Yeah, if you’re skiing solo, play it safe. You’d hate to get overly confident and hurt yourself and be stuck. Some of the dumbest stuff I would do when I was younger was skiing side country and charge through trees solo.
Youtube videos are really great too. I relied on them when I went on a ski drought for 15 years before moving out to the NW. Learning the fixes ahead of time and being able to adjust while skiing as you begin to feel uncomfortable will go a long way.
Keystone has nice green and blue terrain. Out of three days only made one wrong turn onto some fucking moguls
Both IMO. It’s longer but much less stressful. Avoids all the Government Camp nonsense. HR also offers plenty of great food and drink options if you want to pit stop. If you go to Meadows, the HRM lot is right there. Easy parking experience but just know it’s a cell dead zone. Works fine at the top of HRM lift.
Made down the backside and on the back mountain (or whatever) and all the way back to the village on blues at Keystone. Great layout for blues for getting around. It was icy but the backside was the only really issue there. Straight down on ice on a blue was the only issue I had. Copper has a layout that works left to right from easy to black diamonds and a short drive from Keystone.
I love Keystone, they have more blue runs than the other places I've been (Copper, Red River, Winter Park). I think this will be visit #4 to Keystone
Nice, so you know what’s up. I like the runs that are opposite side of gondala from Schoolmarm. My daughter loved Mozart. Probably because she found some side hits that allowed her to get 4in of vert on her jumps.
I strongly suggest a half day lesson. No matter the skill level I think you can only stand to gain by taking a lesson. I know it’s expensive, but I still take one every year and basically everyone I know does too. Some places off “experienced touring lessons” that basically has an instructor go around the mountain with you to provide little pointers here and there and maybe help you overcome a mental block to take your skiing to the next level.
definitely on my to-do list for next year. Going to Tahoe in 10 days. Currently snow is forecasted for each day we are there. Hope it is accurate, would be great. Looks like a powder weekend in Colorado. Will hit up Keystone or Vail for sure.
Any recommendations for something to protect my ass (literally)? Need cheek protection, not just tailbone.
Already have a big ass. Took a hard fall two weeks ago and it turned purple. Went snowboarding again on Friday and didn’t fall until my last run, but it was on the same spot. Taught some kids on that green a few new words. Have not experienced that much pain in a long time.
The ones I had seen in-person were basically tailbone protectors. But after ten minutes of research I went with these bad boys
If you decide you don't like these, below is what I bought for when I do park days: https://www.rei.com/product/891663/...QVf8Mm00_xRhRhHoIvxoChncQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Word. I’ll be on the opposite end of the lake doing Northstar and Palisades (Squaw/Alpine). Have a great time. The views at Heavenly are uh … heavenly.
So I have heard. I’ve also heard the snow at Kirkwood is amazing. don’t know much about the palisades, but I’ve heard north star has great food
Yeah the food at Northstar is the best of the mountains in the area. It just doesn’t have as many steep/fast runs as the other mountains; hence the locals call it “Flatstar.” I’m going up there today with some friends who snowboard though, they love it. The snow at Kirkwood must be amazing - especially with all this snow the past couple of days. Enjoy!
Ended the day at my favorite local brewery. The snow from the mountains descended on Denver. Gonna get like 6-8 inches tonight in Denver. Good day
Catching up on this thread and pretty excited to see somebody skiing Red River. Was shocked to see 'The Face' a few pages back. A while back in my seasonal job days I lived there for a bit and worked for the mountain during winter. For such a small mountain they have a great ski school and fantastic snowmaking capabilities. There was always untouched powder for 3-4 days after snow days on the steeps which was awesome. Also besides Christmas Day and spring break it’s rare to see long lift lines. Next time you're there on a Saturday night you should run torchlight.
I always took that extra 30 minutes up 70 on powder days while everyone else was getting off at Breck and Vail. The trees at BC with snow are something else.
Yeah, Alpine is such an underrated mountain. Though it’s owned by the same group who owns Palisades (Squaw Valley), they actually do a far better job of grooming at Alpine. I usually hit up Alpine first on days where there was snow melt the day before which turned to ice overnight (you can take a ten minute shuttle back and forth between the mountains). Did Scott’s Chute and Idiot’s Delight for the first time this year.
Wound up at Northstar yesterday after the 9am traffic to Palisades was backed up to I-80 in one direction and Lake Forest in the other. Out here for another 8 days so I’m sure I’ll get to Alpine a few times eventually, but coming out here for many years I’ve never seen the traffic backed up that bad.
Yeah, I’ve been stuck in that traffic this year, too. Unfortunately, you need to plan on getting to Palisades or Apline by 7:15 on the weekends, and 7:45 on the weekdays not to get stuck in it. My family has a cabin in North Shore, and I live in Sac, so I’m pretty used to the commute times.
yesterday was a perfect glades day at Monarch Mountain. just enough overnight to pretty much get anywhere on the mountain.
Have a place in Lake Forest and come out here pretty often. Did Alpine with tjsblue and some friends last month and there was no traffic at all on the weekend to either Palisades mountain. I was stunned. Now that it’s started snowing again…
That makes sense. The last time I went skiing was in January after the big New Year’s snow fall. It’s been dry since then though so I could see how the crowds would’ve let up. Although at that time, and in past seasons (after recent snow fall, granted) there was always traffic clogging up highway 89 for miles by 8:00.
The terrain on the backside of Scott’s is mind blowing. Could always finds pockets of powder there a few days after a snow.
Best day I ever had skiing was Alpine. Got up early on a MASSIVE pow day and headed in from Truckee. As we were coming down the road into Alpine, mountain crew was getting ready to shut down the road and start avalanche blasting. I was the last car through. There were probably 20 people at the resort and the chairs actually opened on time. We had bottomless powder to ourselves until they opened the road at noon. Literally rode Summit and Roundhouse chair all morning and was able to ski fresh powder just a few feet away from my previous trip down. Only other day that compares was when I lived pretty much ski in / ski out in Avon, CO. Had champagne powder you see in the magazines on a random Tuesday. I need to move back to the mountains…
I’m planning on buying a place out there in about 15 years, once the kids leave. I know outsiders are a problem but dammit I want to be out there.
It continues to snow in Red River. This has been the best of our 6 trips this way. They shut down the pass yesterday so DFW has yet to arrive for Spring Break & the mountain has been ours.
All this talk about Alpine Meadows is making me want get out there next year. Haven’t been there in forever but it’s the place I learned how to snowboard as a kid and by far my favorite place in Tahoe. Perhaps that’s just nostalgia/blind loyalty but I always loved the vibe out there and like others have said it’s a change of pace from some of the bigger name mountains in the area like Heavenly and Palisades next door. On a bluebird day I do enjoy the views from Homewood, though.
"snowing again" for what Tahoe saw is generous. That said I had fun at Palisades the past couple days, even if Summit was on wind hold all day today.
The mentality at Alpine is truly a breath of fresh air. There are so many douche bags that ski Palisades. Couldn’t count the amount of times I’ve been cut off in line there or someone skis over my skis so they can get a spot ahead. It’s a shame, because there is some excellent terrain there. Alpine is the local’s mountain.
I enjoyed my time at Lake Tahoe one summer, I'd love to go ride there if it weren't such a pain in the ass to get to