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Roger Romani

Squaw skier by birth, writer by accident, and mountaineer by reason of insanity. If it's got snow on it, you can probably get me excited about either going up it or down it. You can find pictures of me climbing flat snowfields, jumping off of small rocks and doing other boring things on insta @rkromani.

Cold Water Immersion Safety Information

With the last of the snow melting in the Sierra and across the country, skiers and snowboarders are taking to the water: surfing, paddling, swimming, cliff jumping, boating, or just plain floating. After a season of sending and getting rowdy in the snow, we usually think of summer water sports as fun, safe substitutes for our winter activities, and to […]

Roger Romani | May 29, 2020
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VIDEO: “Powder” Skiing In California Last Week!

  View this post on Instagram   It was a little crunchy under the 4″ of new snow… But it was skiing, on a “real” big mountain line, on “powder,” in October, in California! . Thanks for being down to start ski season a bit early @spaceycasey93 and @jamie.lefkowitz ! Swipe left for Casey’s angle from across the lake. . […]

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Roger Romani | October 11, 2019
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Mt. Shasta, CA Report: Shasta’s Going Off Right Now – Come and Get It!

Report from June 23rd, 2019 Come one, come all, to one of the great centers of California backcountry summer skiing: Mt. Shasta, CA. People certainly got the memo that Shasta has been going off. I rolled up to the usually sleepy and very rural Brewer Creek trailhead (still impassible to cars to the actual trailhead due to snow) on Saturday […]

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Roger Romani | June 25, 2019
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Eastern Sierra, CA Backcountry Report: The Third Pillar Chute | Tioga Pass, CA

Report from June 3rd, 2019 The Eastside has been FIRING this week. Tioga Pass/120 opened to Yosemite’s east gate on Saturday. Miles and I heard about the opening driving back from a quick very long strike mission to Zebra Coulior on Emmerson, and knew we had to get up there. We car shuttled, leaving my car just east of the […]

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Roger Romani | June 4, 2019
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Mammoth Mountain, CA Report: 718″ Of Snowfall This Season & This Place Is Looking Fat!

Report from June 3rd, 2019 Mammoth isn’t skiing like it usually is in June. In fact, if I’d just stepped out of a time machine and onto the mountain, my best guess would have been that I had just landed in mid-April. The snow was deep all the way to the base, and Chair 23 was ripping. We skied lap […]

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Roger Romani | June 4, 2019
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STUDY: 30% of All Avalanche Fatalities in Western USA Occurred During an Atmospheric River

  Research published by Benjamin Hatchet, Susan Burak, Jon Rutz, Nina Oakley, Edward Bair, and Michael Kaplan in the Journal of Hydrometerology suggests a strong link between Atmospheric River (AR) events and avalanche deaths. According to their research, 31% of avalanche fatalities between 1998 and 2014 occurred either during or shortly after an AR event. West Coast skiers got very […]

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Roger Romani | February 17, 2019
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Lake Tahoe Drowning Deaths Due to Cold Water Shock NOT Hypothermia

People die in Lake Tahoe’s waters every year. Cold water shock is one of the most common causes of death in the lake. Becoming quickly immersed in cold water can cause an involuntary gasp, difficulty breathing, rapid breathing or muscle failure, all of which can lead to drowning. Authorities urge lake users to wear live jackets, even if they don’t […]

Roger Romani | August 6, 2018
1 Comment

Trip Report: North Coulior of Thunderbolt Peak, CA | February 17th-19th, 2018

This is me. In this moment, I’m perched on a ledge about the size of a desk, on a ridge at about 13,900′, with thousands of feet of exposure on either side of me. I’m belaying my partner, Tyler Karow, as he’s about to set out over the next bump on the ridge to see if it’s the 5.9 summit […]

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Roger Romani | February 22, 2018
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Jackson Hole Conditions Report January 5th, 2018: A Change is Gonna Come…

Cloudy today, with the sun poking out at times. Sticking to the trees or taking advantage of patches of sun was smart, as the light could be fairly flat otherwise. Views were still on point (see above). On the first couple of runs of the day, there was ~1″ of loose snow on top of everything. It must have been windblown? […]

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Roger Romani | January 8, 2018
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Jackson Hole Conditions Report January 4th, 2018: Bluebird

Another day, another beautiful day of bluebird at Jackson Hole. A little warmer today, up to ~30F on the upper mountain, teens to 20s on lower mountain. The mountain was fairly empty, especially for a holiday period. We were usually within ~10 skiers of walking on the tram, and rarely waited for more than 3 mins in any lift line. We lapped the […]

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Roger Romani | January 4, 2018
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Jackson Hole Conditions Report, January 3rd, 2018: It’s good!

