California/Nevada 2020-2021 Tahoe Ski Resorts/Conditions/Meetups

[dcs24]

Heavenly added a few more ways down under Canyon chair today, which allowed the on slope crowds to spread out a bit. The snow up high continued to ski very well. But if these mountains are going to stay open, Vail has got to do better at managing crowds/lines, and get guests to wear masks properly in them. They are controlling how many guests come each day so there's no excuse for lines that go 5x longer than the lift mazes. Photo taken today about halfway through the line -- at least as many people behind me as ahead

 

[Dougb]

Lookout Heavenly, here we come!

 

[Tony]

Photo taken today about halfway through the line -- at least as many people behind me as ahead

I had to look for a 2nd time to figure out which chair this was as it did not look like Powderbowl or Canyon. On 2nd look I realized it's the line for downloading Gunbarrel, not something I've done very often, hopefully this at the end of the day.

Lookout Heavenly, here we come!

I cringe whenever I see anyone leaning skis against their vehicle, and have warned friends about leaning them against mine. Sometimes even without a little wind or someone slamming a door, both skis and vehicle can end up with damage.

 

[SSSdave]

Chose to drive up Tuesday as I doubt there will be lines of significance and many by then will be home in turkey mode. Most hard core locals ought have gotten in token turns on the few open runs, then gone back into hibernation till storms open up more terrain. Also expect Heavenly is working on opening up more terrain as webcam shows base of Dipper has plenty of snow. In any case as usual will tend to ski Reut Chair at Kirkwood in December given better snow depths.

 

[raytseng]

I had to look for a 2nd time to figure out which chair this was as it did not look like Powderbowl or Canyon. On 2nd look I realized it's the line for downloading Gunbarrel, not something I've done very often, hopefully this at the end of the day.
I cringe whenever I see anyone leaning skis against their vehicle, and have warned friends about leaning them against mine. Sometimes even without a little wind or someone slamming a door, both skis and vehicle can end up with damage.

That stuck out to me as well. I place em down behind the tailgate either perpendicular if its just me or if theres a lot of gear you can tuck it all under the car.
If the intent is to keep the gear nice from the dirty ground as i see skistraps too, 1 fall is going to ruin all of that intent.

 

[dcs24]

I had to look for a 2nd time to figure out which chair this was as it did not look like Powderbowl or Canyon. On 2nd look I realized it's the line for downloading Gunbarrel, not something I've done very often, hopefully this at the end of the day.

Downloading Gunbarrel not something I've ever done before this season. But snow coverage is minimal at the bottom of the mountain (the last storm was mostly rain down there) so it might be a while before Heavenly is skiable to the base. With everyone having to download, Gunbarrel loading at half capacity, and the tram loading at something like 15% capacity, this is a big chokepoint. This backup can be eliminated by ending the day before 3pm, but during the prime part of the day the "main" lift with skiable terrain, Canyon Express, gets pretty backed up as well. They just need more lifts to open to spread the the crowds around.

 

[raytseng]

Downloading Gunbarrel not something I've ever done before this season. But snow coverage is minimal at the bottom of the mountain (the last storm was mostly rain down there) so it might be a while before Heavenly is skiable to the base. With everyone having to download, Gunbarrel loading at half capacity, and the tram loading at something like 15% capacity, this is a big chokepoint. This backup can be eliminated by ending the day before 3pm, but during the prime part of the day the "main" lift with skiable terrain, Canyon Express, gets pretty backed up as well. They just need more lifts to open to spread the the crowds around.

I would point out, if that's half the line, and it's only loading single parties, that's still no worse a line than "regular" Heavenly early season when it's gondola access only. If you fail to download the gondola by 3PM as well when it's gondola only; that line will also be ~45min and literally will snake almost all the way to the tamarack lodge, so you might as well just unbuckle your boots and grab an adirondack and hang out for awhile instead.

 

[Pequenita]

^^^
Which lift is that?

The lift to looker's left of Treeline Cirque at Alpine that I can never remember the name of. It's very possible that I've only been on the lift 2x ever.

 

[raytseng]

The lift to looker's left of Treeline Cirque at Alpine that I can never remember the name of. It's very possible that I've only been on the lift 2x ever.

yes that is tlc, aka hotter wheels going up over lower weasel to the now new midststion (some people will still call lower weasel, hot wheels run). Halfway you see the chalet and scott chair to the left and yellow chair to your right.

 

[Andy Mink]

Day three at Rose and we're learning what lines are about. I can't recall the last time I waited 10 or (gasp!) 15 minutes in a lift line at Rose. For those familiar, the line went from Northwest chair to the stairs at the corner of the lodge deck, then about a third of the way to Wizard lift. They are doing a really good job of moving the line but running at 33-66% capacity on most chairs, things tend to pile up. This photo was before the line got really long.

 

[Dougb]

So for those of you who went to Heavenly, what time should we get to the parking lot? And do you recommend riding up on the Tram or Gun Barrel?

 

[teejaywhy]

Rose is skiing awful. Avoid Mt. Rose until at least next week. We will take one for the team and report back every day, all this coming week with how the conditions might progress but we are not holding any hope. I would also dismiss any rumor of beautiful mid season conditions and that the Slide Side will be open in the next few days by Thanksgiving.

For sure, the sketchy looking people hanging out in parking lot would deter me!

