It’s one of the many reasons why being a Sierra Nevada snow slider is so special. Go to sleep one night with bare ground, wake up the next morning to 2+ feet of new snow. It never gets old. In fact, it’s a major part of what informs the identity of our unique mountain community. Feast or famine, when it dumps like this, it’s game on!
In most cases such a storm would be an unabashed reason to rejoice. And this one most certainly is as it signals that winter is truly here to stay. However, there are some uncharacteristic happenings within our local snowpack that must be discussed and be at the forefront of skiers and riders minds as we head into mid December.
The major take home is what we have going on currently is more akin to conditions Colorado (intercontinental) skiers and riders deal with than what we’re used to seeing in the Sierra. Last Thursday, before the bigger storm system came in, we received about 4-8” depending on where you were touring. The new snow was glorious to ski, but lay on top of a melt-freeze crust that was barely enough to support a skiers weight. Underneath the prominent melt-freeze crust was where the scariest observations were found-facets ( weak sugary snow grains) to the ground. Even still, nothing moved that day and where it was good, boy was it good!
Enter the next storm, the largest we’ve seen since last December and a snowpack not really ready for a bigger load got one. Over the past few days there’s been very slow settling with intensely cold temperatures as instability continues to be a major issue. The new snow shows soft slab characteristics, lies on top of a melt-freeze crust, and there’s nothing but junk below it. As clear, cold weather persists for far too long (no storm tracks heading our way according to the latest 7-10 day model) the new snow will continue to break down, while hopefully slow settling continues and the snowpack gains greater strength.
Overall, conditions from a stability standpoint are improving, but this is a tricky snowpack and extra caution is advised. It’s the kind of conditions where remote triggering is possible, and near the tops of peaks on NW-N-NE aspects wind slabs are still present. And that’s not everything. Perhaps the biggest mirage of them all is the fact we’re still working with no plaster (aka Sierra Cement) yet this season to cover up obstacles.
There are a few places that have been skiing extremely well in our greater zone, but since we started getting this blower new snow it’s made avoiding the land mines that much harder. Skiing and riding is still very much at the early stages in Tahoe. The best terrain to access remains accessible from our high passes (Donner Pass, Mt. Rose, Carson Pass), but even in those locales thin cover is widespread. Where we want to ski (N aspects where a base was present prior to the most recent storms) is also where the greatest caution should be taken at present. A recent trip to the West Shore proper offered a few exceptionally bottomless turns, but a subsequent return trip has been passed off due to the impossibility of avoiding the numerous barely covered obstacles coupled with the major need for more snow for this terrain to be truly skiable.
All that said it’s been a beautiful thing to welcome winter back to Tahoe. Where the skiing’s been good it’s been glorious. Deep fluffy skin tracks, overhead blower face shots and a few early season steep shots have been the stuff we’ve all been waiting for. Just be extra cautious as you head out searching for the goods. They’re out there, but with early season coverage and lingering instabilities it’s best to make the safest, most calculated calls you can. We don’t have much weather to look forward to in the coming days, but there’s hope that near the end of the month we’ll see precipitation again. As always stay as current as possible with the great work of the Sierra Avalanche Center, who might also be the perfect group to donate some much needed funds toward for that holiday gift you just can’t figure out at the last minute. Enjoy what’s out there, be safe and make the most out of what we have to work with.
“State of the Backcountry” is sponsored by Alpenglow Sports. Established in 1979, Alpenglow Sports is Tahoe City’s original mountain shop. Specializing in Backcountry and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, trail running, backpacking, hiking, camping, and the mountain lifestyle apparel, Alpenglow is always psyched to offer premier user-based customer service.
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Previous “State of the Backcountry” Reports from the 2013-2014 season:
