White Christmas???

2005-12-23 2 min read Snow Updates Marco

Guess where I am typing from? Sitting on my bed in Holiday Lodge, Heavenly Village, South Lake Tahoe, California. I got here late in the morning (actually it was already after lunch) and was expecting an exciting day on the slopes.

First impressions:

More people were coming down the mountain (at noon!) than going up
The bottom of the slope was bare
A giant puddle had formed under the lift

So, you got it: the snow was no good. Better than what I had heard about Squaw, for sure. As soon as you get to the top of the mountain, the snow is actually usable, and Ridge Run is actually a real pleasure to be on. But as soon as you get to the bottom of the runs (Sky Express), the mush is on – and that’s halfway up the mountain!

Raining on the snow!

2005-12-21 1 min read Snow Updates Marco

My friend D. just called with horrible news: the wonderful, wonderful powder of last week is disappearing under heavy rain! The snow level is at about 8000 feet, making it impossible to ski in the lower elevations of the mountain. Actually, Squaw and the other (lower) resorts are having a ton of trouble, while the top of Monument Peak still seems to be fine.

Almost missed the first winter storm

2005-12-18 3 min read Snow Updates Marco

In a strange coincidence J. and I decided to go up to Tahoe and ski away on Saturday. We had initially planned for Sunday by decided then we wanted to go Saturday. The trip up was great – we made it in no time, thanks to careful planning – and then we proceeded to going up and down as many times as we could.

On the way up from the gondola for lunch, we chatted with a couple that was going up for the first time boarding. They had rental equipment (wise) and no experience at all. We tried giving them a few tips and hints, but I was shaking my head inside.

Saturday Fun

2005-12-15 1 min read Snow Updates Marco

This weekend, the first Saturday run with two colleagues of mine. One is a total beginner, the other one an intermediate beginner, and then I, the uberrookie. Sounds like fun???

First Snowboarding Day: Sunday, 12/4

2005-12-08 2 min read Snow Updates Marco

Was it fun? More fun than I remembered!

After a long hiatus and with the tentative and hopeful approval of the snow gods, D. and I drove up the mountain and stopped in Heavenly. The drive was very uneventful, getting up the mountain not a problem at all yet, with the snow barely making it to the pass.

In Heavenly (California Lodge), I stood in line for my season pass. It took about 45 minutes, and it could have been organized better, but in the end we were all happy and ready to go. With the $319 passes (4 days left!) the mountain is a really good deal.

Heavenly Opens Tomorrow, Wednesday 11/30!!!

2005-11-29 1 min read Snow Updates Marco

Well, if the headline doesn’t say it all… They even had an interview on NPR with the head of South Lake Tahoe CC, and he was extatic!

Sunday? Anyone? I’ll be up, and it looks like some of my colleagues are going, too.

Heavenly Not Opening On Friday, After All

2005-11-19 2 min read Snow Updates Marco

It was all over the skiheavenly.com site until Friday: the season was to open on 11/18!!! That didn’t happen, although the snowmakers are pretty busy. Now the opening date is set to Thanksgiving. If that happen, there is going to be one sick puppy that is going to be in heaven(ly)! I am already thinking of bringing a turkey sandwich to the slopes. Or maybe I should break down and finally buy the turkey jerky I always stared at in the supermarket.

Goofy?

2005-11-06 2 min read Snow Updates Marco

Dude! Check out the board. It’s still regular. I can’t believe it!

Regular, for all you that don’t know yet, is a board on which the bindings are mounted to make you face to the left. Goofy is the opposite. The terms, I am told, come from wave surfing, the sport closest in physics to snowboarding.

When I went to do my first boarding trip ({moszoomalbum:2004-12-26}) I had no idea at all and ended up choosing regular more because I felt like a regular guy (stop laughing!) than anything else. I realized later that I had been too rash, but by then I had spent so much time getting comfortable, I didn’t want to change things around.

Slow start?

2005-11-04 1 min read Snow Updates Marco

According to the [Wester Regional Climate Center](http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?cataho+nca), there is definitely a shortage of snow on the mountains around Lake Tahoe. Looks like this might be a slow start of the season!

Usually, early November already sees accumulation, and the average snow depth for the month in Tahoe City is 3 inches. Now, looking at the resort cams, there isn’t any snow left even on top of the mountain! It’s so bad that Heavenly even turned off their cam, presumably not to embarrass fans.

Season starting? Not according to HeavenlyCam

2005-11-02 1 min read Snow Updates Marco

I am itching to get the board out, but there is no snow yet… How do I know? Here is the latest image from the Heavenly cam stationed on beloved East Peak:

Of course, by the time you read this, the snow may actually already be there…

Notice the view. It looks like it’s from the East Peak Lodge, so it would be looking up Little Dipper with its awful moguls…

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