Spring on the Slopes

Alpine Meadows

Originally uploaded by jodi_engle

Today is the first day of spring, which means the official start of spring skiing–and with it, comes the allergies. I have the perfect marketing point for ski resorts: “Escape the high pollen count from all those flowering trees in the Bay Area, and come to Tahoe, where the vegetation is smothered in several feet of snow!”
Skiing in the springtime is truly undervalued. On March 13-14 (last weekend), it felt like spring conditions with sunny skies at Alpine Meadows on Saturday and Northstar on Sunday. The only difference was that at Northstar, the crowds were heavier than I’d ever seen. To my chagrin, Northstar had the audacity to sell refreshments at high prices to skiers and boarders waiting in the long lift lines. Usually, spring skiing means fewer people, along with the sunny skies and warm weather. Overall, the atmosphere is more relaxed. That’s because by 2 p.m. the snow is too soft to ski comfortably, so everyone heads into the lodge for drinks. Spring skiing requires some extra precautions, namely sunscreen and extra water to stay hydrated.
Kirkwood kicks off spring with a big Spring Break Party–Jammin’ XVII-April 2-4. A lifeguard tower and giant pond will turn the plaza into a slopeside beach.
Squaw’s sun-drenched mountaintop outdoor pool and hot tub opened on March 20 for the season, giving skiers and riders a way to partake of the snow and swimming at 8,200 feet in elevation.
Sugar Bowl turns up the heat with hard-to-beat specials, including free lessons and rentals with the purchase of a general admission lift ticket. The Bay Area Ski Bus heads to Sugar Bowl both April 3 and 4, which allows skiers and boarders to combine two of the best deals under the sun!

Can’t Wait to Be Back in the Saddle Again

Bluebird conditions, fresh corduroy and first in the lift line. I knew it was going to be a primo day for skiing at Kirkwood last Sunday. Sure enough, we skied from the time the lifts started turning to the apres ski party in the parking lot with the Bay Area Ski Bus folks.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort

We immediately headed to some of my old faves: Buckboard (a blue) and Conestoga (a black), which was groomed to be smooth from top to bottom. Then we made a beeline for  the back side and the Sunrise chair. We skied the Wave and then rode up Covered Wagon, two surface lifts, to find the powder stashes on Fawn Ridge. Skiing the rolling landscape of Fawn Ridge, I took the opportunity to simply look around and admire the beautiful snow-capped mountains. It resembled cross-country skiing more than downhill.

On our return, I took the Lookout Vista lift for the first time. Added in 2008, Lookout Vista is a two-person T-bar surface lift that replaces the hike to areas such as the chutes of Thunder Saddle. The lift gets steep near the top. To avoid panicking, I stared at the tips of my skies. I wasn’t ready for Thunder Saddle just yet–my plan was to take baby steps up to skiing it as one of my last runs of the day.

We took Cornice Express to Sentinel Bowl (a black). I bobbed and weaved through some of my favorite gullies. Two o’clock rolled around, and we decided it was time to tackle the biggie–Thunder Saddle. We took the Sunrise chair up and traversed to the skier’s left. We arrived at one of the entrances into Thunder Saddle that looked manageable (the toughest run at Thunder Saddle is called Hell’s Delight). The top of the chute had collected a bunch of snow, and to my relief, it was wide enough to make my turns. The path narrowed to a rocky chute, where I sidestepped past the rock jutting toward me. Once through, the Saddle lost its rumble as the slope of the run dwindled to the bottom.

Liking the steep, but wanting something wider, I suggested heading to Zachary’s. The fast run off of Cornice Express was too crowded with skiers and boarders, so we headed to the left to Olympic (a black). It seemed so easy after Thunder Saddle.

We crisscrossed the mountain, but I left behind plenty of advanced terrain–it seems like there’s no end to the advanced stuff at Kirkwood–for a future, braver me to bite off one trip at a time.

SnowFest: a Snow Lover’s Playland

Lake Tahoe is about to “spring” to life with its 29th annual celebration of SnowFest. With activities on and off the snow, events include the a polar bear swim, wacky human bowling and a crazy costume parade. I spoke with the executive director Ruth Schnabel about the gathering that draws up to 30,000 snow lovers each year. Celebrations kick off with a laser show, torchlight parade and fireworks at Squaw Valley on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. and last until March 14.

Wacky Human Bowling. Photo Credit: Niobe Burden

Q: How much work goes into planning for SnowFest?
A: Serious planning for SnowFest goes on year-round, although it ramps up in September. We try to have our first publicity–60,000 rack cards–out before Thanksgiving, so visitors to Tahoe during the holidays make the decision to return for SnowFest in March.

Q: What is your favorite event at SnowFest?
A: I’d have to say the two parades are my favorite events because they’re truly funky small-town parades. Everyone in the parade knows everyone on the sidelines, so there’s much interaction. We have the Vulcans who have come out from the St. Paul Winter Carnival for the past 25 years as guests in our parade; a group of former classmates from the University of Wisconsin Madison who reunite here and have been in our parade the last couple of years and will return this year; and the Tahoe City Kiwanis Club Snow Shovel Drill Team. We will show off all of our big snowplows–they do wheelies, etc. during the parade.

Q: What are some of the best deals at SnowFest?
A: All of the restaurants and bars offer deals. Pick up a copy of The Weekly or the Sierra Sun to find all of the specials in town.

Q: SnowFest is meant to showcase skiing in March. Can you describe why the conditions are so nice this time of year?
A: We usually have some of the best snow–and the best storms are in March, which bring lots of snow–and when it’s not snowing, the sun is shining and its skiing. Today [Thursday] is a typical example–nice snowfall yesterday, clear blue sky with sunshine today. It doesn’t get much better than that!

For a full list of events, a lift ticket/lodging deal to Squaw Valley and more information on SnowFest, visit www.tahoesnowfestival.com.