After cruising the groomers at Mission Ridge on February 8 (using Shell 2 for 1), I noticed the storm cycle heading for Tahoe and received jdclimber’s snow report from Jackson. We did the logical thing and headed south from Wenatchee to South Lake Tahoe. The drive along highway 395 was more interesting than the I-15/I-80 route. The section between Pendelton and Burns,OR is especially scenic winding up and down passes and along river banks. OK, to the ski report.
We have passes at Heavenly and Kirkwood so the choice was obvious. We skied Heavenly on Sunday and Wednesday; there was 6-12” of new on Sunday and the skiing was very nice with temps in the teens. High winds closed the gondola and upper lifts. Although Heavenly received a couple of feet in the storm cycle, the snow was desperately needed. We stayed on the groomers because skiing off piste was rather foolish and dangerous. My best description is they received “3 feet of powder and have 4 feet of rock.” The local newspaper states this is the second lowest snow pack since 1906. This was heralded as the best powder storm of the season, hmm. These are desperate times for powder skiers in the Lake Tahoe area. We skied Kirkwood on Monday and Tuesday and the conditions were very good. The storm cycle brought 3 to 6 feet of snow and you could ski off piste cautiously. We saw rock formations that we never knew existed. If it’s untracked, it’s probably covering an obstacle. We have been spoiled by the previous seasons. Locals are hoping for a Fantastic February and a Miracle March as in 2006. They desperately need it.
Some thoughts: Kirkwood has the largest base and most off piste terrain available right now. Skiing off piste at most areas should be considered early season conditions and lots of natural obstacles are present. Backcountry touring is very limited.
We’re heading for Utah, Colorado and this is the year for Taos and Santa Fe. Hopefully, conditions will improve when we return to the Sierra later in March .
Zap & Jill
Ski Tour 2007
