Tahoe Visual Snow Report- Feb 22, 1012

What a difference a year makes.  From last year’s near record snowfall to this years near record NO snowfall.  Here’s my unbiased, unscientific visual snow report with pics.

We haven’t been spending much time in Tahoe this winter.  The weather has been beautiful on the coast, and surf has been consistent.  This week we spent a few days in Tahoe and did 4 different snow activities- backcountry touring, skate skiing, backcountry randonee, and hiking.

So how much snow is there?  Well, not much.  South and West facing slopes have meager coverage.  True South facing slopes look like May or June, and not February (with more dirt than snow).  There is snow up high, and on North and East facing slopes.  Coverage isn’t great though, and there are still lots of exposed rocks, logs, and bushes (stuff you’d ski right through without noticing in a “normal” winter).

Here are a few pics from our activities.  I think they will tell the story better than words.

Looking south toward South Lake Tahoe from the West Shore.  Better coverage up high.

Oops!  We had to walk through a couple sections while backcountry touring on the West Shore.  Sunny areas, ridges, and south facing slopes have meager coverage.

Lots of obstacles makes for slow skiing!

  Good thing XC skiing only requires a few inches of snow!  Conditions ranged from pretty good, to pretty challenging as seen below.  XC ski areas are going to be really struggling to stay open with the current blast of spring weather and temps in the 50s.

Backcountry Randonee skiing still has fun areas.  East and north slopes still have some great skiing, but lots of exposed logs, branches and rocks make for interesting route finding.  Below, H is skinning up Jakes with Daisy Snow Dog.

  Just a few inches of snow near the lake.  We hiked a few miles.  No need for snowshoes, it’s like dense spring corn snow by the lake.

It’s been an interesting winter.  I remember driving in the snow last year on June 2, 2011.  Perhaps I’ll be mountain biking by April or May this year.  Or skiing if we get more snow…

Tagged as: Tahoe Snow Report

Categorised in: Backcountry, Dogs and Paws, Lake Tahoe, Snow