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Showing posts from November, 2021

"Help me... I'm melting."

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 Not looking so good after all for this weekend as the beginning terrain is narrower than some would like but... like everything else, that could change. The weather looks to stay 10 degrees or more warmer than average which also puts a kink in the snowmaking hose. Looks to be some better weather news out on the horizon though with a change in the pattern forecast for Monday/Tuesday of next week. However, keep in mind thats a good long ways off. Hang in there skiers and boarders. It WILL happen.  Sven

Opening Day is Coming....

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 Looking better and better up here in terms of an opening... I would now suggest waxing up those boards as we may actually see some skiing happen at Rose as soon as Friday or this weekend.  Its just scuttlebutt at this point but percentages are running about 75% chance of an opening... there you go. Stay tuned as we will probably hear from Rose a day or two before they open if they use SOP.  Stay tuned! Sven PS      Opening day will probably not look like this but one can dream...

More Warm and Dry on the Horizon

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 Same old story folks... the long range for December just came out from the National Weather Service and it predicts warmer and drier weather than average in December. Of course they said the same thing in October when we received a three foot dump making steep skiing possible in October in a number of places for the first time in many years. Although the NWS is fairly (and I use this word "fairly" in the broadest possible sense) accurate 12 to 48 hours out, any more than that is a crap shoot as they have proven time and time again. Keep in mind that individual weather events have a mind of their own and ultimately Ma Nature is in charge as our weather guru over at www.tahoeweatherblog.com has repeatedly pointed out. To get the latest weather info that impacts winter sports in the Carson Range I have found his site to be the most accurate and always with a very positive spin for us skiers and boarders. If you haven't already, you should definitely check him out. Keep in m

George Wagner: Snowmaker Extraordinaire

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 When Rose finally opens... it will primarily be due to the efforts of George Wagner and his snowmaking crew. Recently promoted to King of Snowmaking, Wagner pours over forecasts daily looking for any chance he can get to fire up the guns and start blasting. Unfortunately, with the exception of just a handful of nights, high pressure and temperature inversions have been keeping his hands tied a majority of the time.  Many of you may remember George as a liftee back in '04 when his aka was "Bam Bam." He worked his way up to grooming and has been the heart of the night shift over the last several years doing the heavy duty winch catting operations around the mountain. This year he will have an even bigger role in slope quality control with King of Grooming Dave Hahl's retirement as well as Skojo's departure. Technically, George is competent and highly skilled in his chosen profession, but even more importantly, he still is one of the nicest guys on the mountain... a

If temps cooperate Rose MAY open for Thanksgiving...

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 Snowmaking crew has been working hard to make that white stuff we all need to feel under our skis but Ma Nature has not been very cooperate. They were able to blow snow last night and would need several more nights with cold enough temps to make it happen before Thanksgiving. Looking at the forecast it is entirely possible they might be able to scramble and make it happen. Gawd knows with Palisades and Alpine's announcement that they will not open in November that it will be a ZOO should Rose find a way to open.  Stay tuned... Sven PS Might it look like a Vail Nightmare? Heaven forbid!

Rose Opening... don't kill the messenger

 I think most of us can remember in the "Before Times" how Rose used to push to open on Halloween and then proceed to brag about their six month season at 8260. It is now November 15 and halfway through the month no one can say for sure when the lifts might spin at Rose, or anywhere else in Northern California for that matter.  What's the problem you ask? Well think about this weekend. Most of us were wearing shorts on our hikes, folks were paddle boarding and kayaking like it was September and there were water skiers on Tahoe... that should give you a clue. On top of Rifle Peak at almost 10,000 feet two mosquitos flew by me... MOSQUITOS in November at elevation. What the hell? Despite the fact that we experienced an anomalous atmospheric river and record breaking precipitation two days in October that at the very least offered us an end to the wild fire season and some skiing for a few willing to trust the depth (count me in on that one) we still find ourselves in a weat