Welcome to the First Annual Blog Tahoe Lake Tahoe Ski Resort Website Awards. Ski resort websites play an important role in Lake Tahoe’s winter sports arena. On a basic level a ski resort website helps connect a potential skier or snowboarding with the resort by giving them immediate access to activity, location and condition information. Deeper than that a resort website helps communicate the attitude and ideals of the ski resort which hopefully signals to the users what type of experience they are likely to have there. With all the advancements in social netwokring and web 2.0 applications Blog Tahoe hopes that Lake Tahoe ski resort websites will begin to use their virtual space not only to connect skiers to their resort but to help connect skiers to each other. With that said here is Blog Tahoe’s 2008 Lake Tahoe Ski Resort Website Awards.

Category: Best Design
Winner: Northstar-at-Tahoe

Honorable Mention: Sugar Bowl

Category: Best Online Trail Maps
Winner: Northstar-at-Tahoe

Category: Prettiest Trail Map
Winner: Mt. Rose

Honorable Mention:Kirkwood

Category: Best Representation of Resort
Winner:Northstar-at-Tahoe and Northstar’s Parks and Pipe

Honorable Mention: Soda Springs

Category: Best Use of Technology
Winner:Heavenly Mountain Resort

Honorable Mention: Diamond Peak

Category: Worst Website
Winner:Donner Ski Ranch
Mention: Tahoe Donner Downhill

Category: Worst Navigation Menu
Winner: Kirkwood
Mention: Squaw Valley

Congratulations to the winners, keep up the great work. A special thanks to all the resorts who have employed, rss, podcasts, streaming media and social networking on their sites.

By: Aaron Robbins

While Lake Tahoe doesn’t get nearly as cold as some parts of the country it does get a wee bit chilly here in the winter. In fact, on January 20th 1937 the Boca Weather Station observed California’s lowest recorded temperature of 45 degrees below 0 (F). While average temperatures around the lake are generally quite a bit warmer than 45 below we still see roughly 20-30 days a year of below freezing weather. Combine these temperatures with an average snowfall of just over 200 inches and people are bound to start asking, “Does Lake Tahoe ever freeze over?”

The simple answer to the question is, no. While some ice has been spotted in one or two well protected bays, the entire surface of Lake Tahoe does not freeze over. Why? Great question. There are roughly 3 main factors that prevent Lake Tahoe from freezing over.

1. Lake Tahoe is Too Big to Freeze Over
Lake Tahoe has a surface area of just over 122,000 acres containing an astonishing 39 trillion gallons of water. Considering the average water temperature of the lake is around 68 degrees (F), it would take some substantially cold days for long periods of time before Lake Tahoe began to freeze over. Unfortunately (or fortunately) point 3 below kind of prevents this.

2.Lake Tahoe’s Water is Always Moving.
For water to freeze there must first be a site where crystals begin to form. This is difficult in Lake Tahoe because the water in the lake is always moving. Even on the calmest days when there’s not a boat on the lake the water is moving. Water at the top of the lake is cooled by the air temperature and begins to sink. Warmer water that was insulated by the water above begins to rise. The process then starts all over. This sinking and rising water creates a current which prevents the mass of water from ever getting cold enough while at the same time making it difficult for ice crystals to form.

3.Lake Tahoe is Typically Sunny.
Lake Tahoe sees about 275 sunny days a year. While it does get cold here, it never gets cold enough for a long enough period of time to create much ice on the lake. Even if it did get cold enough to make some large sections of ice this only creates other factors that will likely stop or slow the freezing of the entire lake.

Some More Sciency Stuff
As stated in point 3 even if it did get cold enough for some ice to form on Lake Tahoe it would take quite a lot for the whole lake to freeze. Why? There are some interesting things about ice that ironically prevent freezing. First, ice is a great insulator. As ice forms at the surface the water below is insulated and therefore prevented from freezing. Second ice floats. While this may seem trivial, it’s the floating of the ice that allows the water below to stay insulated. Lastly, as the top layer of ice becomes thicker the insulation only gets better. In theory, it becomes proportionally more difficult for water to freeze the more water above it is frozen. Weird, I know.

