Sugar Bowl: Nov 23rd Pre-Season Conditions Report

I think I speak for most of us in and around Tahoe when I say that we’re starting to get a little antsy for winter. The mountains don’t have much to open with, and the latest storm was a bit of a tease, with a lot of the snow being affected by strong east winds. But, there is always fun to be had! I went for a skin up Mt. Disney at Sugar Bowl today with Kirk Ditterich, Rom Marcucci, and Tom Connell. Rom had skied it the day prior and knew there were some decent turns to be had on the upper half of the mountain. 

“Crusty” was the word of the day, though there was a mix of some chalky snow in the shade, with a more breakable crust in the sun, and some smooth sections throughout that led to some fun skiing. The somewhat hardpack surface was probably a good thing, as the snowpack wasn’t all that deep. Maybe around 8-12″ up top, and half that at the bottom. Punching through would have likely called for some ski repairs. We went back for another lap on the upper half and had a good time. The bottom half was survival skiing, with a blend of crusty and chunky snow from all the skier and snowmobile traffic.

I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to getting outside and having fun, but we sure could use some more snow soon. Get after it, and be safe!