THE OFFICIAL 20/21 TAHOE SKI & SNOWBOARD THREAD. PANDEMIC SCHMANDEMIC!

[TurxSki]

Well good on KW for opening a lift with only half hour to go. Kinda not Vail. More of a Mammy move.

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[Ottime]

It makes sense in a navy control aspect. Get a tramped on some of it some that is easier t manage for tomorrow. Must of been a hella of a three runs.

[TahoeJ]

Couple of inbounds releases at Squaw today. Nothing major, but a good reminder that it's not a bad idea to be beeping at the resort on days like this.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKkcsB2Bpvt/

[mmmm...pow!]

If anyone is gonna base their go/no go decision on the difference between a high or extreme rating there's gonna be some problems.

[TahoeJ]

If anyone is gonna base their go/no go decision on the difference between a high or extreme rating there's gonna be some problems.

True. You could argue there’s not much of a purpose in even having an “extreme” rating in the first place. If high doesn’t do it...

[powdork]

If anyone is gonna base their go/no go decision on the difference between a high or extreme rating there's gonna be some problems.

I have a hard time seeing it at high today either, maybe considerable. It's more about having a report you can place some value in.


I know hindsight is 20/20 but it was obviously way out of line this morning when it came out. Looking at the obs from today it's hard to place it past considerable in terms of likelihood and moderate in terms of size and distribution.

[MTT]

Anyone ese starting to think this storm cycle is just a normal old school winter storm cycle

It is alway Extreme, dangerous OMG!! for everything these days.

Hey I would love to see us wake up to a 3 foot overnight dump. but it's not happening. It's snowing real nice and we might get 4 to 6 feet throughout a week of storms.

But the reactions.? What would the News say if we really got an old school big Sierra DUMP.
Now it's looking like the snow down here will turn to rain tomorrow afternoon.

It is pretty outside, it's snowing. But I am not going to have to shovel off the roof so it doesn't collapse.

[powdork]

I am expecting 3' from sundown to sunup.

[neufox47]

20” overnight at Sugarbowl. I’d call that a dump.


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[davjr96]

Last night delivered.

[truckeelocal]

I am expecting 3' from sundown to sunup.

Yep. I can confirm (although it's not sunup yet and it's still snowing).

[CC_skier]

Based on how it’s snowing down in carson and the new snow, I’d bet Tahoe got a healthy dose of snow last night. There’s gotta be at least one mountain that has gotten 3 ft in the past 24


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[lepistoir]

A little more than yesterday morning here in playa del Rey. Maybe 8"

[jfb]

I have a hard time seeing it at high today either, maybe considerable. It's more about having a report you can place some value in.


I know hindsight is 20/20 but it was obviously way out of line this morning when it came out. Looking at the obs from today it's hard to place it past considerable in terms of likelihood and moderate in terms of size and distribution.

True in the real world. That said, 2-3 ft of heavy new, upside down, early season makes the forecast extreme until you have a good data set from pits and other observations. Just doin' their jobs....

[lepistoir]

Here's an interesting comparison
This hype train:



Vs 2017



Only way in or out was Spooner, Kingsbury, or Woodford's. This is just a major storm, not a snowkular bomb.

[Ottime]

Anyone ese starting to think this storm cycle is just a normal old school winter storm cycle

It is alway Extreme, dangerous OMG!! for everything these days.

Hey I would love to see us wake up to a 3 foot overnight dump. but it's not happening. It's snowing real nice and we might get 4 to 6 feet throughout a week of storms.

But the reactions.? What would the News say if we really got an old school big Sierra DUMP.
Now it's looking like the snow down here will turn to rain tomorrow afternoon.

It is pretty outside, it's snowing. But I am not going to have to shovel off the roof so it doesn't collapse.

Yes. So much hype with this storm. The closed the Farmers Markey yesterday due to wind/rain/floods. Never recall that happening before. Lots of talk of devastating mid slides and evacuations. I know the CZU fire changes the dynamics, but this run of the mill decent sized winter storm has been way way over hyped.

[eeyore]

Yes. So much hype with this storm. The closed the Farmers Markey yesterday due to wind/rain/floods. Never recall that happening before. Lots of talk of devastating mid slides and evacuations. I know the CZU fire changes the dynamics, but this run of the mill decent sized winter storm has been way way over hyped.

Underhyped here in Mono Co. We have 3X the snow that was forecast. But glad to hear that Santa Cruz has not slid into the ocean.

