Hello skiers and riders! Welcome to another season of State of the Backcountry sponsored by Alpenglow Sports, hosted by Unofficial Networks. I’m looking forward to sharing another season of real time condition reports from the Sierra Nevada backcountry, as well as details from out of the area ski trips when available.
Before we take a look at the current state of the Tahoe backcountry remember that during the pre/early season, it’s never a bad idea to think about all the nuts and bolts that go along with backcountry skiing. We all love the pursuit of this sport, but it’s dangerous. While this report is meant to do nothing more than support community and support stoke, it’s paramount that adequate preparation precedes all those dreams of slaying big, deep lines. Of course if you haven’t already, one of the most important things you can do is to take an AIARE Level 1 avalanche course, or at minimum tap into one of the many local avalanche awareness clinics around the Tahoe area to gain as much knowledge regarding backcountry travel and avalanche education as possible. I highly recommend getting in touch with ASI on Tahoe’s far North Shore, or the fine folks at LTCC on Tahoe’s South Shore for some of the best backcountry/avalanche education available in the country.
At home, reading books like Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, Snow Sense and Freedom of the Hills is never a bad idea, and the more you realize that practicing with your beacon is just as important as choosing a backcountry objective, the better. Yes, getting the best gear you possibly can is also super important. Personally, I look forward to working with BCA snow safety tools this winter as BCA offers just about everything you need to keep safe and be prepared in the backcountry. They also have several useful educational tools available on their website that’s worth some time at the computer. But no matter how good your gear is, it means nothing if you don’t know how to use it. Putting all of these ingredients together is the best way to get yourself ready for backcountry ski season, and luckily in Tahoe there are a plethora of amazing people and incredible support networks to tap into.
Currently, our greatest backcountry skiing community asset, the Sierra Avalanche Center (SAC), has been issuing preseason advisories to help get us all ready for when the season kicks into full swing. Follow this link to check out their most recent advisory, and don’t be afraid to spend some time on their site. There are several great local events coming up as well as several awesome educational links available on SAC’s homepage to help you refresh or start your path towards becoming avalanche/backcountry savvy.
In the now, it’s snowing, which is always something to celebrate in the Sierra Nevada! Tahoe woke up to a thin dusting Thursday morning on high elevation peaks. Two more systems are set to impact the forecast area through the weekend, and by Sunday there could be as much as a fresh foot on the Sierra Crest, if we’re lucky. That foot might end up being closer to 6-8 inches, but we’ll have to wait and see. As is the case in Tahoe normally, we need a big one to really get the backcountry going. That hasn’t happened yet this fall, but as if I need to mention this, after the last three seasons we’ll take whatever we can get, and it does look like there could be something interesting in store for us right after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Ski touring wise, there’s been a handful of days on fresh snow this season, but as I just said, without a big multi-foot storm, it’s really hard for the local backcountry to be skiable on a daily basis. On what I feel is a slightly funny, possibly sad note, I think the best powder day I’ve had so far this season was on September 30th off Tahoe’s highest peak. But that’s not really saying much seeing as there just hasn’t been that much snowfall to get the the 2014-2015 season going. However, as the photos in this report speak to, there have been some fun ski days in the Sierra from the end of September up until this week; we just need more snow. But as always, the choice to backcountry ski puts you at the mercy of the snow gods, and it’s up to you to make the most of what’s out there. Here’s to hoping that we get a little more out of the next few days precipitation, and that this season is the one to help the state forget about the drought, and for the locals and lovers of Tahoe and the Sierra to remember why we live here.
Location: Sonora Pass, CA
“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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