After a miracle March that brought upwards of 23 feet of snow to some Tahoe resorts, it went from winter to spring in about one day. Sunday we were skiing powder and by Tuesday we were riding our bikes in shorts. Record snowfall gave way to record highs. Reports from the backcountry were not good – the lack of cool temperatures at night meant that the snow was not setting up. We decided to check it out for ourselves and were treated to some calf deep mank during an after work hike. We were also treated to amazing views and this beautiful sunset.
The sub-par skiing combined with the wet slide avalanche danger that was crushing California SUVs chased us back to riding bikes and skiing at the resort.
But today we woke up to a frozen snowpack and we decided it was time to go harvest some corn! Being the first true spring hike of this year, we lamented forgetting things like ski crampons, but without too much of a struggle, we made it to the top of Mt. Tallac – a Tahoe classic. Never a lack of great views:
We soaked up the sun on the summit enjoying a perfect windless day. A long run down a south-facing bowl reminded me how much I love spring skiing in the Sierras. The turns were as effortless as skiing powder.
We hiked back up to get a second helping of delicious corn and I headed home to walk the dog and soak up the rest of the afternoon sun. With the ample snowpack, we should be skiing well into July in the Sierras and with long spring days, the possibilities are endless.
Meghan Kelly Teles! 