Apart from some Hollywood special effects we probably wont be seeing Lake Tahoe freeze over anytime soon. The lake is way too big and the sun shines way to often for Lake Tahoe to become the largest skating rink in the country. While it would be fun to cruise across the lake on a kite powered skates, seeing the contrast of Lake Tahoe’s blue water against the white snow covered mountains is something I never get tired of looking at.

There is a lot more to Lake Tahoe Ski Patrols than red jackets and white crosses. This dedicated group of individuals make up an important organization charged with protecting, serving and caring for a large portion of Lake Tahoe’s winter sports enthusiasts. Ski patrollers get up early and leave late. They are constantly looking to improve their duel craft of skiing and emergency care. They can ski any run on the hill, frontwards, backwards and with toboggan in tow. The Ski Patrol is a vital organization to Lake Tahoe and one that deserves all of our respect. Here is Blog Tahoe’s list of seven things you didn’t know about Lake Tahoe Ski Patrols:

1. Almost all Ski Patrollers are part of the National Ski Patrol, an organization founded in 1938 by Charles Minnie Dole. The organization received a fedaral charter from the US Congress in 1980 placing it in the same league as the American Red Cross and YMCA.

2. Lake Tahoe ski patrol members typically go through a three phase “Candidate Program”. Phase 1 usually involves technical proficiency on skis and is designed to test the candidate’s ability to ski the whole mountain under complete control. Phase 2 puts prospective ski patrollers through roughly 80 hours of Outdoor Emergency Care Courses and is designed to teach the basics of emergency care while focusing on mountain and weather related trauma. Phase 3 consists of “on the hill” training where candidates put their skills to use while learning patrol specific skills such as skiing with a toboggan, area sweeps and run closures. If the candidate passes all three of these phases he or she may be awarded the level of “basic patroller”.

3. While you’re still warm and cozy in your bed the average ski patroller has already checked in, been assigned an area to patrol and made several runs checking for safe snow conditions and setting up their areas with the necessary equipment. I think only the Army does more by 9am

4. Some resorts allow patrollers to go through candidate training on skis, snowboards or telemark skis while other resorts ,such as Squaw Valley, require all patrollers to pass advanced level ski evaluations before applying to patrol by snowboard or telemark.

5.While most resorts have both paid and volunteer ski patrollers almost all patrollers have paid out of pocket expenses for dues, uniforms, additional equipment, lodging, gas and sunscreen.

6. Heavenly has enough ski patrollers to break them down into 4 different patrol groups. The groups are based on the patrollers residence and are refereed to as: Carson, Golden Gate, Heavenly Valley and Skyline

7. Tahoe Ski Patrols are not limited to ski resorts. The Lake Tahoe Back Country Ski Patrol is an organized service of the Tahoe National Forest and Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest. The Back Country patrollers usually only patrol on weekends and only in certain areas: Castle Peak, Pole Creek, Martis Peak, Mt. Judah and Tahoe Meadows.

Lake Tahoe Ski Patrollers are a dedicated bunch individuals committed to serving skiers across the Tahoe area. They spend countless hours training both on skis and off. For most patrollers their love for skiing is second only to their love for helping others. Next time you see a ski patroller or ride up with on on a lift tell um Blog Tahoe says “Thanks.”

Between 1950 and 1997 there were 514 reported avalanche fatalities in the United States. While your chances of being caught in an avalanche inside the marked boundaries of any Lake Tahoe ski resort are extremely slim, it’s impossible to say for sure when and where an avalanche will occur. Recent research on the subject of avalanches has led to solid information and techniques on avalanche survival. Whether you plan to head for the Tahoe back country or not I think it’s information everyone venturing into the snow covered mountains should have.

Tip 1: Avoid Avalanche Areas
The first and most obvious tip is to simply avoid avalanche prone areas. Back country and “out of bounds” skiers should be familiar with what avalanche prone areas look like (wind loading, fractures, crunchy hollow sounding snow, slope orientation and steepness) and do their best to avoid them.

Tip 2: Get Equipped

Most avalanche deaths are caused by suffocation. It’s imperative you equip yourself to be rescued before this occurs. Make sure you have a properly fitting ski suit on that is fastened to prevent snow from getting inside. Carry a avalanche beacon and make sure it is set to “transmit” rather then “receive”. If you are carrying a pack it should be loose fitting and able to be ditched at a moments notice. As a rescuer it is crucial that you have ski-pole probes and collapsible shovels.

