It’s Snow Sport Heaven This Season In The Sierra Nevada!
All Systems Go As The Snow Keeps Falling On Sierra Resorts.
“There’s no comparison to last season” at Dodge Ridge. Everyone is happy! Almost 180 inches so far this year. Check the mounds of “cold gold” on the trees.
Credit: Dodge Ridge
As the East Coast got a taste the last couple of months of what’s it like when the inclement winter weather fails to show up, the situation has been quite different on the West Coast. After four years of a crippling drought, the rains have returned to the flatlands and the snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains. Although California is not home-free yet drought-wise, things were looking good when the California Department of Water Resources did its December 30th water content survey off Highway 50 near Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort. The snow depth this year was 54.7” or 136 percent of the January 1st average. A year ago, the snowpack state-wide was at just 50 percent of normal.
After barely being able to open the last two ski seasons, Homewood Mountain Resort is no longer suffering from its location right above the shores of Lake Tahoe, finally enjoying a bumper crop of snow and a five-foot-deep base.
Credit: Homewood
Although there haven’t yet been any of the legendary Sierra storms that can dump up to eight feet of snow in a couple of days, the small yet persistent stream of snowfalls thus far this winter has resulted in a gangbuster season. Every single ski resort in the Sierra is open (some opened as early as Thanksgiving), with all or most lifts operating. And the base and peak numbers for the high-altitude resorts are impressive (as of January 13): Mammoth, 75”–115”; Kirkwood, 76”–80”; Sugar Bowl, 57”–96”; Mt. Rose, 63”–92”, as are the stats at resorts that struggled mightily to open last year: Homewood, 60”–76”; Dodge Ridge, 50”–72”; Badger Pass (Yosemite), 60”–72”.
“There’s no comparison to last season; it’s been night and day,” says Jeff Hauff, marketing and sales director at Dodge Ridge. “It’s phenomenal. Everybody’s happy! We’ve had a total of 179” of snowfall so far this winter, with 38” in just this last week. It’s been staying really cold, in the teens and 20s.” That would be “California cold” to our Midwest and East Coast readers!
Those cold temperatures are giving Sierra Nevada skiers an experience they don’t often have: day after day of FLUFFY white stuff to fly through rather than having to deal with “Sierra cement.” Plus the combination of smaller storms with spaces in between them has made the trip “up to the mountains” much less of an ordeal than it often is.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s outdoors writer, Tom Stienstra, headed to the Sierra recently and observed in his latest column that he had run into “dozens of people who said they had not skied in years, and some said they had been away for more than 10 years.” Nothing like a four-year drought to make people long for those idyllic days on the slopes! If El Niño continues to deliver like it has been for the first two weeks of January, Californians will have ample opportunities to get their ski and board on this season…and on powder if temperatures continue to stay low!
Editor Note: Here’s a cool video from Sugar Bowl about the El Ninuary experience in the Sierra.
SeniorsSkiing Guide: Mt. Rose and The Chutes
Tahoe Area Has A Big Surprise For An Eastern Newbie.
Gate to a chute on Mt. Rose, double-black, steep, and fun.
Credit: Pat McCloskey
For many years, I drove up the Mt. Rose Highway out of Reno and passed the Mt. Rose Ski Area on my way to Incline Village, Nevada. It seems like Mt. Rose has been a favorite of the Reno locals for years and when I finally skied it a couple of years ago for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised. It has become a regular stop on my ski trips to the Tahoe region in Nevada.
Lift To Lot Access
Personally, I like areas where you can drive into the parking lot, put on your boots, walk a couple of hundred feet and get on the lift. You can do that at Rose.
Snow and Terrain
The area has a nice family feel to it. Great groomers to warm up with and then you can make your way to a series of lift-serviced chutes aptly named, “The Chutes”. This skiing is not for the faint of heart and if you can’t make quick turns on some pretty steep vertical, you really should not pass through the gates. Every year I go there, it is the first wake up call for me that I am once again out West on non- groomed steep terrain where you better be paying attention. If we are fortunate enough to have powder conditions, The Chutes are wonderful. They are steep enough that you have to view the snow report and make sure that the avalanche conditions are in check. Not often do you get steep terrain like this inside the boundaries of a ski area.
