rating them for worthiness:

1. Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
While they only have the Wizard open, they are only charging $20 for non-passholders ($15 if you re-up the first ticket you buy online). The terrain is not steep by any stretch of the imagination, but they have options. The main trail splits off a number of times so you can do at least 8 "different" runs if you mix up which way you go. This also helps to spread out the skiers and riders so everybody isn't on the same "run" perse.

2. Alpine Meadows
They only have the Kangaroo Chair spinning and the one run, which is about 2-to-3 cat tracks wide. They have the steepest pitch of the three WRODs, for sure, but there is only one way down. Plus you have to contend with the race teams from AM and Squaw on the weekends (they cut the hell out of the skier's left and middle of the run today). While there is only one way down, if you kept to the left or right margins you could be assured of a reasonably safe and decent run. Downside to only having one way down is that you are fighting for a line with race kids and total beginners who are falling all over the place. Plus the snow got way more cut up and wonky than Rose.
Added bonus: I believe the 'Roo will be open 7 days a week, as opposed to Rose's 3-day weekend schedule.

3. Squaw
They only have the super beginner area open. And while the pitch here is steeper than most of what is open at Rose, again, there is only 1 way down. Also, due to limited space most of the snowboarders tend to stop right after they get off the lift and strap in, thus creating an unsafe obstacle course for skiers to navigate once they get off the chair. The run is super short, too. When me'n Vets skied it on Saturday 11 turns was the norm, so it is basically lift-served patch skiing. But if you are a never-ever or real novice, this is the place to go to learn/hone those skills as they have a carpet running on the lower half of the run.
On Sat they were testing out the tubing, too, so that might be an option for non-skiers/riders in the near future.
Oh, and they are open 7 days a week (as opposed to Rose's 3-days).

So, is it worth it to drive from The Bay Area or even Sacramento to get your turns in? Probably not. But if you are a local, I'd give the thumbs up to Rose for diversity and AM for pitch.

All of that said, quite honestly, hiking to Basin Peak might be the best option of all: no lift lines, no gapers, and a set of patches that is equal to what these 3 resorts have open at the moment.

[wolfy]

dookey- sounds pretty good, for still being fire season...

[~mikey b]

wolfy sighting!

[gone2alpine]

The main Kangaroo run is probably closer to 4 or 5 cats wide Dooks. Today the middle 3 were machine tilled just before opening and that was probably a mistake. Friday was much better without the tilling with a similar crowd. It's cool that they are keeping things going even midweek but me wonders if I would rather have those midweek days in May when the mountain has more terrain open. That said, I'll probably be out there every day this week except Friday.

[wolfy]

hey Mikey-
yep- still between the fenceposts- last year, early season- a lot of "local" patrols couldn't get up to full manning 'cause of shot crews being committed in North and South zones. pray for rain then snow.

[~mikey b]

I’ll be up your way in a few weeks

[TahoeJ]

Is it worth it from the Bay Area? Lol... I’m in Truckee right now and I’m not going to bother. Let’s just hope that storm around / after Thanksgiving comes through.

[SailCat]

https://youtu.be/R7GBlPgnh0g
How skiing has changed - and remains the same
Some old family movies that my dad and uncle took 1936 - 1950
not very exciting, but there isn't any real snow yet...

[kidwoo]

https://youtu.be/R7GBlPgnh0g
How skiing has changed - and remains the same
Some old family movies that my dad and uncle took 1936 - 1950
not very exciting, but there isn't any real snow yet...

Definitely the coolest thing posted in this thread.

Thanks!

[skier666]

So incredibly awesome...The Slot and Headwall was buried in 1950!

Snow and sun, the quintessential Californian ski vibe.

[mcski]

That’s freaking rad to have that old footage. And they could ski those giant boards too; those jumps were big. I’ll watch some more when I’m on a real screen, but great post