Tip 3. Surviving The Slide

So you’re in an avalanche. What do you do?

• » First: Initially you want to scream and yell to let everyone know where you are. As the slide builds, stop screaming and start focusing on the below.
• » Second: Get rid of your pack, poles or any gear that is pulling you to the bottom of the slide.
• » Third: As the snow overtakes you make swimming motions to lift yourself upwards towards the surface of the slide. Fight to stay on top.
• » Fourth: As the slide comes to a stop use your hands and arms to create a pocket of air around your mouth. Take a deep breath to make your body as wide as possible. The snow will set and harden around you so making a pocket for yourself is critical.
• » Fifth: Determine if you are near the top of the slide by trying to raise one arm (or leg) out of the snow.
• » Sixth: Remain calm. Fight the urge to panic and only yell out when you can hear other people. Snow is a great insulator and rescuers are not likely to hear a scream unless they are very close.

Tip 4: Ask These Questions

• » What have the weather conditions been over the past few days?
• » Has their been recent heavy snows?
• » Is there any wind loading on the slopes?
• » Do you know what wind loading looks like?
• » Have your performed a snow pit or shear test?
• » Are there fracture lines, bowls, gullies or valleys?
• » Are their signs of recent slides?
• » Is there a safer way down?

Keep in mind that avalanches are most likely to happen during or immediately after a storm where there has been significant snowfall. While the 24 hours following a heavy snowstorm are the most dangerous know one can predict exaclty when or where an avalanche will or will not occur. If you are heading into the Lake Tahoe backcountry be carefule. Keep these tips in mind and never, never go alone.

**Alpine Skills Institute, which services the Lake Tahoe area, offers Avalanche safety classes. Before you go into the back country get some qualified professional instruction. http://www.alpineskills.com/cat_avalanche.html

By: Aaron Robbins

Freel Peak is located in the Carson Range on Lake Tahoe’s South East corner. With a summit elevation of 10,881 feet Freel Peak has the distinction of being the tallest mountain in the Lake Tahoe area. Other than this geographical feat Freel Peak feels like most other peaks in the area. Like many other mountains in the Carson Range, Freel Peak begins in the presence of small Lodgepole Pines at a base elevation of about 8,500 feet . The mountain then climbs a loose and rocky scree covered slope (or trail if you prefer) out of the scrub brush and bushes ultimately finishing on a practically bald summit featuring a spectacular view of Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley. It’s not a remarkably difficult climb to the summit and can typically be conquered in 4-6 hours. While I describe Freel Peak as somewhat normal (other than its highest mountain in Tahoe status) it has a interesting legacy that may prompt hikers and peak baggers to view its summit in a new light.

Up until a few years ago a spectacular view wasn’t the only thing one would find on Freel Peak. For almost fifty years a Microwave tower installation found its home on Tahoe’s highest mountain. The microwave tower, while not the most beautiful thing in the whole world, served a purpose most of us would deem essential. Television. Up until 1987, when the site was decommissioned, the microwave on Freel Peak provided entertainment to families in South Lake Tahoe, Carson City and the Yerington area. There is a very interesting history to the microwave on Freel Peak and it’s probably best told by one of it caretakers Bill Blas.

After I returned from Viet Nam in 1970 I went to school and landed a job working for WTCI, and Freel was one of my sites. I have hiked the mountain sometimes 6 or 7 days in a row, flown to the site in helicopters, taken pack horses to the site, and was about the third person to put a snow cat on the top.

-Bill Blass

Read Bill’s full description here.

A good ski run name can make an otherwise ordinary run into something that seems a little more fun. A ski run name is similar to pleasing food presentation (called plating). The way a chef plates his food doesn’t change the way the food tastes, it simply raises the expectation of the person eating by presenting the food in a pleasing way. Similarly a ski run name doesn’t change how good the run is, but it may change a skiers expectations and thus increase their enjoyment while skiing it. After all, it’s way funner to tell someone you just skied “Fanny Packs Are Fabulous” than “Roundabout.”. Unfortunately, “Fanny Packs Are Fabulous” is not a real Lake Tahoe ski run name. Hopefully someone out there can correct this great injustice. Until then, here are 7 of the best real Lake Tahoe ski run names:

1. Chute That Seldom Slides - Alpine Meadows

This is a black diamond accessible via the Scott Chair at Alpine Meadows. It’s a great ski run name that builds on playful uncertainty . It’s cute in a bone-crushing avalanche sort of way.

