Nibbling the November Nectar @ Kirkwood – 11/16/15 After a few seasons of below normal snowfall and word of El Nino knocking on the front door of California, a few early season storms yielded over four feet of early November snow at Kirkwood thus allowing an early opening. Although I had prior commitments and could not make opening day, a local rider Chad Paeglow filled me in on the coverage skiing from the summit of Chair 6 on November 14th, 2015: The snow was pretty silky unless you hit rocks. Chamoix was money and in the best condition for so early in the season. It has around a 10 foot air out of the choke but had a smooth cushion in the landing. The area around Oops and Poops was still bony especially outside of the gullies. I ended up skiing mostly around Rabbits where I found plently of knee deep turns and even deeper on some landings. Conditions Report Casey Cane | November 18, 2015 4 Comments
Turning up the Base @ Telluride Given the current skiing status around the greater Lake Tahoe area, a quick decision was made to skip town and head to Telluride to find some snow over the Martin Luther King holiday. I have been frequenting Telluride almost yearly since 1998 and whether Winter or Summer, it is definitely a place that the whole family can enjoy…even for a stubborn father looking for some steeper turns[…] Conditions Report Casey Cane | January 25, 2015 1 Comment
Cultivating the Cornice Chair @ Kirkwood – one awesome chairlift! I have a special place in my heart for a chairlift better known as Chair 6 aka ‘Cornice’ at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. Why you may ask? Well, for starters, the lift starts at the base and tops out on a ridge line full of cornices (hence the name.)[…] Conditions Report Casey Cane | December 25, 2014 2 Comments
Kirkwood, CA Conditions Report: Killin’ Time in 17″ of Powder Yeah, yeah, yeah…”should have been here yesterday bro!” The last ‘biggest storm of the decade’ seemed to miss most of Tahoe by sliding South, but it did manage to clip Kirkwood and lay down a few feet of the goods. With Cornice Chair opening up mid-day Friday, I had to go up on Sunday and test it out for myself. The coverage ended up being way better than expected allowing a skier to open it up with confidence. With a 6 year old in tow, the runs on Chair 6 were few yet fantastic in this skier’s mind. Ultimately, I didn’t get a ton of fresh lines […] Conditions Report Casey Cane | December 15, 2014 1 Comment
Slashin’ into the 75th Season @ Sugar Bowl – 12/06/14 The time is finally here…off-trail skiing and celebrating the opening day for Sugar Bowl’s 75th season. Opening day access was through the village via the awesome old school gondola. However, the meat of the skiing was on Mt. Lincoln. With light rain and a thick cloud layer it definitely was not the most ideal day in the weather department but fun prevailed. The terrain included anything from the Rahlve’s Run to Lake View for about halfway down the chair, and at that point, the groomer was the call as the off-trail snow was a wee bit sticky. The top half of Mt. Lincoln was smooth and fast yielding[…] Conditions Report Casey Cane | December 9, 2014 0 Comments
Shootin’ Some Chutin’ @ Kirkwood – 04/05/14 The last week of March and the first week of April 2014 have provided some of the best skiing of the year in the Tahoe region. With a glorious Spring day scheduled, we headed to Kirkwood to session up some of the infamous high altitude slackcountry zones before the powder turned to mush. With snow quality on our mind, we waited for first chair on The Wall, and then headed straight to the backside to get a few laps out in West Shore […] Conditions Report Casey Cane | April 10, 2014 2 Comments
Spring Supplies Skiing Sustenance @ Kirkwood – 03/30/14 In the scheme of things, with a few decent storms on top of a solid base, we really have had a ‘Miracle March.’ As with most years of unpredictably low snowfall, Kirkwood’s high elevation has paid huge dividends as compared to other nearby resorts […] Conditions Report Casey Cane | April 3, 2014 1 Comment
Winter Lurks Amid Searing Sun @ Kirkwood – 03/16/14 With temperatures approaching 55F at the 7,800ft base of Kirkwood Mountain Resort expectations were extremely low for finding decent winter snow. Given the lackluster snow this season, coverage is actually quite good on the mountain. Areas such as Oops n Poops, Chamoix, Thunder Saddle, Hells along slackcountry zones of Corner Zone, Broadway and Boulevard all held onto a hint of winter even in the searing temps. Skiing with a 5 and 2 year old at the same time isn’t easy, but I know I’ll cherish these moments in a few years However, as soon as my wife took over after spending most of my day bent over in a snowplow […] Conditions Report Casey Cane | March 20, 2014 1 Comment
Discovering Snow at Donner Pass Resorts – 03/10/14 It was our time to head North. The North Shore of Tahoe to be precise. With a warm storm looming for Monday morning on Donner Pass, it was a perfect opportunity to grab some slushy night skiing turns at Boreal and then shred some Sugar Bowl pow the following morning. Boreal was perfect with warm temps, soft snow, and a glorious sunset. At 7am the next morning, we noticed something strange coming down from the sky…SNOW! By the time the storm was finished, Sugar Bowl received around 6″ at the summit. As I headed to the top of Mt. Lincoln, a thick cloud refused to go away […] Conditions Report Casey Cane | March 12, 2014 0 Comments
Bluebird Blitzkreig @ Kirkwood – 02/23/14 I’ve been waiting for a day like this since November of 2013. The stars aligned and delivered bluebird skies, no wind, wintery snowpack, and every one of my favorite lines accessible. Its this early season snowpack (I know its late February) that really gives Kirkwood its raw feel and exhume its fun factor. Lines like Oops n Poops, Chamoix, Dan’s Cliffs, Thunder Saddle, Soul Searcher, Broadway Chute […] Conditions Report Casey Cane | February 27, 2014 2 Comments
Tasting the Topography @ Telluride – 02/15/14 Yes, another Tahoe exodus for five days to find winter…of course, by the time of departure, the higher elevations of Tahoe received 8 feet of snow (Kirkwood) but ski trips get booked and you deal with it. So, off we went from SFO to Denver to Montrose with my 2 year old and buddy Dan to shred. Telluride is known for its funky town, box canyon vistas, Chair 9 bumps, steep piste, and a superb Ski School for the youngsters. But over the years, they’ve added some gnarly hike-to terrain into the mix. Of course, hiking to Palmyra Peak is the pinnacle of this in-bounds adventure but there’s also shorter hikes, to the left and right […] Conditions Report Casey Cane | February 24, 2014 1 Comment
Conditions Report
