Eric Stahl

Tahoe Snow Report

Earlier this summer we bought Mt. Rose season passes. We came up on Monday, January 7th, during a break in the big storm that dumped 5 or more feet of snow across the area. On Tuesday the 8th we tried to ski but all lifts were closed due to high wind and low visibility.

We skied every day from the 9th through the 12th. I was the first person down the Chutes (Jackpot) when they opened them on the 10th. The conditions were everywhere from untracked, decent powder to hard pack and ice.

Mt. Rose was a great choice. We like it because it's close to our family place up here and it has the highest elevation in Tahoe. While we were skiing in snow last week it was raining at Alpine (and probably Squaw as well).

After four days of skiing we were sore and needing some downtime to focus on the job search so we took a few days off this week. It was also really warm for a few days, then biting cold.

We hit Mt. Rose yesterday (Thursday, 1/17). It was cool, dry and sunny without a cloud in the sky. The warm days earlier this week have melted off a lot of the cover. Small trees and rocks that were covered last week are now peaking out. The snow is either smooth and groomed or chunky from the melting/freezing pattern.

Overall the conditions are still amazing for mid-January. Even if the snow is not ideal, the fresh air and view of the mountains while cruising down groomers is still a great way to spend the day. We have a great base for future storms to build on. That said...we need fresh snow. I see a storm is heading this way and may drop some snow on Monday or Tuesday.

We are shooting to be back in San Francisco around the 29th or so and can't wait to see everyone.

posted by Eric Stahl @ 1:45 PM