Today is the last day of my holiday ski break, and my legs know it. I've not skied 5 days in a row in a long time, and definitely not 5 full days of powder snow and/or backcountry. Today was the first day that we knew we were not going to have guaranteed fresh tracks, and we had to decide which resort to ski at based upon other factors (distance, crowds and snow conditions). We ended up hitting Kirkwood because today's warmer forecast would have less of an impact at a higher elevation ski resort, and the holiday crowds don't materialize with the same tidal wave force that they do at some other Tahoe resorts.
We did ski Kirkwood on Boxing Day, which was a glorious bluebird day with 2+ feet of light dry powder. N surprised me on Christmas day with new phat skis - Atomic Helis. They're wider than my ski boot in the middle, and are the skis that Alaska heli operators provide clients, so they're perfect for powder.
Today's snow was less powder, more packed powder (with some bumps). Coverage is pretty good on the north facing slopes, and by now many of the hidden rocks are now visible. I enjoyed it, but by midday I was ready to go home and take the much neglected dog for a cross country ski on our nearby meadow. The snow by our house has definitely changed with today's 40 degree temps, and was heavy and wet in most places, making trail breaking a challenge.
And while forecasts are showing a high pressure system moving in this week, we'll be heading north to Bend where snow is falling. After all, I have new phat skis to break in.
Despite a sloow start to the Tahoe ski season, things are off with a bang thanks to a series of snowstorms that just keep giving. And while I've not had good timing this week with my ski breaks, I'm looking forward to better timing tomorrow. It's looking like we'll receive feet-fuls of snow here at lake level, which will translate into feet+ at higher elevations. The current storm is a bit wetter than the previous ones, which should help cover the rocks and other obstacles that are still lurking out there.
Today's brief backcountry sojourn was a bit of a rude awakening for me. I did ok on the actual trip, but right now I am so tired that the notion of baking a brie and slicing a baguette (part of our oh-so-gourmet Christmas Eve dinner) is daunting. Luckily I had the foresight to make the kabocha squash salad beforehand, otherwise we'd just be eating cheese sandwiches tonight.
May your Christmas' be merry and your energy levels higher than mine right now!
I work next door to South Lake Tahoe's only health food store, and over the years I’ve become friendly acquaintances with a number of people there, including Mike the baker and his wife Peggy. I always knew that they were outdoorsy folks, as we’ve chatted about skiing, mountain biking and the all-encompassing weather. What I didn’t know was that Peggy is a classically trained musician who plays in a string quartet both locally and in Reno. Mike mentioned she was playing locally this week, so last night we headed to the Rockwater, an Irish pub, to listen to classical music. While it seems incongruous, the owner is the cellist in the string quartet, and handily has a small stage in the bar area to accommodate their performance.
I’m not such a fan of greasy pub food, but the interesting wine list and the hand-pulled Guinness made up for the culinary disappointment.
Interestingly enough, the pub owner’s cello (circa late 1700’s) came from his father, who was a professional cellist in the UK who played back up on a few Beatles albums. Not something I’d ever expect in South Lake Tahoe, but those are the tidbits that make living in a small(ish) town so entertaining.
On Saturday we went running in the meadow by our house. There was maybe 1/4" of snow then, but it was coold. Too cold to mountain bike, and not enough snow to ski.
How things change. Today we woke up to 6+ inches in the driveway, and it's been dumping light fluffy snow all day. So at lunch we retraced our steps from Saturday, this time on cross-country skis. It was lovely - cold as, but the snow was so light as to make trail breaking much easier than it normally is. The dog frolicked with exuberance, and subsequently passed out for the rest of the day.
And while the Tahoe resorts are filling in (snow reports ranged from 15 - 36 inches around the lake), they started with so little snow that we're going to head back down to Mammoth again this weekend. At least there we know that we can ski off-piste without impaling ourselves on a tree stump.
A few months ago I lost a ring I'd had since I returned from France, one that I'd loved for its unusual look. It had been lost twice under odd circumstances, but was found after a delay each time. I'm pretty sure it's now gone for good, since it's buried under the slats of a local watering hole along with numerous cigarette butts and other trash. N showed his chivalrous side by going back there with a flashlight to search for it - unsuccessfully.
So I've been looking online for something that can replace it, albeit differently. Enter Etsy, the online arts & crafts fair with a search function that a friend of mine highly recommended. Brilliant! I came across a silver artist whose selection of rings - made to order! - were what I was looking for. I've never had jewelry made to order (or anything, really) so it seemed all so decadent. Way better than mass customization, though it didn't cost any more than a mass-made item.
Um, not much actually. Four resorts are open (Heavenly, Squaw, Mt. Rose and Northstar-at-Tahoe if you want to know), but that's primarily due to their awesome snowmaking capabilities versus any bounty from Mother Nature. This week's forecast doesn't look all that promising either.
Mammoth, on the other hand, has been open since November 1st, and now has 10 or so lifts running with snow on parts of the mountain that snow guns can't reach. So it resembles winter there. It's a difference of night and day, and since we have Mammoth season passes and since gas is now stupid cheap, guess which resort is the more appealing option? Yep. I drove down this morning for my 3rd ski day of the season, to meet N who was driving up from San Diego. That dark o'thirty wake up call was so worth it in the end.
It was a real ski day, with top to bottom runs on varied snow (moguls, wind buff, groomers) that went beyond just the designated runs. After nearly 6 hours of using gravity, I was pretty wiped out. The drive home wasn't something I relished, but I kept reminding myself that my only option at Tahoe was one resort with two runs open. That made the nearly 300 mile round trip schlep well worth it.
Anyone up for Mammoth next weekend?
We spent most of Thanksgiving week up in Bellingham with my side of the family, leaving Soleil with some generous friends who are still charmed by her antics. Halfway through the week they sent us this photo, which left no doubt that our dog was not missing us all that much.
Photo credit - ftp productions
I couldn't figure out why the dog videos generated so much traffic until one kind commenter noted it had been on Flickr's blog. By now her 15 minutes are over, but it's very amusing to see that the wider public appreciates her penchant for logs.
This afternoon N and I hit the trails near our house for a head clearing mountain bike ride. At this time of year it's rare that we encounter other riders, as the days are shorter and even with the current warm spell you still need long sleeves. It's usually the diehard riders we see, and even those are few and far between.
So when I saw a rider coming down the trail I was climbing up, I was mildly surprised. That surprise turned to near shock as it got closer, for it was an old woman on what looked to be a commuter bike with fat tires. She wore no helmet, but instead had a wide-brimmed fabric sunhat, whose brim flopped behind her like the Flying Nun, and sported nothing resembling technical gear, just keds on her feet, said sunhat and some pretty strong perfume. The old gal was hauling, and either was truly fearless or did not remember where her brakes were, as she did not slow down a whit as she passed me.
On our ride back on this same trail we came across her again, and again she whizzed by with such reckless speed that she forced N off the trail. If it were any other person I think he would have said something, but the shock of seeing a speeding granny on a mountain bike trail slowed his reaction time.
I have to admit I was impressed. I can only hope that I'm still riding bikes with that much speed and abandon when I get to be her age. Though I might concede to wearing a helmet. And less perfume.
