Bluegrass, Bombs, and Boosting It
When you find a big mountain chain in close proximity to the largest ocean on the planet, it is inevitable that you will experience variable conditions. What amazes me is how often the Lake Tahoe area produces fantastic conditions despite its physical location.
Saturday started off windy and overcast in Tahoe, so I elected to spend the day in Reno dealing with all of things that have built up over the weeks of skiing. One of the things I love about Reno is that the sun can be shining in the valley while it is absolutely nuking up in Tahoe. Finished my chores, went for a mountain bike ride, and then headed up to the Crystal Bay Club to catch some free bluegrass. Crashed at my buddies place in Kings Beach and awoke bright and early Sunday morning with 7-10 inches of fresh on the mountain.
My friend and I b-lined it to Alpine Meadows, put our boots on in the parking lot to the sound of many bombs being detonated by ski patrol, scored first chair at Scotts, and barely stopped to rest the entire day. The wind loaded much of the snow in various gullies and trees, so it just took just a little bit of poking around to find some really good places. One of the things I really like about Alpine is that if you have the motivation to do some traversing and hiking you are bound to score fresh turns throughout the day.
The light was a bit flat with the sun coming in and out from behind the clouds, so it made it a little difficult to catch good pics. Nonetheless, I came out with a couple of good ones. Hope you enjoy.