Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

Going to Tahoe, Pointers?

4K views 32 replies 12 participants last post by  Skinny Bam 
#1 ·
So I'm going to Sierra-at-Tahoe this November, the week after thanksgiving. I have only ever been to Bear and Mt. High so I figure I'm in for a nice surprise, but is this a good time to go?

I believe we are going to do two trips there, one early season, and one after Christmas because we can't go during holiday season because the passes we are using are the ones that are included in the Mt. High season pass.

So i guess my question is, is the that going to be still a good time to go or should I find other non-holiday dates to go?

Also what are a few good non-boarding things to hit up for a 19 year old kid?

Any suggestions are helpful thanks guys!
 
#2 ·
If you can I would defenetly wait till after Christmas for both of your trips. I may be wrong but i don't think sierra makes any snow, so if we don't get much snow they won't have much if anything open. I wanna say sierra didn't even open till early december last year.
 
#10 ·
Yeah, I've never had much luck with early-season at Tahoe. You're likely to be met with a lot of closed/bare terrain. But you never know. We started holding off until mid/late February. Much better shot at getting good conditions. Nothing worse than looking at all these awesome mountains with closed trails!
 
#8 ·
I work at Sierra and it's a super fun mountain, but KC is right they don't blow their own snow so they depend on mother nature to open. Luckily, the snow from the other week looks like it's still holding and there may be some more on the way. If we do get some weather I'd say there's a chance we could be open around thanksgiving. I think your best bet is to just stay flexible and see what the weather does. Otherwise I'd even recommend just saving your tickets until after Christmas, it'll be worth the wait!
 
#11 ·
Plan on going sometime between late Feb. and early March and just watch the weather. I went for a week on presidents day a couple years ago and got sooo lucky with the conditions. Literally snowed at least 30" almost every night after we got there....powder was so ridiculous the parks at both Heavenly and Sierra weren't open. Not that I cared too much as I def got some of the best tree runs in ever at both places.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I think I was there that year, the last two weeks of Feb two years ago, starting President's Day week. It snowed for four days...never seen anything like it! I literally didn't know how to ride it. We stayed in Tahoe City, so Homewood was the easiest place to get to, and mid-week was sweet. Super quiet. But, man! That snow was fcuking crazy! So deep, I didn't know what to do with it! I've never ridden where you didn't even have to turn...just lean way back and go for it. Homewood glades were insane with that deep pow! Probably won't make it back this year...had foot surgery for a torn tendon last season. Still recovering. Very sad!
 
#15 ·
Yeppp thats when it was. Shit was crazy. My buddy who I was riding with had never rode in real powder so he had a tough time following me through the trees but he started to catch on pretty quick. Not gonna lie I was a little bummed the parks were closed even though there was so much fresh...coming from AZ I dont get a lot of 35+ foot jumps. Pretty funny to see faces of the staff when I asked when they were opening the park when it was some of the best pow days of the year :laugh:

Luckily my last day we hit Diamond Peak which although very small did have 2 nice size jumps and park that was open. Looking forward to making a trip again this year since i got the Epic.
Diamond Peak is cute! We went only because I was doing a business call on the Marketing Dept, and they comped me after our meeting. Still only stayed for a couple of hours. It is BEAUTIFUL, but gets boring really fast. Still, we had deep pow, and I went down one of their little blacks and triggered a mini-avalanche! At Diamond Peak, of all places! Slide halfway down the mountain upside down and head first. Glad it was there, and not Kirkwood!
 
#30 ·
Diamond Peak is cute! We went only because I was doing a business call on the Marketing Dept, and they comped me after our meeting. Still only stayed for a couple of hours. It is BEAUTIFUL, but gets boring really fast. Still, we had deep pow, and I went down one of their little blacks and triggered a mini-avalanche! At Diamond Peak, of all places! Slide halfway down the mountain upside down and head first. Glad it was there, and not Kirkwood!
Diamond Peak seems to have the best views of the Lake, of all the Tahoe mountains. It's true that it gets boring fast, depending on skill level I suppose, since it's such a small area and not that much to explore. Then again lift tickets are relatively cheap and parking is easy.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I think Homewood, Alpine and Squaw tix are all interchangeable now. Homewood owns Alpine. That's why I like staying in North Lake (that, and the fact that a family friend owns the house and rents it to us for practically nothing). North Lake is the perfect location! It's a long way to Kirkwood, though, especially if the pass through E bay is closed. The days we go to K'wood we usually stay at the Lakeside Inn in SLT. Cheap digs, very snowboarder friendly, all-night Casino and Mexican food joint, cheap lift tix at the concierge desk, and it puts you 45 minutes closer to Kirkwood. I love the Lakeside! Great little dive!
 
#18 ·
Depends!

2 seasons ago Kirkwood opened the 20th November with 5 feet of fresh, last season we had none until March....hoping for a November opening again!
 
#23 ·
So this last storm was pretty sweet, but not great base building snow. It looks like we're going to get some pretty consistent weather coming through in the next couple weeks but it'll depend how much snow each storm brings. I don't wanna get on my amateur weatherman soapbox so I'll just say realistically, unless you absolutely have to get out here early season I think the longer you're able to wait the better it'll be. (Although conditions already look better than the first 2 months I moved here last winter!)

In other news, I haven't checked the forum but has anyone addressed the sierra/squaw/alpine merger rumors?

Elvey! Miss ya big guy...hope to see you out here for some spring riding perhaps?
 
#28 ·
Originally Posted by rob7289
whats the nightlife out there look like? must go places?

Depends when u go...if u go for new years stay close to the casinos as you will be walking home with a buzz.....lol the cabs are impossible to get that evening.....if you want to hit the club (Vex), you can....also the party is on the 50 that night and around the casinos....other than new years you can have fun but for the most part the tourists stick around the casinos.....
 
#29 ·
My 2 cents on a few SLT Resorts...

Kirkwood-absoultley epic on a POW day, but you gotta leave early in the am as the roads will get shut down even though they are clear the area is an avalanche area

Heavenly-sure why not ride it especially because of the ease of access....i mean who wouldnt want to drink all day on the mountain and then walk back or blue line it......if you know the area on a POW day check out firebreak, gotta ask a local they can direct you......

Sierra-fun resort, but i save my sierra days for when the other resorts go on a wind hold sierra sits in a make shift bowl and they rarely seem to go on wind hold.....


If this is your only chance to get to tahoe the week after thanksgiving then take advantage and hit it up, but you will not beable to even begin to ride any of the sick lines that are possible, i would reschedule for a new date and watch the weather, if im not mistaken there is a big set coming in next weds-sun.....
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top