The Chutes 2020 Last Call

The end of Winter In the Chutes 2020 is upon us! Only Saddle is left and even that will most likely require a rappel over the small falls in there. Only diehards need apply.

Sven


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Season Winds Down with a Bang & a Whimper...

Image
Lots of BBQ's, beer wagons and costumed patrons led to a great last day of the season at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. Many closing days have been less than extraordinary with frozen crust, snow or high winds. Today was the exeption. Although there was some wind at the top it didn't amount to much and the snow softened quickly with temps in the 50's. The Chutes almost didn't open. Understaffed, the lift department just didn't have enough liftees... in stepped Mikyla (pictured below) a ski patrol rookie who volunteered to run The Chuter Unload... thanks to Patrol for making The Chutes happen the last day. They were absolutely sublime with all gates East of El Cap open. One could also downhill traverse over to El Cap which was the best I've seen it sans pow in many years. Pic is of Naia Selby ripping down it like it was a groomer. I can say with confidence The Chutes were absolutely stunning today and so forgiving that even I felt pretty good dancing with gravity. Groomer...
Read more

The Chutes... 45 days on

Image
On Saturday a kid in the Skytavern Junior Ski Program took the Oblivion Express into a tree on the Cut Throat run in the The Chutes at the Mt. Rose Ski Area. He ended up in the ICU but is expected to fully recover.  The results could have been much worse.  Most of us are tired of seeing patrol rescues, ambulances and Careflight rides resulting from skiing or boarding and then losing control in The Chutes the last five weeks. This post addresses where we currently are in The Chutes in an effort to minimize future accidents and point out that you are putting more than yourself at risk when you ski beyond our ability.  Occasionally I get asked "Why are The Chutes still closed?" or, less occasionally, "Why are The Chutes still open?". My stock answer is something about snow safety, patroller safety, the time it takes to open complex terrain or the neglected skill of skiing within one's ability etc. And I only hear the question a 10,000th of the times patrol hears it...
Read more

Poli'ahu: Hawaiian Snow Goddess coming to a mountain near you...

Image
The models have come into agreement and when Tahoe Weather Blog and Weather West both say we can expect multiple feet of snow, then you better wax up your skis and shovels. When looking at the liquid precip equivalent and the low temps of this forecast, combined with a subtropical moisture tap is very reminiscent of some of the storms we got in February of 2017. Yes, folks I am betting the house on a minimum of 48" of snow in the Carson Range, and perhaps more.  Batten down the hatches. You can expect blizzard conditions sometime Wed and Thursday which may interrupt transportation and lift operations Sierra wide. This is not a moderate storm but something to prepare for. With the snow levels low enough to bring flakes to parts of the Sacramento Valley and foothill communities like Redding, Placerville and Auburn AND Reno you can expect traffic snarls, road closures, power outages and other issues late this week.  Somebody out there did their snow dance and did a damn good job ...
Read more