Tahoe Mountain Sports Blog

We received a couple great entries for our Deuter Photo Contest this week. Kudos to Brenda and Chris for great shots of one of our favorite places, Desolation Wilderness and some of our favorite Deuter Gear. The contest will be running through November 30th so you still have time to send in your entry. First prize is a limited edition Deuter Trans Alpine pack and second prize is a Deuter Race-X Air.

Desolation Wilderness, CA

Desolation Wilderness 8/08Desolation Wilderness, CADesolation Wilderness, CA

The first ever magazine completely focused on Snowkiting is now available for free! Yes, Free I said. They are making it available to everybody via a download, so you can pass it on to your friends and everybody can check it out. Aptly named, Drift Snowkite Magazine, is packed with 50+ pages of snowkiting info, sweet pics, and tons of location beta as well. Don’t forget to check out our complete selection of Ozone Snowkites in every size, style and color.  Here are a few small peeks at what is inside the real mag:

Drift Snowkite Magazine Cover

Drift Snowkite Magazine Gear Guide

Drift Snowkite Magazine Feature Article

 

Drift Snowkite Magazine Ride Guide By State

It’s another cool and grey day here in Tahoe. This weekend’s precipitation brought some new snow to elevations over 8,000ft, but it looks like we are going be waiting a while for that first big snowstorm that really signals game on for ski season. We are expecting more moisture starting tomorrow, but it looks too warm to be a significant snow event.

SNOW LEVELS IN THE TAHOE
AREA WILL BE 7000 RISING TO 8000 FEET TUESDAY NIGHT…SO ONLY
CHANCE AT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE ABOVE PASS LEVEL.

After that the forecast calls for warm and dry conditions through next weekend. The pic below was taken this morning, Mt. Tallac with a little snow and some smoke from a controlled burn near Tahoma.

Lake Tahoe 11/10 2008

So this last storm did leave over a foot of snow on the higher elevations in the basin. It was just enough snow to make some turns if you were careful and knew where to look. Here are a few shots from my first day on snow this year 11/3/08. The snow was about a foot and a half of heavy early season snow that should make a nice solid base.

First turn of the season.

 In these pictures, Cody can see in the flat light because he could switch to his low light lens in seconds with the Smith I/O goggle, and is dry and comfortable after hiking in a snowstorm because he is wearing the Cloudveil RPK softshell with Icebreaker base layers. Overall, it was a nice day to kick off the season. Keep checking back for more updates when we get more snow.

The snow was surprisingly good.

Cody and Tila

Well, as I was mountain biking the perfectly wet and tacky trails yesterday and it was raining at my house at 6,000 ft but snowing up at 7,000 ft where I was going, I decided what a better blog post than to tell you what I had on, as I debated it for a good 30 minutes before my ride. So, in an effort to save you those 30 minutes, here is a rundown of what I was wearing. I will leave out all the regular bike stuff, because I just used my normal helmet, shoes and shorts that I always wear. The tricky part was wearing enough to stay warm and dry, but not too hot so I would have to shed layers and cool down from the rain. So, here it is:

Icebreaker BF150 Atlas Zip - If you haven’t tried any Icebreaker stuff, you are simply missing out. This stuff is so soft to the skin, doesn’t smell even after days of use, and keeps you warm and dry better than any other shirt I own. Also, when you start to sweat in this shirt, it breathes so well, you don’t get that clammy, wet feeling against your core.

Mammut Clime Jacket - The reviews on this product pretty much sum it up. Highly breathable, waterproof enough to hold off a steady light rain or light snow, slim fitting so it doesn’t bunch up anywear, and pit zips for added breathability. The stretchiness of this jacket is also one of its high points.

Smith Trace Sunglasses - Smith has taken their slider/multi-lens concept to the next level with the new interchangeable series. These new shades from Smith come with 3 distinct lenses and I was using the rose colored lens for low light days. The lenses change in and out efforlessly, the optical precision is amazing and the fit is snug and perfect. I don’t even need a pair of croakies or anything when I put these on.

Wigwam Snow Whisper Pro Socks - Socks are really the key to happines. If you want to be warm, comfortable, and dry, you better start with a good pair of socks. Thinner is also almost always better. The thinner the sock, the less material there is for the moisture to travel through and wick away from your foot. In most cases, it is the moisture that makes your foot cold. So, I always choose a thin sock that breathes quickly and will keep my feet dry. The Snow Whisper Pro is the ticket on this one.

Since I did not have the VIO POV1 with me on this trip, I don’t have any good action footage, but hold tight, there will be lots more trip reports and product reviews popping up soon.

As you can see from our Live Kings Beach Webcam,  It’s been a grey and rainy couple days here in Tahoe, and more precipitation is in the forecast, hopefully some snow. This latest wave brought some wet snow over 8,000 ft. but mostly just a steady rain to the Tahoe Basin. Another storm was forecast to bring lower snow levels today, but NOAA doesn’t seem to impressed in the latest update:

 ”EXPECT SCT SHOWERS IN THE SIERRA NAD NEAR
THE ORGON BORDER WITH THAT NEXT SHORT WAVE…BUT ISOLATED SHOWERS
ELSEWHERE THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN 6-6500
FT NORTH OF I-80 TO AS HIGH AS 7500 FEET TOWARD THE MAMMOTH AREA.
ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL BE LIGHT AND CONFINED CLOSE TO THE
SIERRA CREST.”

So it looks like we are going to get a little taste of winter but not enough snow to really get ski season going. We have a ton of new winter gear waiting to be reviewed like the Black Diamond Megawatt powder ski, and the new Method AT boot, as well as the latest outerwear from Patagonia, Cloudveil, and Mammut. Keep checking back for the latest Lake Tahoe Weather and Conditions and winter gear reviews as soon as it snows.

This is our first update on the Deuter Photo Contest that is going to be running through the end of November. These are the first few entries we recieved, but there is still plenty of time to submit your photos to nathaniel@tahoemountainsports.com for a chance to win either a  Deuter Race-X Air or a Limited Edition Deuter Trans Alpine.

Submitted by: Dave

Submitted by Justin Scharp

Submitted by: Dave

Submitted by Pam

I decided to go on a hike in Desolation Wilderness to check out Velma Lakes on 11/12. It was clear and very cool, a perfect day for a fall hike. Here are a few scenics of fall in the Sierras.

Lower Velma Lake

Middle Velma Lake

Jake's Peak and Lake Tahoe

From now until Nov. 30th Tahoe Mountain Sports will be running a Deuter Photo Contest. Send your shots of Deuter Packs in action or of an adventure you took your pack on to Nathaniel@tahoemountainsports.com before November 30th. Entries will be published here in the Tahoe Mountain Sports Blog. First prize is a limited edition Deuter Trans Alpine pack and second prize is a Deuter Race-X Air.