Tag Archives: cross-country skiing

Got Snow?

Bare dirt 2 days ago

Whether it’s truly El Nino or just snow dances paying off in spades, Lake Tahoe got hit hard by a snowstorm yesterday and today.  It’s a much needed boost, both in terms of the snow pack and general attitude, for it’s a lot easier to get excited about winter and ski season when things are actually covered in snow.

Despite all the giddiness about powder snow, I didn’t ski at the resorts today.  Yes, there is 3 feet of new snow at the higher elevations, but there was a lot of bare dirt (and rocks) at the ski resorts before this storm, so I’d rather wait until there’s a better payoff.  And lower risk of hitting a rock and hurting my already decrepit self.

Instead, the dog and I explored our meadow, which just a few days ago was bare dirt in many places.  I spent an hour breaking trail in light and pristine shin deep snow, then enjoyed the fruits of my labors and skied back on said track.

Heck, I was so blissed out by the new snow that I didn’t even say anything rude to the lazy-ass chick who was walking in my ski track.  Talk about her lucky day.

From Running to Skiing in 48 Hours

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.

 

Digging Out

Today we finally saw the sun, after a night and morning of snow that left another few inches in our driveway and more (2+ feet) at the ski resorts. We returned to Sierra, in the hopes of finding refreshed stashes and running lifts.  Alas the latter was not to be the case, as generator issues caused our favorite main lift to remain closed all morning.  That said, we found deep snow elsewhere – so deep (thigh to waist) that it made turning impossible.  So I got to straightline runs and steep pitches that I’d never consider otherwise.

It was fortunate that we were the first ones on the lift this morning (confirming that the early bird *does* get the worm), as it got crowded quickly. By midday the only high-speed lift running had a ridiculously long line, so we decided to split for the tranquil meditation of cross-country skiing.  We didn’t factor in that the trail breaking would be so strenuous.  Turns out that all the snowmobilers who illegally track out our nearby meadow actually followed the rules today.  So we had a blank canvas to ourselves.

Deep xc track

It being a designated school district snow day tomorrow, I’m calling in a snow morning to get out again.  I’ve got to make the most of “Great Tahoe Blizzard of 2008″, now, don’t I?

Powder Day! (and punters)

Today was our first official GENUINE powder day of the season.  We didn’t know it as we drove out to Kirkwood, but the cumulative snowfall over the past few days (2 – 5 inches here, 2-5 inches there) had built up to something rather powder snow-like.  It started to become apparent as we neared the resort, with substantial snow on both the roads and the mountains.  This could be a pretty good day after all!

It was.  N and I ended up exploring the Palisades (which had some surprisingly deep snow), despite our concern that we’d be hitting rocks just below the surface.  We did, rather, he did, but it was well worth it to ski winter snow again.

After lunch, N discovered that his ski binding was loose in his ski, and decided to end the day then rather than worry about a ski launching down the slope.  I took a different run from him, and nearly got creamed by a stupid, typically male skier who was charging down the hill without looking, and was obviously skiing way too fast for his ability.  Had I not been the one to stop my traverse, he’d have knocked me down…hard.  Since I had the right of way (I was below him on the mountain), I was pissed, and told him so.  The a**hole didn’t stop, just spewed out a feeble ‘sorry’ as he continued down the hill, so I did what I always do when I encounter stupidity at a ski resort.  I chased the jerk down.  And read him the riot act under the chairlift, where he had opted to stop.  Another example of his brilliance.

I think I scared the idiot, which is a good thing, as it’s reason-challenged, testosterone-fueled losers like him that result in ski resort collisions.  Did I mention I was wearing my “You Must Be Blind To Miss Me” ski pants?

After that little adrenaline rush I was ready to explore somewhere with less stupidity.  So we headed to Hope Valley for a lovely cross-country ski with the dog (whose stupidity IS accepted).  Smooth snow for kick-and-gliding, sunshine, and views of the mountains helped end the day on a much better note.

Snow Redux

After a small taste of snow on Wednesday morning, we woke up to 4 inches of wet snow in the driveway, with more (lighter) stuff falling for the next few hours.  It left behind a winter wonderland, though it would have been nice if the municipal plow drivers had cleared our block before 2 pm.  At least the dude didn’t berm in the driveway this time around.

