Some Days are Just Made to be Great
It was unexpected. The sun was shining brightly. Only a light breeze disturbed the branches of the hillside evergreens. I looked at the weather forecast again to be sure, but it didn’t jive with what was going on right outside our window.
“Let’s go,” I said. “Looks like it’s going to be a great day for spring skiing.”
Today we choose Northstar in the north part of the greater Lake Tahoe ski basin. Even though the Stagecoach Express sits right outside our door, we decided to make the one hour drive to Northstar and give her the best chance to impress us.
Let’s be honest – on a day like today it’s hard for any area worth its salt not to impress. The groomers were in excellent shape, despite a season that has been dying for snow all across the western US. Temperatures hovered just below freezing on top, while at the bottom by mid-afternoon it was getting fairly sloppy. But the runs held firm all the way to mid-mountain, so it was near perfect spring skiing.
When it’s like this, the idea is not to hit the slopes as soon as the mountain opens, as is the strategy during the height of ski season. The reason? With afternoon temps generally getting to above freezing, the snow softens considerably.
Once the sun sets, it sets up again turning rock hard, even ice. Even if the PistonBully snow grooming machines can dent it, by morning it’s like skiing on gravel. So, the idea is to let the morning sun hit it and soften it a bit while the early bird skiers help break down the pebbles.
Between 10 and 11AM is then the time to catch the prime conditions. Those typically will last until about 2PM before it gets too soft. Today was even better, though, because the upper runs maintained their solid base underneath with just a light dust of sugar well after three, when the sun began to sink low and the snow started to set again for the evening. It was great, responsive, grippy snow perfect for carving. So much fun!
Around 2PM we stumbled upon the Tost champagne hut along the East Ridge between the black diamond runs of Crosscut and Tonini’s. If you have the patience, or if you’re just tired of skiing, you can get there about 1:30 to line up for the free glasses that are distributed daily at 2PM.
Only the first 150 lucky patrons get it for free; the rest of you, like us, will pay $16 for the privilege. Choices include Moet & Chandon Brut, Brut Rose, Speciale and even Dom Perignon. But it’s a nice glass full and it’s the good stuff. So, no complaints. Take a seat, enjoy the music, the sun, and the view. This is spring skiing!
A couple other cool features include all the area info included in the EPIC Pass ski app, and a flag on each trail sign saying if it was groomed the previous night. No checking the guide once you see a trail with possibilities or any of that nonsense. Everything you need to know is right in front of you on the sign. Nice.
The base of Northstar is extensively and tastefully developed. Shops, restaurants, bars, accommodations – everything you need to enjoy yourself. If you drive, the parking lots are serviced with shuttle buses, so all is good. All in all, a great experience.
Tomorrow, we’re going to give it a go right outside our door and catch the Stagecoach Express on our way to the 10,063 ft summit of Heavenly Valley for day two of Tahoe skiing. Then, we’ll tour around South Lake Tahoe for the weekend while the locals crowd the slopes. Monday, weather permitting, it will be back in action at Kirkwood, a ‘heavenly’ neighbor (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun). Hopefully conditions will hold and it will be good. For now, it’s all smiles and cheers!