My first day (ever!) in Jackson was one for the books. The mountain is huge, steep, and above all else fun. I’m very, very glad I made the 12 hour drive from Tahoe. We started out the day by looking into Corbetts (which was closed), and then hitting the Alta chutes on the way to Sublette. Snow was a cold […]

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Roger Romani | January 3, 2018
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Trip Report: 6000 ft of Bliss on Mt. Shasta, August 13th, 2017

  Everyone has to have a reason to get out of bed. For some people, it’s the paycheck they’re about to earn, or the kids they’re about to get ready for school, or the classes they’re about to take. I was ready when the light switched on at 1:30 am on Sunday, August 13th, 2017. I was going to go skiing. […]

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Roger Romani | August 18, 2017
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VIDEO: Freeride World Tour Badass and Squaw Valley Local Ryan Faye’s 2016/17 Season Edit

Ryan Faye has been throwing down this season. From the Chimney and Siberia Ridge at Squaw, to Alaskan faces on the Freeride World Tour, to the kickers at Snowbird, Ryan turned heads and cemented his status as part of the next generation of top Squaw freeriders. Ryan started his freeride career on the Squaw Valley Big Mountain team, and just […]

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Roger Romani | July 28, 2017
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Which Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts Have the Best College Season Passes?

Which Tahoe resorts have the best deals for college passes? We tallied the costs, counted the blackout days, and weighed the pluses and minuses to help you figure it all out. ******* Squaw/Alpine Price: $469 Blackout days: None! Pluses: The terrain, oh, the terrain. It doesn’t get much more fun than Squaw, period. Send the fingers, pole whack on the ‘saides, and […]

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Roger Romani | July 27, 2017
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Silverton Unguided Season Pass: The Ultimate Ski Bum’s Multimountain Pass?

faceshots and steeps at Silverton

Silverton is pretty different from your average ski hill, so it’s fitting that the “Unguided Season Pass” they just introduced is pretty different from your average pass. The pass goes for a bum-friendly $149, and includes unlimited “unguided” skiing after their guided season finishes, half off heli bumps, discounted guided days at Silverton, and free days at a number of […]

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Roger Romani | July 25, 2017
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Trip Report: Skiing the North Peak Couloirs Near Yosemite, CA on July 22nd, 2017

It all started out sounding so chill. Drive up to Tioga pass, see what lines look good, and eke out one more weekend of skiing. Tyler Karow, my partner for the trip, mentioned a couple of routes (including the North Peak couloirs), which I aimlessly googled for beta and checked out on a topo. Our plan was mostly just to […]

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Roger Romani | July 24, 2017
2 Comments

Detwiler Fire Outside Yosemite, CA Triples in Size | Lake Tahoe Basin Under “Air Quality Alert”

The Detwiler Fire continues to burn in Mariposa county near Yosemite National Park, causing road closures and evacuations. The fire has almost tripped in size over the past three days, growing from 25,000 acres to its current size of more than 70,000 acres. Currently, the fire is only 10% contained. Firefighters have called the fire “extreme and aggressive,” and Governor Jerry Brown […]

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Roger Romani | July 20, 2017
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Australia Ski Resorts’ Storm Totals: Up to 30 cm!

Australia 24 Hour Totals: *** Falls Creek: 20 cm Hotham: 14 cm Mt. Buller: 13 cm   Perisher: 25 cm And the winner is… Threbdo: 30 cm

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Roger Romani | July 19, 2017
1 Comment

Heavenly, CA Ski Patroller Dies on Mt. Rainier, WA

Heavenly ski resort, CA ski patroller Dmitri Pajitnov’s body remains missing after he fell through a snow bridge into a running creek on 14,411′ Mt. Rainier, WA on July 3rd, 2017. Rescue efforts have been called off after determining that the area was unsafe for searchers and that the odds of survival were “essentially negligible.” While the family and friends of […]

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Roger Romani | July 18, 2017
1 Comment

Squaw Valley, CA Saturday July 15th Conditions Report: Last Day of the Epic 2016/17 Season?

All good things must come to an end. While Squaw might be able to eke out another weekend, we’re now down to only Gold Coast, and it looks like last weekend might have been the end to the legendary 2017 season. The snow was slushy and fun. Gold Coast was the only lift that was spinning, and accessed a strip of snow […]

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Roger Romani | July 17, 2017
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