Since we’d heard high winds and an ‘extreme weather event’ were impacting Heavenly’s lift operations, we broke a lot of trail in the meadow.  Only one snowmobile had been through, leaving the surrounding areas pristinely blanketed with snow.  Not sure how long that will last, what with the various redneck neighbors gunning their two strokes.

Winter Redux

A winter storm blew through here yesterday, but it didn’t quite deliver on the expectations of BIG SNOW.  That’s because the damn thing split, sending snow to the north and to the south, giving Mammoth snowfall in the double digits. Here? Not so much.

That said, there was an inch or two on the driveway this morning, so I made the most of it and forced the dog out of her warm and lazy slumber for a cross country ski.  I’m glad I did, because that snow I skied through at 8 am will be gone later today.

More snow is “supposed” to come tonight, but we’re already making plans to go to Mammoth this weekend, as they have more terrain and lifts running than any Lake Tahoe ski resort.

Manky Snow and Groovy Tunes

I guess after 5 days of untracked cold snow it was bound to happen.  After all, this is the Sierra, proud home of 300 days of sunshine a year.

I went up to Heavenly this morning for all of an hour and was greeted with refrozen crud.  Apparently the Sierra sunshine was strong yesterday, and all that lovely snow is now starting the metamorphosis to spring snow.   With the sheer footage we got this week, I’m not sure how great anything not north facing will be in the backcountry either.  And since I’m as much about quality as quantity this ski season I bailed before the gaper factor got too ugly. Or before I shattered my teeth on the refrozen snow.

My own little lake-level foray didn’t bode well in terms of finding non-sun-affected powder but it was fabulous cross country skiing (especially now that the snow has settled and those ‘bilers have created not-always-straight tracks for us xc skiers).  Even more so since I’d updated my Nano with lots of ‘dance around and sing into your hairbrush’ music.  The dog couldn’t understand why I was boogying around the house to ELO (selections from the Xanadu soundtrack, if you must know), but she was ecstatic that I was taking her neglected smelly body out to play.

And thanks to what some construe as bad eighties music, we ended up skiing for over 90 minutes.  Proof that an iPod is an awesome toy/exercise accessory/dog walking motivation.

Arctic Bravery

Since this cold spell slaughtered the east coast today, it’s old news, but we’ve been faced with these temps since early Friday.  While I love winter, mind you, I’m not so enamored with frostbite.  Which is what I’d get if I spent any extended time outdoors, i.e. skiing.  So I huddled inside most of the morning, working and checking the pipes to make sure none had frozen.  Hey, it’s what I get for buying an old ‘built-for-the-summer’ house here with no insulation (but that’s another story).

I did have to take the dog out, as she was driving me nuts, so we opted for cross-country skiing at Luther Pass, figuring that I’d have to warm up with the exertion.  And I finally remembered my new flashy cell phone mit camera, so I tested it out.   Unfortunately I couldn’t capture the inconsistent snow crust or brutal chill, so use your imagination.

Bonne Annee

An uneventful start to the New Year, admittedly one with a French touch.  I made bouillabaisse last night, primarily so I could attempt to make rouille, the saffron-and-garlicky mayonnaise-like accompaniment to the classic French dish.  Despite not owning a mortar and pestle (critical to the production according to recipe) the sauce, and the soup, came out well enough to impress N.  The crowning touch was the tarte tatin I made for dessert, which turned out perfectly caramelized and in one piece.  How I love my cast iron pan – even though it’s a bit of a pain to clean.

Snow conditions at Lake Tahoe aren’t quite as good as what we left in Oregon, and coupled with the crowds that descend during the holiday week, I’ve lost most of my desire to resort ski.  Yesterday we hit Luther Pass for a cross-country ski, and I enjoyed that so much that I’m heading up there again today.   N decided to check out Heavenly before the rest of South Shore awakes,  since he’s optimistically hoping for enough coverage to get off the groomers.   As more of a realist, I’m going to wait until later this week, when we’re forecast to get snow.