Culture
The Mt. Rose chutes from a distance.
Credit: Pat McCloskey
One day, a few years back, we saw a group of guys with baggy clothes and full-face helmets blasting down the Chutes howling and laughing and having a great time. We saw them at lunch in the lodge and when they took off their helmets, there were gray beards and gray hairs everywhere. I introduced myself and remarked that we thought they were a bunch of kids with their garb and how well they skied. They appreciated the comments and said that they have been skiing together since they were 16 years old. These guys were all in their 60s. They motocross together all summer. Great bunch of guys who have called Rose their winter home for close to 50 years. Similar groups like these are common at Rose especially the retired set from Reno who only travel 25 minutes to the ski area.
Bottom Line
Mt. Rose has special Silver Ski Clinics designed for wiser, more experienced skiers ages 50 and older who are at skill level of lower intermediate to advanced, interested in the newer movement patterns used with shaped skis and/or improving their skiing technique. That’s on Fridays and Mondays in the morning for $25 plus the price of a lift ticket.
Mt Rose also has other specials if you look for them. The standard $104.00 day ticket ($94 if you buy online) is not the only option. Midweek specials include Two Fer Tuesdays ($104.00 for two adult tickets), and Ladies Day Thursdays ($29.00 per adult ticket), great pre-season pass rates and a $20 shuttle from Reno. Check the web site for specials and more information.
Comparing Five XC Ski Bindings for “Ease of Use”
SeniorsSkiing Correspondent and Cross Country Expert Rates The Big Five Bindings.
You’ve paid for your trail pass and are ready to head out on the trails at your favorite xc ski touring center. How easy is it to put your skis? In this review, I discuss five common binding types, the key features of each, and I rate them on a scale from 1-5 on its “ease of use” (1 being easiest and 5 most difficult).
Unless you’re a ski racer or have some other unique requirement, five types of cross country are available.
Five types of common XC bindings shown on their respective boots.
NN (Three Pin)
The three pin is the oldest of the five bindings and still used by some skiers. (Editor Note: We have a pair of wooden skis and leather boots to match with four pin bindings we still use; these relics are pre-three pin.) But for most touring purposes it has been replaced by more modern designs. When putting your skis on you must be careful to align the three pins on the binding with the three holes in the toe of the boot before closing the clamp (as shown below).
NN or 3-pin Binding and Boot.
NN EASE OF USE SCORE = 3
NNN and NNN-BC
This is the binding used by most ski touring centers for their rental skis. The pivot bar is close to the toe of the boot (as shown below); with the idea being you can almost see where to align it with the clip on the binding. I’ve been to a lot of ski touring centers and observed beginners, recreational and occasional skiers using the NNN binding. Many struggle mightily to get clipped into the ski. I also find that if any ice or dirt gets in the binding, the binding spring gets jammed.
NNN Binding and Boot
NNN EASE OF USE SCORE = 4
The Salomon SNS Profil
The SNS Profil works like the NNN and NNN-BC bindings (see illustration below). They are a little easier to use because the pivot point is even closer to the toe so you have a chance of seeing what you’re doing. Overall, though, the experience is frustratingly similar to the NNNs.
Salomon SNS Profil Binding and Boot
SALOMON SNS PROFIL EASE OF USE SCORE = 4
The Salomon SNS Pilot
Originally designed for ski racers, the Salomon SNS Pilot has two pivot bars on the boot and clips on the binding which provides additional control. This is also a great binding if you wish to take up skate skiing. In an experiment, I attached the SNS Pilot bindings to a pair of touring skis. The result was surprising. Stepping into these bindings was incredibly easy. The rear pivot bar is used as a guide and the front pivot aligns with the clip. Then with a simple press of the forefoot the binding snaps on. This is a great package for the traditional or classic ski strider like me.
Salomon SNS Pilot Binding and Boot
SALOMON SNS PILOT EASE OF USE SCORE = 1
Bottom Line: My experiment with the SNS Pilot binding worked the best for the ease of use criteria. Clicking in and out of this binding with recreational (touring) skis was a snap. I feel like I have very good control of my skis when on the snow and turning is a breeze.
What’s your XC binding of choice? How does it work for you?
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