You know something’s askew in Tahoe when local surfing conditions have been higher quality than local ski conditions. I never thought I’d actually be able to say that during ski season, but it’s true. For the better part of the last month there’s been wind advisory after wind advisory and I know I’m not alone in offering late fall 2011 will definitely be remembered by many as one of the better surf months Lake Tahoe has ever seen.
Multiple large wind events from the solid SSW pulses that sent us to the North Shore, to the recent heavy E wind events that had the whole West Shore “lighting up” have been the talk of the town. I have to say it was really cool to see so many surfers out, especially on the West Shore last week. That will be a memorable east wind event for many with positive happenings towards our snowpack also a result.   I caught reports of people surfing from Hurricane Bay all the way down to Tahoma. One guy with roots in Hawaii (works at Squaw) jumped in with no gloves and no hood and absolutely sent it till going numb! Personally I’ll never forget a dawn-patrol mission to surf the mouth of Emerald Bay, followed by an afternoon session lapping the pier for waves near Blackwood Canyon, with enough time to score a few turns before sunset. It just goes to show there’s always something fun to adventure on in Tahoe!
But I digress…it really has been fun, but what about our backcountry riding conditions? The biggest news to report is that people are continuing to ski in the backcountry, believe it or not there’s a few soft powders turns to score out there, and most importantly the November 18th weak layer is breaking down!
This is huge!!! I also think this may be only the second time I can truthfully be thankful for a large-scale east wind event. Not only did this most recent “Evil E” Â bring fun surf to Tahoe for a few hours, but it even helped break down that lingering facet layer by scouring N-NE-E aspects where the layer was most volatile. Check out the most recent SAC advisory for more details, but at least you should know our avalanche danger has subsided overall, which is beyond a good thing. Now we’re ready for that huge dump of snow coming….um…soon we all hope.
The best I’ve heard from our weather guy is we’re set for something right around the winter solstice/holiday time. Until then people have been skiing more than you might think around the greater Tahoe Basin, not just on the several available WROD’s. It’s not very uniform out there in terms of conditions, but I will say there is recrystallized powder lurking for anyone’s that’s interested. I’ve been finding lots of breakable crust and loads of variable firm conditions up high, but sugary crystal powder in sheltered locations has also been a norm as of late. It’s nothing crazy, but it’s been fun enough to get out for a hike and slide through a few soft turns.
If you are venturing out there, I’m sure you’re aware, but it’s thin and getting thinner. Keep a watchful eye out for rocks, stumps, and other natural obstacles that might have been previously buried and are becoming more exposed as snowless days continue in our forecast. While milking the Grouse area this past week, where all the ski shots in this piece came from, my pit took just a couple of minutes to excavate until bare ground was the base. It’s also a good idea, and an excuse to get out, to practice some snowpack analysis and/or beacon drills during this dry period. Why not? It’s harder to motivate when there’s three feet of new on the ground so why not head out for a few turns, get some exercise, dig a pit, take a look at that degrading weak layer, and do some beacon drills while you’re at it? It’s perfect timing to resharpen your skills while we have this lull because we all know sooner or later it’s going to snow, and when it does, I think it’s safe to say there’ll be more than a few hungry skiers and riders out there ready to slay.
Snow Pit, Â Dec. 4th 2011, Grouse, West Shore, Lake Tahoe, CA
