For Sugar Bowl Skiers & Riders
Opening day is almost here!! Better not eat too much tofurkey this holiday, because you’re gonna be up bright and early Friday!
Looks like Jerome will be spinning, and Hard Drinkin’ Lincoln too!
Sugar was selling some day tickets, but they’re already gone for opening day and weekend.
Ready to get your Sugar Gnar on, friends? I know I am for sure. See you in five days!
-JS
While we’re all waiting anxiously for Sugar Bowl’s opening day in one week (we’ll see you there), I thought I’d share the best way to watch incoming storms and get your stoke on.
First up is the Tahoe Daily Snow, where you can find BA’s great snow- and mountain-specific reports for the area, and fun geeking out on the forecast models, historic precipitation, and all things snow.
Second stop is the Weather Underground’s Serene Lakes station forecast, which is right next to Sugar Bowl. The 10-day graph is my go-to for visualizing when and how storms come in.
And lastly, be safe out there and always check Sierra Avalanche Center daily advisory before heading out the boundary.
See you in a week!
– J. Snow
That’s right. We’re back for the 2019/2020 season! We’ll be tagging lifts, crushing pow, breaking trail and, most importantly, having FUN!
No snow in the forecast just yet.. Sugar says they’ll open in one month, on November 29th. Let’s hope a storm brings us an earlier date.
What is Unofficial Sugar Bowl? It’s a ski team, a website, a community, an annual closing day cave party, an attitude, a lifestyle. 🙂
Also time for our annual reminder that Unofficial Sugar Bowl is YOU! Wanna share your pics or video? Post about conditions? Have opinions on operations, coaches, local politics, who makes the best bloody? It’s all fair game. Get in touch and I’ll be happy to make you an account so you can post too.
-John S.
Hi friends! What a great season opening! Happy 2018/2019!
Lincoln opened Saturday, Disney opened Sunday, plus as an afternoon surprise, the top gates at Lincoln for fun in Silver Belt, the Sisters and ’58s. Wow!
Not that patrol isn’t doing an amazing job, but I’m surprised the hike out from Lincoln to J-Bowl didn’t open Monday. I guess it’s the first few days of the year, we’ll have to watch and see what opening rhythms look like this year.
Lastly, a reminder that Unofficial Sugar Bowl is YOU! Wanna share your pics or video? Post about conditions? Have opinions on operations, coaches, local politics, who makes the best bloody? It’s all fair game. Get in touch and I’ll be happy to make you an account so you can post too.
-JS
Freshies in J-Bowl with Snow White and John Snow!
That’s right! I’ve been all over this March but the first Sunday in April found me back home at Sugar for some sweet spring turns. I missed you, Sugar Bowl!
And would you look at that… snow on the way this weekend. It’s good to be home.
-J Snow
That’s right, Alpine!
Sounds like Sugar Bowl did a great job getting operations going Sunday and Monday, but I couldn’t get there. Caltrans had 80 closed all day from Truckee..
So on Tuesday I went to Alpine instead! Alpine was completely closed Sunday and Monday and opened almost all their terrain except High Traverse Tuesday.
Whatever the state of current management (grr..), Alpine is still one of my favorite mountains ever. It is where I learned what Tahoe was all about, chasing powder off piste.
I visited almost all of my favorite spots! Promised Land, Broccoli tree (aka the “Tree of Life”), the Bakery AND the Lower Bakery, Saddle, High Yellow, Counterweight Gully, Pete’s. Missed out on the Sisters and Closing Rock… next time!
One buried Bakery!
See you back at the Bowl!
– John S
Last weekend your intrepid editor made it out Friday and Sunday. 80 was closed from a mudslide so my plans to ski with friends visiting from the bay area were thwarted yet again.
Friday was another great powder day in an epic, record-breaking season. This one was surprisingly empty.  Sure, the highway was closed, but lots of previous pow weekdays have been busier with nobody but us die hard locals. Hey, I’m not complaining! Spent the day on Disney. I heard Lincoln opened in the afternoon but I missed that! Alas, you can’t score them all.
I heard things were busy on Saturday the 11th but I had already opted out…
Sunday had a great time hiking J bowl with Unofficial Sugar Bowl contributor Mean Dean! Maybe one day he’ll wake up and write another blackout date snow report. 😛
Alas, work travel and blackout dates have kept me off the hill since the 13th. Back on Monday the 20th for storm skiing. See you in the trees!
– J Snow
The first weekend in February was great! If you’re a hater who only likes their powder light and fluffy, then hey, this was the time for you to make jokes about our cement and get out of my way. Personally, I’m thrilled to tear up anything fresh, even if it is wind-affected and on the heavy side.
Friday was empty as could be and snowing like mad. Around mid-day it got deep enough to stop bottoming out and then it was free refills for the rest of the day. Lots of great Lincoln laps on East Bowl (thanks Mean Dean!) and Roller.
Saturday had some crowds and lines, but overall we’re pretty spoiled at Sugar. Lincoln did take a while to get open. I heard some grumping that they sent everyone who was lined up away and then wound up opening shortly thereafter. I missed that, lapping fresh turns from top to bottom on a stealth Nancy’s/Sugar Bowl opening instead. Huge stripes of avy chow in there are a reminder of everything the patrol does to keep us safe inbounds! Props SBSP, you’re the real pros.
Sunday Crows opened again! Like a wise stranger said to me on the lift, Saturday he was a little mad about it, but Sunday he was super happy about the slight delay. After four or five laps there, the crowd did get a bit overwhelming for a fixed triple. Still, another super day at the bowl. 🙂
Unfortunately, the next storm, while starting out with some snow, changed over to rain early Monday. Sugar was closed Monday and Tuesday, and although things are calmer and they look to be opening Wednesday for some rain skiing, I’ll pass and see you back on the hill Friday or Saturday.
– John S
Just time for a quick recap!
Monday the 23rd… Gondola closed in the morning, strange, but what an epic day of skiing! In contrast to our friends over at some other resorts, Sugar opened almost all of their lifts and off-piste terrain, including Disney, Sugar Bowl, the Palisades, Lincoln, the Sisters and Silver Belt. And Roller too. Wow. Props to patrol for all the hard work!
Tuesday the 24th… Sunshine? I forgot what this was like! Hiked out to Judah bowl, aww yeah! But no Crow’s? I thought at the time it might be on midweek money hold…
Thursday the 26th… Crow’s is finally open!
More sunshine the last few days of January. Almost got a taste of a few corn turns here and there.
And now February brings the storms back… beginning of this one was wet and sticky, but it looks to be piling up now. See you out there! Raar!
– J Snow