Backcountry
Conditions Report
Report from December 15, 2024
We weren’t sure what to expect out there yesterday so we stumbled outta bed and onto the slopes at Palisades Tahoe early.
The storm was hitting hard with 100mph winds that kept the upper mountain closed.
Red Dog and the Resort Chair were open so we headed up.
We arrived just as they opened the terrain below the Red Dog chair for the first time this season.
It’s stumpy, rocky, and wild in there.
The skiing was great.
We skied lap after lap of fresh snow with no lift lines.
All the while, the temperature was rising.
The snow was changing.
We were getting wet.
By noon we were satifisfied and soaked.
We changed out of our gear, looked out the window, and saw that it was fully raining.
By 2 p.m. it was raining to the top of the mountain…
We still had high hopes for the upper mountian but today we got out there and the entire mountain was a crusty ice ball.
“If you go off-piste, you’re taking your life in your hands,” Ski Patroller David said.
He was right…
So, now we wait.
There are storms in the forecast starting Saturday and in the meantime, hopefully it warms up, softens up, and the terrain park gets fun.
Thanks, California!
Snow Numbers
Forecast
