tseeb
Well-known member
Season Days 13 and 16, Tahoe Value Pass Days 12 and 15, Kirkwood Days 8 and 9 and January Days 7 and 10, which could be my best January ever.
Kirkwood reported 14" Saturday morning and even though I was mostly packed, in the interest of continued domestic tranquility, I stayed home and dealt with a failing refrigerator in the garage that had a freezer half-full of lamb and other meat. I also drove my wife to hot yoga, and took my dogs for a walk and visited my Mom while my wife was in her class, then in the afternoon, my wife and I went tasting at two South County wineries before returning home where she roasted a rack of lamb. Based on the cloudbursts we experienced in the South SF Bay Area, I was hoping for some new snow at Kirkwood, but only Northstar and Sugar Bowl reported new snow Sunday morning although Kirkwood still had enough soft snow that I was on my powder skis under 2:30 PM.
I left San Jose at 5:15 AM and encountered very slick roads about 35 miles before Kirkwood, then chain control for the last 27 miles and eventually a long line of vehicles going 25-30 mph. I parked across from chair 7 about 8:45 and was on the lift a couple of minutes after 9 AM. I used chair 7 to get to the Wall chair which I went up and skied the top of the Wall, then some of crusty Eagle Bowl before traversing into Norm's Nose where I found better snow.
I had hoped that Backside did not open on Sat. but learned that everything (except for maybe T-bar and some hikes) was open by 1:15. There was a little new snow and/or windsift where I came down just past the cornice on the Wave and I also found very good soft snow on edges of Devils Draw.
Next run I went lookers right and found more good snow. By then, the singles line was well out of the maze so I joined a pair to go up and did not return. To make the most out of it, I bootpacked about 300 very steep vertical feet above the top of the lift and found room for powder turns between tracks on 99 Steps, then exited the Backside down very soft One Man Chute.
I took one lap on chair 2 and Vista T-bar, skiing Shot 6 where I may have damaged my pole basket pushing hard going over a rock ledge to clear the unexpected gap after it.
I next took one lap around the back of the Wall, passing up Notch, Heart (which I've never done) and Sisters Chutes before coming down Schaeffer's Chute where there was untracked at the top and in couple of other places. Next I took one lap on Cornice into Palisades before going into Timber Creek lodge (still a big plastic tent after how many years?) and watched the Broncos/Patriots game for a little while. I did a few more laps on Cornice chair before going higher and further out into the Palisades where I found more untracked. I went to my car and listened to more of the game, but headed back out before what sounded like an exciting finish. I quit just after 4 with 20 lift rides and 21K vertical according to EpicMix.
Wednesday was more of a drive-by at I did not get to Kirkwood until 10 and, after talking to lift attendant from my home town and finding that our sons went to the same high school, did not load until at least 10:15. I skied to Backside where I only took one groomer lap as I did not have time for more than two rides on long slow lift. I exited via One Man Chute in Thunder Saddle which still had excellent soft snow. I took one lap on the Wall before moving to high-speed Cornice chair where I did 6 quick laps between 11:35 and 12:27 according to my EpicMix load times. I skied a couple of the very good groomers and tried unsuccessfully to see Chamonix (or Oops?) went from the edge of Olympic. I did not ski into it as I did not want to repeat the hike out of it I did in Dec. I also found good coverage and snow on very steep areas (really cliffs until covered) betwen Janek and Olympic.
I was going to end my day with a run down Notch Chute, which requires removing skis and a very short down-hike, but it was so good that after doing it, I went up the Wall again. I skied Headwaters where top was just barely getting sun, into the top of Conestoga, then I cut across before I got too low to go up Caples Crest. I finished with 14 lifts and over 18K by skiing what was almost corn on W-facing High Whiskey. I changed out of my boots, took off outer layers and was on the road at 1:45. Even with a stop and wait in moderate line at Lockeford Meats for some of their excellent sausage, I got home in 3 hours and 40 min by not stopping for gas and getting off freeway when it slowed at the San Jose city limit and eventually taking the farthest E surface streets.
Kirkwood reported 14" Saturday morning and even though I was mostly packed, in the interest of continued domestic tranquility, I stayed home and dealt with a failing refrigerator in the garage that had a freezer half-full of lamb and other meat. I also drove my wife to hot yoga, and took my dogs for a walk and visited my Mom while my wife was in her class, then in the afternoon, my wife and I went tasting at two South County wineries before returning home where she roasted a rack of lamb. Based on the cloudbursts we experienced in the South SF Bay Area, I was hoping for some new snow at Kirkwood, but only Northstar and Sugar Bowl reported new snow Sunday morning although Kirkwood still had enough soft snow that I was on my powder skis under 2:30 PM.
I left San Jose at 5:15 AM and encountered very slick roads about 35 miles before Kirkwood, then chain control for the last 27 miles and eventually a long line of vehicles going 25-30 mph. I parked across from chair 7 about 8:45 and was on the lift a couple of minutes after 9 AM. I used chair 7 to get to the Wall chair which I went up and skied the top of the Wall, then some of crusty Eagle Bowl before traversing into Norm's Nose where I found better snow.
I had hoped that Backside did not open on Sat. but learned that everything (except for maybe T-bar and some hikes) was open by 1:15. There was a little new snow and/or windsift where I came down just past the cornice on the Wave and I also found very good soft snow on edges of Devils Draw.
I took one lap on chair 2 and Vista T-bar, skiing Shot 6 where I may have damaged my pole basket pushing hard going over a rock ledge to clear the unexpected gap after it.
Wednesday was more of a drive-by at I did not get to Kirkwood until 10 and, after talking to lift attendant from my home town and finding that our sons went to the same high school, did not load until at least 10:15. I skied to Backside where I only took one groomer lap as I did not have time for more than two rides on long slow lift. I exited via One Man Chute in Thunder Saddle which still had excellent soft snow. I took one lap on the Wall before moving to high-speed Cornice chair where I did 6 quick laps between 11:35 and 12:27 according to my EpicMix load times. I skied a couple of the very good groomers and tried unsuccessfully to see Chamonix (or Oops?) went from the edge of Olympic. I did not ski into it as I did not want to repeat the hike out of it I did in Dec. I also found good coverage and snow on very steep areas (really cliffs until covered) betwen Janek and Olympic.
I was going to end my day with a run down Notch Chute, which requires removing skis and a very short down-hike, but it was so good that after doing it, I went up the Wall again. I skied Headwaters where top was just barely getting sun, into the top of Conestoga, then I cut across before I got too low to go up Caples Crest. I finished with 14 lifts and over 18K by skiing what was almost corn on W-facing High Whiskey. I changed out of my boots, took off outer layers and was on the road at 1:45. Even with a stop and wait in moderate line at Lockeford Meats for some of their excellent sausage, I got home in 3 hours and 40 min by not stopping for gas and getting off freeway when it slowed at the San Jose city limit and eventually taking the farthest E surface streets.
