lake tahoe

Saturday, December 18, 2021. . On Saturday, December 18, 2021, we woke at 05:30 to prepare for the long drive to North Lake Tahoe. One of our friends offered us a room at a house on Donner Lake (near Truckee), and we planned to use it as a base to snowboard at Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) and at Alpine Meadows. I pre-purchased Ikon passes…

After waking up around 6:45 a.m., I showered and dressed for snowboarding at Alpine Meadows. Carlo and Susan - our hosts at the Truckee Airbnb - prepared a delicious breakfast for us: yogurt, scrambled eggs, hot coffee, and tea.. . . . After breakfast, we drove to Alpine Meadows, arriving at about 8:12 a.m. The drive was supposed to take 25 minutes, but it took…

A few months ago, I purchased 2-day Squaw Valley lift tickets for a planned trip to Truckee, CA. However, due to the extreme snowfall, all of the roads to Truckee were closed.. . After our recent epic snowboarding trip to Mammoth, we decided to head back to Squaw Valley (before the warmer temperatures melted all of the freshly fallen powder). My plan was to head…

After a long day of snowboarding at Heavenly, we decided to try snowboarding at Kirkwood - one of our favorite Lake Tahoe resorts - especially because the US-88 road was open.. . . . To avoid parking problems, we woke up early and departed South Lake Tahoe at 7:00 am for the one-hour ride to Kirkwood. We left on time and arrived at Kirkwood at…

With another significant snowstorm approaching, Alex and I were eager to have one last go at snowboarding at Lake Tahoe's ski resorts. Checking the weather on Friday, March 16, I was concerned about the requirement for chains on Highway US-50 and US-80 and the closure of US-88 (the road to Kirkwood).. . . . When I woke up at 4:00 am on Saturday morning, I…

Time to make fresh tracks!. . When a massive snowstorm appeared on the horizon, Alex and I began tracking it using the OnTheSnow and OpenSnow apps on our iPhones. Hoping for some fresh, light powder at Lake Tahoe ski resorts, we eagerly anticipated its arrival.. . . . As expected, the storm deposited 30+ inches of fresh snow at Kirkwood, Heavenly, Northstar, and other nearby…

With a reported total of 16 inches of fresh snow at Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, January 24, and Thursday, January 25, Alex and I decided to try snowboarding at Northstar and Heavenly on Saturday, January 28, and Sunday, January 29. . . . We woke up around 03:50 on Saturday, January 29, and quickly dressed for the 4-hour drive to Northstar (from San Jose). The…

Since I purchased the Epic Local Pass from Vail Ski Resorts for Alex and me, I was eager to snowboard at one of the accessible ski resorts (Heavenly, Kirkwood, or Northstar). Although the snow conditions were not very favorable, I decided to try snowboarding at Heavenly anyway.. . I booked a room for one night on Saturday, January 13, at the conveniently located Blue Lake…

After getting up at 4:00 a.m., we packed our snowboarding gear and headed to Kirkwood Ski Resort near South Lake Tahoe, California. The drive was surprisingly smooth, and I arrived in Kirkwood around 8:00 a.m. (a 3.5-hour drive). The roads were clear; there were no snow or highway restrictions (e.g., 88, 89, 50). . . . . Since we arrived early (around 8:00 a.m.), we…

With excellent, fresh snow in Lake Tahoe (and 48" of new snow at Kirkwood), I was eager to make my own fresh tracks at Kirkwood - one of my favorite Lake Tahoe ski resorts.. . Since the drive to Kirkwood is long and tedious, I decided to use the Bay Area Ski Bus, a shuttle service that provides transportation to one of many Lake Tahoe…

Kirkwood has always been one of my favorite Lake Tahoe ski resorts (from when I lived in Sacramento).. . . Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, I have not snowboarded or skied there (Kirkwood being too far away). Kirkwood is ideal for advanced/expert skiers and snowboarders and doesn't usually feel crowded like other resorts (like Sierra-at-Tahoe, Squaw, or Heavenly).. . . . .…

I got up at around 6:00 a.m. for the long drive to North Lake Tahoe. I took I-680 North to I-80 East. There was little traffic in the morning, and I arrived at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort at around 9:30 a.m.. . I parked at the Village Gondola and changed into my snowboarding outfit. I rode the village gondola to the Village Lodge. It's a…