Snowboarding

1st day Snowboarding

Now I remember why I am out here at Lake Tahoe. Not for the work, although the money is good. Not for the beautiful views of the Lake, one of the most beautiful views my eyes have set gaze on. But for the Snowboarding! It has been a very slow start to the winter snow season up here at the lake, but with this last storm that we received last Thursday, things are shaping up pretty good. They say that we got about 16" of snow, a moderate storm for the area, but I was in over two feet of snow in some places.

As you can see from this image from Homewood, we still need more snow to get things in great shape. The bushes that you see on the slopes are usually covered and not an obstacle that you have to avoid. With the snow last week, it really made things ride able where you do not have to stick just to the groomers any more. You still have to be careful where you are because the tree stumps and rocks are still poking out in some places.




It was a powder day and for my friend Dan Leudcke, it was his third day on a snowboard and only his first day riding in powder. I informed him of the saying, "No friends on Powder days" and gave him my radio so we could get in touch with each other when we got split up. I stuck with him all day long because it was such a joy for me to see a good friend having the time of his life riding the "Pow" Dan had to leave early around 1ish so he could head to work. I rode for a few more hours and had to stop before the lifts closed because I could feel the fatigue setting in. The night before, I had only got about three hours of sleep and I was starting to feel it.


The next morning I got up early because I knew the powder would be good since it was dumping out when I left the hill the previous day. The weather had cleared and it was a beautiful sunny day. Chilly with temps under 30 degrees which kept the snow good and fresh. Off to Northstar to take advantage of my pass that I got this year there. Thanks to the Rock star parking provided by a friend, it was a quick and easy stroll up to the gondola which got me up to the top of the hill. I was by myself and unfamiliar with the mountain so I am sure I was missing out on the sweet spots. Northstar is a pretty big and popular resort so you have to get there early in order to get the freshest of the fresh. I was a little slow and got to the mountain at about 10:30a.m. but I was still able to find some powder stashes in the trees. It was a great day and the views were very impressive. Snowboarding is why I am here at Lake Tahoe! We have another storm moving in on Thursday. It is not looking like it will be a three to four foot dumper for us, but it will be enough to freshen up the mountains and bury some more of the tree stumps and rocks opening up more terrain for all of us to enjoy.