Category: Snow Reports

just time for a quick recap of the early season…

Opening weekend with rain Friday, snow Saturday and then some ridiculous lines on Jerome.   Never seen anything like that at Sugar before.  Fortunately, terrain opened rapidly after that.  Some great pow days and lots of sunshine inthe early season so far.

It’s been great to see and make turns old and new friends.  Plus, there’s been lots of great costumes and helmet bling out there, and it’s not even spring yet!

We’ll be back shortly with some opinions about recent changes and such, and more of the usual stoke.  In the meantime, if YOU have an opinion on the new park location or anything else Sugar, feel free to get in touch.

Holiday crowds were here with us one final weekend, and now things are back to normal.  See you out there making some hot laps!

Why don’t we kick off the season with a wet Sierra storm?  On the bright side, it’s exactly what we need to get the base started and make sure there’s no weak layer at the bottom of the snowpack.  On the other hand, I’m not feeling motivated to wait outside in the rain for a cookie and some champers, haha.  I’ll wait for the changeover to snow and some free refills.

What a start to the season!  See you out there!

Just time for a quick recap … the big one (ten and half feet!  but super windpacked), first spring, return of winter with a series of decent pow days, and second spring is just around the corner.

Yup, the Palisades reopened for the second time this season… and the second season in a row!  And I’m not talking about some Other Resort, we had our Palisades long before those fools.

Yup, the beginning of March has brought with it a proper Tahoe storm, the kind measured in feet.  Looks like blizzard conditions might quiet down a little Sunday and allow us to get out there and play?  I’ll be there with my pow tails on.

Wow.  What a great powder day!  Not totally bottomless, but more than enough.  I wasn’t complaining about the occasional scratchy sound from my tails.

Not sure why no one showed up.  Even for the Bowl, it was empty.  And half of the regulars never made it to Crow’s… open weekdays this season!  I found an orange circle that said “Powder shot” and it was all mine.  🙂

Woo!  The best park at Sugar is now open!

Beacon park is located at the bottom of Overland.  You need a beacon to play.  😉

(Today’s song pairing: Nightmares on Wax – So here we are)

False spring, sleeper pow days, Palisades reopening (and staying open!), Peak Snow, real spring, Team Unoff representing at the Uphiller &  Banked Slalom (Disco on the same gear for both, hehe)… just wow.

Oh!  And Old 40 reopened yesterday.  I missed you, Old 40!

View from the top of West Palisade on reopening day:

Just starting to see the top of the trail maps peek out again at Dis and Tree… hard to believe there’s less than two weeks of lift-served skiing left.  Corn harvest is a go!

Closing day cave party will be on Sunday the 30th!

On a sleeper Thursday morning,  for the first time since 2019, the Palisades opened!!

A couple weeks back I recall a stranger on the chair wondering if the Palisades could open “without Darren Rahlves leading the charge”.  Haha!  OF COURSE our patrol can open the Palisades!

Not too many folks on the mountain but Team Unoff was representing!   I’ve dropped Middle Palisade and West Palisade before, but First Palisade was new for me.

And just like that, the next storm moved in Thursday afternoon, visibility went in the toilet and the magical morning was over.   I don’t know what the state of things will be post-cement, but I’d bet this wasn’t a one-and-done situation.  The Palisades will hopefully be open again this amazing season…

Winds were howling when I made it up to Sugar for the first time post-blizzard.

On Wednesday,  an attempt was made to operate Dis, but the wind didn’t cooperate.  Consolation prize instead was Jerome.  With barely anyone at the mountain, there were lots of fresh tracks to be had.

Thursday morning had some of the longest lines of the season on Disney.  Snow conditions were mostly wind-affected and questionable.  Lots of folks left eventually.  Heard someone doubting whether Lincoln would open.  Ha!  You must be thinking of some other mountain, my friend.  Of COURSE Lincoln opened in the afternoon, and all the gates as well (except Lincoln East Face?).  Somehow, a night and day difference from Disney’s conditions, much better snow!

Aand… more feet on the way this weekend!  Because 539″ isn’t enough, haha.

Overheard outside Village lodge as I was warming up after my first few laps.  🙂

It was a great day and a challenging day.  Definitely found some great deep stashes of light, blower pow pow.  Not our usual Tahoe cement today for sure!  But also wind, blowing snow, tough visibility, scoured-off aspects, not yet unlimited depth (maybe later in the afternoon), and cold and windy AF, yow!

Wow, we’re so incredibly blessed with an amazing Patrol and Ops team here at Sugar.  I loaded Dis a few minutes after 9.  Was on Lincoln and at the top of the mountain before midday.   Other unmentioned unofficial folks struggled to get a little bit up their lower mountains.

Hopefully I-80 is open and I can get there Friday.  Saturday is going to be prime.  All the lollipops should flip to green!

Get after it!

DC