Blue World Blog - 2.09.09

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Monday, February 9, 2006

What a difference from last week’s report where bicyclist, sports car enthusiasts and Golfers were enjoying the spring like weather. This weekend was a direct flip flop.

Punxsutawney Phil was right last Monday and Winter has returned to the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe!

As of this morning Heavenly reported 7-10” of new with a storm total of 14-20”. Sierra at Tahoe got 12-14” of new and storm total of 29”; and Kirkwood reports 12-16” of new with a 22-24” storm total.

Last Thursday, I was invited to attend a special Locals Hospitality/Press Day with Lake Tahoe Cruises’ Tahoe Queen Après Ski Shuttle. The morning started early with the motor coach pickup at the Horizon Casino Resort at 7:45am. We enjoyed the boxed breakfast on the bus ride around the east shore en route to Squaw Valley.

When we arrived at Squaw the clouds started to engulf the mountain peaks and the light became very flat, even with proper goggles, it was still hard to see. I got up the Funitel and headed up Emigrant to ski over to Shirley Lake. This side of the mountain goes down a basin and is wind protected and is usually groomed out and a great place to take a couple of warm up runs. With the flat light, there are also several runs cut with trees along the side that offer the best visibility in flat-lit conditions.

We took several runs down and some made it up Granite Chief to sample the snow, then we headed down the mountain to Red Dog, the other side of the valley to sample the runs there. The snow was in good shape. This front side of Squaw is really where the vertical is with both Red Dog and KT22 taking you up offering 1300 & 2000 vertical feet of drop.

Later we grabbed some lunch in the Gold Coast Station before we headed back down the mountain run and decided to ride the Cable Car up to High Camp. Most were content to enjoy cocktails in the bar at High Camp while some folks enjoyed The Olympic Ice Pavilion experience.

At 4:00pm we met the motor coaches and were transported to the pier in Tahoe City where the Tahoe Queen was waiting for us. We were able to leave all our gear, except for what we wanted to take on the boat, loaded on the bus. This was the first time I had been on the Tahoe Queen since its refurbishing last spring. I must say they have improved the experience with large scenic windows; a more relaxed interior lay out including a lounge area behind the bandstand and redesigned bars on both decks and more.

We were treated to an incredible and delicious buffet with a variety of items from Salad, Fish, Beef Wellington, fresh carved turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed veggies and more… AND THEN… the Steve Walker Band, a legend on the Tahoe Queen for 25 years, started up with all the popular dance tunes. Everyone had a great time dancing and enjoying the Après Ski Party experience. It’s a must do for any visitor as this is a unique offering at Lake Tahoe.

This week the Tahoe Queen will be offering the Ski Shuttle on Wednesday and Thursday as well as the usual cruise on Friday. They will also have a special Valentine’s Day evening dinner dance cruise on the Queen as well as the M.S. Dixie II. On Sunday, Feb 15, they are hosting a special Pints & Paddles Cruise. Zephyr Cove Snowmobiles will be resuming daily operations as well. Check out ZephyrCove.com or call 1-800-23-TAHOE.

I got to Kirkwood on Sunday and found some untracked turns in a few of my favorite stashes. I rode Cornice to the top and jumped into Jim’s Run where soft packed powder bumps were just starting to form… into the trees along the side to catch a couple of powder turns and back on the run. I took a couple of cruisers down Sentinel Bowl, which was buffed and Upper Look-Out Janek, which was also groomed. Kirkwood works the wench cat often and you can find steep high angled runs groomed and buffed of bumps.

I found some untracked, enough to satisfy 5 to 6 powder turns, down into the Drain accessed from both Buckboard off chair 11 and Lost Cabin off chair 5. To the backside was the next destination. As I rode up Chair 2, Thunder Saddle looked inviting and I made the decision to come back to the front side down the Saddle. At the top of Chair 4, the Covered Wagon Platter lift lower section was operating taking skiers and riders up to the other side of the Wave and I decided to ski some cruisers down Happiness Is and Larry’s Lip and of course came back over and down Thunder Saddle where the snow was perfect.

Later, I took a break to visit Sully at Bub’s and caught the end of the Celtics vs. Spurs game. Kirkwood is offering the Mid Winter Season Pass for $259 that is valid from February 16 through the end of season with no black out dates. Also great deals for Kirkwood pass holders to pick up buddy tickets and if you have a season pass from any other resort you can purchase 3 days of lift tickets for only $99.

On my way back down Carson Pass into Hope Valley, there were lots of other winter sports enthusiasts riding Snowmobiles out of Blue Lake Road and folks enjoying Dog Sled rides as well. There’s anywhere from 2 to 4 feet of snow in Hope Valley and up towards Carson Pass, maybe 5 to 6 feet. I stopped in to see the folks at Hope Valley Outdoors located in their Yurt at Pickett’s Junction (Hwy 88/89). The Snow Park lot was almost full and several cross country skiers and folks on snowshoes were enjoying the day. Snow shoeing is a great winter recreational activity for the entire family and you can rent snowshoes for kids as well. The learning curve is mostly learning how to put them on and after 3 steps walking forward you got it. Hope Valley Outdoors has 20 Miles of groomed trails and 40 miles of marked skier and snowshoe packed trails. There are no trail fees and no snow park permit required. They have equipment rentals and lessons available and you can bring your dog.

With more snow predicted for this week, the Presidents Weekend and week should prove to be enjoyable whether you ski, snowboard, snow shoe, cross country ski or ride snow mobiles. Winter is back!

Have a great week and we’ll see you on the slopes.

Curtis Fong
“The Guy From Tahoe”
bikeandskitahoe.com
KMTN TV
KTHO AM590