[old goat]

Big mudslide in Monterey, lots of trees down, cars and houses crushed in Sacramento.
Obviously SAC and NWS are increasing their warnings because in the past people didn't listen. If you don't want to see extreme avy rating don't go skiing 30 degree slopes when it's high. If you don't want to see warnings of imminent death if you try to drive then don't get yourself stuck on the freeway or 89 overnight, or if you do, don't complain about it.
Don't blame SAC and NWS. Blame the idiots, including maybe the one in the mirror.

[powdork]

Big mudslide in Monterey, lots of trees down, cars and houses crushed in Sacramento.
Obviously SAC and NWS are increasing their warnings because in the past people didn't listen. If you don't want to see extreme avy rating don't go skiing 30 degree slopes when it's high. If you don't want to see warnings of imminent death if you try to drive then don't get yourself stuck on the freeway or 89 overnight, or if you do, don't complain about it.
Don't blame SAC and NWS. Blame the idiots, including maybe the one in the mirror.

No. That's bullshit. The avy forecast has only to do with conditions of the snowpack. It shouldn't be higher on holidays or any BS like that, or it becomes completely useless.
You wanna know why? Because in the past I would never consider going when the rating was extreme. Snow conditions usually even suck when it's rated high. But since SAC no longer has credibility in my view, I am going today.

edit-in short, the avy forecast is supposed to be a tool to help users assess conditions in the backcountry. that's what every other avy center does. SAC has decided to make their forecast a behavior modification tool.

[CC_skier]

^ true that, we’re talking as if there weren’t people randomly trying to boot up to castle peak less than a week ago. Can pretty much guarantee there are enough people who would have still tried if they didn’t hear about the avy danger on the radio or in some article, cuz you know they’re not checking SAC.

Kind of an aside, but I think Tahoe could really use a “backcountry” ski are like bluebird in Colorado. It’d be pretty much guaranteed to concentrate people who don’t really know what they’re doing, keep things safe/sane in the rest of the backcountry.


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[El Chupacabra]

I set off slab avalanche slides in my yard this morning, at 5900'.

IMHO this is time for wearing beacons in bounds, not ignoring SAC.

[lepistoir]

I'm not gonna blame SAC for doing what they did. I think they weight the message they send from the totality of their rating+obs+social for the lowest common denominator. They're trying to protect people more than they're trying to facilitate backcountry skiing. They support both but prioritize the first. I just look at the rating as a very general piece of info and consider it along with all the rest of the commentary and reports. That does mean I'm putting on my expert halo but I still remember my first avy class instructor saying there is ALWAYS somewhere safe to go, regardless of the danger rating. Let SAC do the rating and then develop your skills in terrain management and also staying warm, not sliding off the road, or getting buried by a tree bomb.

ETA: I second the beeping inbounds notion. it's part of controlling the things you can control. I normally don't carry rescue equipment when touring alone because of weight, but had it with me yesterday in case I somehow became involved in a rescue.

[GoSlowGoFar]

I have a hard time seeing it at high today either, maybe considerable. It's more about having a report you can place some value in.


I know hindsight is 20/20 but it was obviously way out of line this morning when it came out. Looking at the obs from today it's hard to place it past considerable in terms of likelihood and moderate in terms of size and distribution.

I’m not saying it should be extreme. But an upside down heavy dump of 3-4ft of snow in a shallow snowpack is “likely to to produce naturals” and there’s the potential for these to be large in those areas that had the rain crust and surface hoar found prior to the storm. Without any additional field observations during the storm and test pits it makes perfect sense to have it at a High rating.

[powdork]

I set off slab avalanche slides in my yard this morning, at 5900'.

IMHO this is time for wearing beacons in bounds, not ignoring SAC.

I’m not saying it should be extreme. But an upside down heavy dump of 3-4ft of snow in a shallow snowpack is “likely to to produce naturals” and there’s the potential for these to be large in those areas that had the rain crust and surface hoar found prior to the storm. Without any additional field observations during the storm and test pits it makes perfect sense to have it at a High rating.

This was yesterday's report we are referring to. There was no 3-4' dump on top. And they didn't rate it high, they rated it extreme. Today should probaly high, but we'll see, possibly considerable.

[lepistoir]

Important addendum to my obs: I was on Tamarack. It may have had lots of traffic and also less surface hoar as wind hits there a lot harder than all the crest-adjacent areas with more trees. I still count four red flags and I'm on lotus 138s so I can stay lower angle. Choose wisely.