2. Hobbit Land - Homewood
Homewood gave this great ski run name to the black diamond area off the Ellis chair. I haven’t see Frodo yet, but I’m looking.

3. Not So Private Road - Donner Ski Ranch.

Congrats to Donner Ski Ranch for making a list. This funny ski run name is a green circle off the number 3 chair.

4. Magic Moguls - Northstar at Tahoe

I can only assume this is a play on another “magic m” phrase. This great ski run name is a blue square best accessed off the Vista Express chair at Northstar.

5. Miller Time - Mt. Rose

If you can get down Mt. Roses’ gate controlled black diamond “Miller Time” than you definitely deserve one. This fun ski run name is accessible by either of Mt. Roses’ six person lifts.

6. Happiness is - Kirkwood

Kirkwood has a few good ski run names but this one is my favorite. It’s sort of an open ended, self describing state of being. This great ski run name is a blue square located off the Sunrise Chair.

7. $100 Saddle -Heavenly

Probably my favorite ski run name of the list. It’s fun, odd and leaves the skier wondering the origins of the name. Anyone know? $100 Saddle is a shorter (by Heavenly standards) blue square probably best accessed off the Olympic Express Chair.

If you’re heading up to Tahoe this morning give one of these runs a try. Let me know if you think they live up to the great name they’ve been given.

Most skiers have a love hate relationship with the chairlift singles line. On one glove it’s a fast and efficient way to get up the slope while on the other glove it can mean a long uncomfortable ride with people who think nothing of scratching up your new gear. No matter how you feel about the subject one thing is for sure, if you’ve spent any time on Lake Tahoe chairlifts you’ve either been a single or ridden up with one. Keeping in mind most people come to Tahoe Area ski resorts for enjoyment there is no reason why chairlift rides can’t be one of the better parts of your ski day. With that in mind let’s look at 7 tips for a better Lake Tahoe chairlift ride.

1. Watch Your Stuff . . .and theirs.

We all love the “poles under the leg” trick, but if you don’t have it down you can end up skewering your liftmate. Likewise, try and be mindful of where you are slinging your pack, gloves, helmet or any other gear you plan on lapping up the chairlift. If you’re feeling social check out what’s going on with the other people on the lift. Offer to hold something while they get situated. If you do end up holding some of your liftmates gear it’s really cool if you don’t drop it.

2.Don’t Scream At Your Friends On The Ground

Although you can clearly see your buddy down below, it’s a lot harder for him or her to find you up on the chair. I’ve seen and done this many times. Sure, short messages like, “Stay There,” can sometimes be communicated from up on the chairlift; more typically a chair to ground conversation leaves everyone (including your liftmates) a little frustrated. If you need to communicate with a group of people during your ski day use a TalkAbout, Hand Signals (not gestures) or if you must (and can get reception) your cellphone.

3.Be Brave

See if your new liftmate is up for a conversation by asking a few simple questions. I’ve had great success with questions regarding their gear or how long long they are in Tahoe for. Be prepared to ride up with people who won’t answer your questions either because they can’t or don’t want too. It’s okay. For the most part you will find people are eager to talk about their ski day. I’ve met some really awesome people from all professions and walks of life on Tahoe chairlifts. Be brave and you’ll often be rewarded with a great story.

4. Don’t Smoke

You have a captive audience while riding the chairlift. The other people can’t get up or leave so it’s only fair to hold off on smoking until you are at the top.

5.Check Their Level

You can tell a lot about someone based on the gear they have. If your liftmate has rental skis on see if they need any help figuring out the resort. Ask how their day is going or inquire about what runs they’ve been skiing. Likewise, if the person your riding up with has on some very high end gear you may want to ask how they like it. Often times you’ll get a very honest review which will often lead to other conversations. I should state for the record that gear is only an indicator of general ski knowledge and is even less reliable when talking about ski ability. There are plenty of renters in blue jeans that can rip.