 

[4ster]

Day three at Rose and we're learning what lines are about. I can't recall the last time I waited 10 or (gasp!) 15 minutes in a lift line at Rose. For those familiar, the line went from Northwest chair to the stairs at the corner of the lodge deck, then about a third of the way to Wizard lift. They are doing a really good job of moving the line but running at 33-66% capacity on most chairs, things tend to pile up. This photo was before the line got really long. View attachment 115694

So do you think the long lines are because of loading less people on the lift or are there just that many more people then there would normally be this time of year with the terrain and lifts that are open now?

Just wondering if this is going to be the new normal and this is an indicator of another huge influx of skiers like we’ve seen with Mountain biking and every other outdoor activity this year.

 

[Andy Mink]

So do you think the long lines are because of loading less people on the lift or are there just that many more people then there would normally be this time of year with the terrain and lifts that are open now?

Yes. Seriously, I think a lot of people are ready to slide and they're out in force before something happens to stop the fun. Even today (Monday) Mt. Rose was crowded. Lift lines were getting to be in the 10 minute range. I realize that's nothing for some but when you're used to skiing onto the lift it's a big change.

 

[ScotsSkier]

So do you think the long lines are because of loading less people on the lift or are there just that many more people then there would normally be this time of year with the terrain and lifts that are open now?

Just wondering if this is going to be the new normal and this is an indicator of another huge influx of skiers like we’ve seen with Mountain biking and every other outdoor activity this year.

Jim, a combination of these things. Following up on Andy's points. This morning, lines were getting to 15 minutes by 11.00Am At Rose anything over a few minutes other than on a major holiday weekend is the exception. As you know, 2 six-packs basically service the mountain. Slide side has not yet opened so everything is going through Northwest lift. And when you are only loading with 2 singles or groups typically of 2 or 3 people you are greatly reducing the uplift /hour, by probably 50% +. So at this stage my impression is that is the largest factor, but there is also a significant impact due to pent-up demand and also the number of people who have moved up here semi-permanently tp WFH. Add to that Squaw not opening till Wednesday, Diamond Peak not opened and pretty restricted terrain at Nstar and Heavenly and Rose is catching the traffic. Plus, we have the best snow around ....

 

[Andy Mink]

@ScotsSkier's point about only one 6 pack going is also very true. Once the Slide side opens (maybe this week?) it will spread people out a lot more effectively. Also, Rose hasn't been spinning Lakeview chair, a fixed grip 3 seater. It looked today like they were putting restraining bars on the chairs. Not a bad idea considering it gets used when winds are the highest.

 

[4ster]

Thanks @Andy Mink & @ScotsSkier. Just trying to get my finger on the pulse so I can set my expectations accordingly. Seems similar out where I am in Utah, Lots of WFH COVID refugees who are now living in their second homes full time or new to the area. I am fearful of the impact once resorts open & with limited terrain to boot.
Good luck, jealous of the good looking conditions there at Rose.

 

[Dougb]

We arrived at Heavenly at 8 am this morning and found a spot right next to the tram. There was plenty of room in the upper and lower parking lots. Geared up and walked right on in our group of six. I had our lunch and snacks with me in the back pack.

We skied for 3 hours, stopping for a snack/bathroom break and lunch at the end. The kids loved it. By 11:30 the lines were pretty bad and we all felt like it wasn’t worth it for such short runs.

A few observations, some which others made:

1. Heavenly staff were enforcing the mask rules, but people were mixing on lifts just like before. And groups were not standing 6 feet apart and nobody was enforcing that either. The lifties were all cheerful and friendly though!

2. The limited number of lifts and runs contributed to the crowding in both the lines and on the hill. Hopefully as more of the mountain opens up and Vail tightens down the number of reservations it will help.

3. The short staffing due to COVID and visas hurt. Snowboarders — and some skiers — were barreling down green runs and in slow zones and nobody was there to tell them to slow down. I know this is nothing new, but seriously it was bad.

4. South Lake Tahoe on the Nevada side is packed with people everywhere and I was surprised how many people were walking around without masks.

 

[raytseng]

Hopefully this is just early season novelty, and after a week people will chill out. Even in regular seasons, WROD didn't earn it's title of WROD for nothing.

As I look at other stuff like squaw's plans, stuff like Mountaineer shuttle isn't even starting until dec17. So it is very possible resorts are running less staff right now just to save some labor $, and I don't believe it is a true labor shortage soley due to the J1 visas, and will ramp up in December; if the season is still going.

 

[ProLeisure]

I decided on a whim this afternoon to get a night pass for Boreal. if I use it even a few times it will be worth it to me.

I figured I’d buy it when I got there, but when you pull into the parking area there’s an attendant checking to see if you had a pass. I told him I didn’t. He said I could park over there, pointed behind me, and then could buy one online if I had smartphone. I pulled over, got my phone out and went to Boreal’s website. The process was straightforward and within a few minutes I received an email with a barcode.

After booting up I headed up to the ticket window, which had no personnel working, there was only a barcode scanner. I held my email up to a scanner to read the barcode and a few seconds later my pass was ejected out of a little slot.

Coverage on the main groomed runs is good with nothing sticking out. There were folks skiing under the main chair lift, but they really need about 2ft of snow to cover all the obstacles in that area.

As far as Covid enforcement there were signs everywhere to wear a mask and to socially distance, but I’d say 30% of the people weren’t wearing masks. WTH? A ski patrolman came up to the lift line once in the two hours I was there and asked folks to please wear a mask so they could stay open, but that was the only enforcement I saw. The lack of enforcement was really disappointing. Simply having someone at the lift line enforcing mask wearing, especially on the first day, would help set a precedent for the rest of the season.

All in all, it was fun to get out and make the first turns of the year. Here’s a few pictures: