Palisades Tahoe, CA April 27 and 29, 2024

[tseeb]

Saturday, April 27
I’m having trouble with power connector on laptop I usually post from so this is from iPhone and may be updated someday.

My Senior Tahoe Value Pass is blacked out all Saturdays at KIrkwood and Northstar so I drove an hour to Palisades and parked near to and loaded Red Dog at 905. (Don’t feel sorry for me as I had 31 days on that $415 pass, including 22 at Kirkwood.) I skied Lakeview that I thought was good at top and a little firm, but I could hold an edge on and after last two corners. Red Dog side and anything W-facing must have had a lot of melt in Fri PM sun after 3-4” new late Thurs/early Fri then froze hard overnight.

I went to top early skiing Saddle on KT, Headwall then Siberia where line grew fast so I took Big Blue to Shirley and rode Granite twice, first skiing Hidden Bowl, then next time up dropping off cornice into Crooks. I also skied one run in Solitude before starting down. I wanted to ride Headwall but it had an extended stop so I rode KT and skied some of Women’s Downhill on Olympic Lady side.

I went to SUV parked so close to Red Dog that I went past it, then swapped jacket for vest and grabbed sandwich and beer for gondola to Alpine.

I snow SnowGolf crowd waiting to tee off at top of Summit.

I rode and skied Alpine Bowl chair four times, once hiking into Keyhole and twice skiing Palisades before skiing Alpine Bowl to exit.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen ABC running and snow was getting to bottom of it got sticky - getting to base of Summit, etc. was much worse. I moved back to Olympic Valley, getting off Base to Base gondola at top of KT anf skied some of West Face into (closed at top?) Chute 75. I exited chute to left and got to Headwall and skied excellent North Bowl. I did one more Siberia and one more Headwall, skiing the Face, getting back to SUV going well above loud DJ and band event at base after 4 with 31K.

 

[tseeb]

Monday, April 29 was the first day Palisades changed hours to 8-2. They were only Tahoe ski area still open and had closed their Alpine Meadows side, Red Dog and Resort lift after Sunday. A nephew is working on Summer concert venue being rebuilt behind Harvey’s casino so I invited him to overlap my stay at family cabin which allowed me to leave faster as I didn’t have to do total cleanup or shutdown. Drive to Palisades is only about 5 miles more than to Kirkwood, but takes 15-20 minutes more, assuming no traffic or weather or photo stops, due to many sharp turns, some now signed 5 mph Northbound.

It was after 830 before I did longish hike across snow past running but closed Red Dog chair to and loaded Funitel. Previous day I wore base layer and Hawaiin shirt for Kirkwood’s closing day and was warm enough, but it was cool and windy enough from W/SW that I rode Gold Coast three times to stay out of worst of it. SE-facing snow was very good, but it got firm but edgeable when I moved to N-facing Shirley Lake. I rode and skied Granite Chief groomer twice finding good snow and not that much wind. I moved back to Siberia, skiing it, then Headwall twice each.

I then rode and skied KT five times. I started with East Face going past base of Olympic Lady, then next time up did very short hike past top of Olympic Lady skiing soft SE-facing into Tamara’s. Then I did two fast laps on groomed Saddle using different exits. I finished my day just after 12 with 21K going past top of Olympic Lady and Tamara’s that I skied into from an early entrance off NW-facing Red Dog ridge.

View of Alpine where they must have had employee event as at least three front-side high-speed lifts were riding and parking had more than a few vehicles.