6. Yield

Have you ever been the 5th person on a 4 person chair? Thankfully I’ve never suffered the humiliation, but I’ve been close a few times. Take your time when getting on the chair, let others ski out before you. While on the chair be patient with the safety bar (if one exists). Make sure everyone else knows you’re bringing it down. Before unloading try and find out which direction your liftmates plan to ski off. As a general rule the outside left should stay left and the outside right should stay right. If you need to ski off in the opposite direction from your seat check with your liftmates first.

7. Take A Look Around.

Those who ski Tahoe often can sometimes take the view for granted. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to be skiing one of the most beautiful areas in the World. I remember a chairlift ride years ago. I was riding single on a double chair. About half way up the other rider turned around and gazed upon the lake for several minutes. He turned back and quietly said, ‘Wow.” That one word made my whole day. To hear someone else thinking about my lake they same way I do was awesome.

Here’s hoping your ride up is as good as your ride down.

“How to ski moguls” is the last article in Blog Tahoe’s Moguls Week 2008 series. I planned on writing a few more articles for the moguls series but as you all know, life happens. At least I have a few ideas left for next year, right?

Skiing moguls is something most skiers will try but few will repeat. Why? Mogul skiing requires a lot of practice, a little luck and a whole lot of courage to do well. While many skiers can get down a mogul run, few look graceful doing so. This guide is not intended to be your one answer to the “How to ski moguls” question but rather a methodology for how to slowly put into practice techniques that have helped me get a little better and a lot more confident when it comes to skiing the bumps.

Step 1. Don’t Start With Moguls.

It seems odd I know, but skiing moguls requires a particular turning rhythm best developed outside of a mogul field. Ski up to a steep blue and point your skis directly down the fall line. Moguls require a fairly constant speed (which is always just a little faster than you are comfortable with) and flexible short radius turns. Practice these two things on flat and somewhat steep intermediate run. It may help to envision a mogul field in front of you. Find your imaginary line and practice making short, consecutive turns of slightly varying width until you can do the whole run under control.

Step 2. Start Small But Start Strong.

Find a mogul field less steep than the groomed run you practiced your short turns on. Don’t try and learn how to ski moguls on a double black under the chair. Ski up to the field with your skis pointed directly down the run. Do not enter the mogul field in a traverse. Pick a line through 5 or 6 moguls. See the line in your head. Push into the mogul field to gain a little speed upfront. Practice your short turn through these 5 or 6 moguls and then stop. Repeat this process down the mogul field. Concentrate on keeping your skis pointed downhill and in contact with the snow. Do not try and hop from mogul to mogul. When you rest make sure you’re off to the side of the mogul run. Don’t rest in the middle unless you want to go for a backwards slide.

Step 3. Let The Bumps Do The Work.

You will be making your turns mostly on the sides of moguls, rather than in the mogul gully or over top. Stay flexible in the lower body. Let the moguls guide your knees up and down (this is probably one of the harder things to do when learning how to ski moguls). Keep your skis pointed down the line and in contact with the snow (allowing the moguls to compress your knees up and down will help this). The bumps are also good indicators of where to plant your pole. Your pole plant should typically be near the top of the mogul favoring the downhill side.

Step 4. Focus On Mogul Skiing Technique

Don’t worry about skiing the whole run when first learning how to ski moguls Practice short sections with the following things in mind: Find the line. Look 3 to 4 moguls ahead of the current mogul. Keep your skis pointed downhill. Make very short radius turns using the mogul’s side to compress your knees up and down. Keep your skis turning and in contact with the snow. Plant your pole near the top of the mogul and turn towards it before quickly planting and turning the other direction. Find a rhythm. Lean a forward. Relax.

Skiing is dangerous. You could get messed up doing it. If you want to learn how to ski moguls safely seek the guidance of a professional ski instructor.

Thanks for everyone the tuned in during Blog Tahoe’s Moguls Week. I hope everyone is having a safe winter and preparing for the wonderful winter season ahead.

Some of you out there may be in the mindset that mogul fields should be avoided at all costs. Who wants to spend the better part of an hour making uncomfortably tight turns around gigantic mounds of humiliation, right? True as this may be some people heading for Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts may actually look forward to a full day of self inflicted jack hammering pain. For them we offer Lake Tahoe’s must ski mogul runs:

1. Gunbarrel at Heavenly

Arguably the most notorious mogul run in the Lake Tahoe area. It’s fairly steep, fairly sustained and at 1700 vertical feet, it’s fairly long. This monster of a mogul field has played host to Glen Plake’s Gunbarrel 25. This extreme mogul skiing event challenges participants to take 25 laps down Gunbarrel in a single day. That’s 42,500 vertical feet of mogul folks. Crazy.

2. The West Face of KT22 (aka Mosely’s Run) at Squaw Valley

Named after famed mogul skier Jonny Mosely the (N)West Face of Squaw Valley’s KT22 is another legendary Lake Tahoe mogul run. I’ve heard vertical feet numbers in the 1800-1900 range. Whatever the number, it’s steep, long and not for the faint of heart.

3. Waterfall at Alpine Meadows

The Ward’s Peak area off the Six Chair is home to the large and in charge moguls of Waterfall. It can take a while for these bumps to hit their stride but when they do they get big, very big. It’s like skiing in a junkyard, on a hill, covered in snow. Fun stuff.

4.Silver Belt to Steilhang at Sugar Bowl

This is the famous giant slalom course at Sugar Bowl which hosted the “Silver Belt to Steilhang” event from 1940-1975. Take the chair to the top of Mt. Lincoln, drop through some tight terrian, down a gully and into a healthy mogul field. Sound like an event you’d like to participate in. Word has it the crazy giant slalom event was revived for a time in an invite only skier-cross style race.

5.Mogul Rock and Waterfall at Boreal

Located right next to each other off the 49′er Triple Chair at Boreal Mountain Resort, Mogul Rock and (more popularly) Waterfall are pretty short and only moderately steep. So, why are they on the list? Well, Boreal attracts a lot of beginner to intermediates skiers who inevitably take a ride up the 49′er lift. One can’t help but stare at the runs which are easily the hardest at Boreal (except for maybe some tree skiing off the Cedar Ridge Chair). Temptation and curiosity get the better of many a Boreal skier who end up at a dead stops all over the run. If you know how to ski moguls (and somehow end up at Boreal) this can be a fun place to strut your stuff. Your guaranteed a captive audience.

This article is part of Blog Tahoe’s Mogul Week 2008.

What’s a mogul?

Before we start talking about the migratory habits of moguls it’s probably a good idea to briefly explain what a mogul is. A mogul, when referred to in the context of ski terrain, is firm mound snow generally caused by the repetitive descent patterns of skiers on un-groomed slopes. A bunch of moguls together is typically referred to as a mogul field or mogul run. Moguls are generally one of the tougher types of ski terrain to master. Mogul skiing has several competitive circuits and has been an official event of the Winter Olympics since 1988.

Moving Moguls

Moguls are hard to ski properly. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that ski moguls actually move. Okay, so the movement of moguls isn’t really fast enough to raise their difficulty level. In fact their movement is so slow it’s almost impossible to see with out a time lapse camera. Given that moguls do move over the course of a season, which direction would you say they move? Uphill or downhill? Think about it for a second. Although people tend to think moguls are pushed down the hill, over the course of a few months moguls actually migrate up a ski slope. How exactly?

How Moguls Move

Moguls move upwards because of gravity and force. It seems weird to say something moves uphill because of gravity (which is universally known to pull things down). In this case gravity is still functioning as you’d expect and it pulls both skier and snow down the hill, but heres what happens to the mound (or mogul). As the skier comes over the top of the mogul his or her skis carve snow off the backside of the mogul and gravity in addition to the force of the skis push some of the mogul’s backside down and into the uphill side of the mogul directly below. So, snow is removed from the back of one mogul and added to the front of the mogul below it. This removing from the back and adding to the front process is what actually causes the mogul to move uphill. Here’s an illustration to help clear up what I am sure was an overly simplified and confusing explanation.

Here is a movie documenting the moving moguls in more detail.