Lake Tahoe Backcountry Skiing Conditions 2025-02-12 

Frog Lake Zone (BEFORE the storm)

Despite a slow start to the season in Tahoe, the coverage up at the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts right now is incredible! Keep in mind this report was before the snow started flying on Wednesday evening. The evolving storm will add a massive amount of coverage to all aspects due to its intense nature and low snow levels relative to other storms this season.  

The Frog Lake Huts sit at 7650 feet and the snow has been stacking up all season out there. Touring out to the huts was easy from both the Castle Peak Sno Park and from Johnson Canyon, with good coverage starting right at both trailheads. Recent storms dropped over 2 feet of fresh snow after a bit of rain, and the skiing is excellent right now. 

We were there for 3 days and 2 nights, and wish we could've stayed so much longer. We got out for about 6 runs a day, averaging close to 5,000 feet of vertical during our time there. Some of us got out early, some stayed out all day, some took breaks for lunch, and some took in a moonlight ski one night. It goes without saying that we all slept like logs during our stay at Frog Lake (the posh accommodations helped).

Our first day included a couple of laps in the Frog Lake basin, and we found powder conditions on the northerly aspects across the lake from the huts. Our runs included some steep tree skiing and a more moderate gully run, and we didn't make one bad turn.

Our second day included a longer tour out to the Warren Lake basin. We again found incredible skiing on N/NE/E aspects in the morning. It was a pleasant surprise to discover soft snow in moderate east-facing terrain, as this opened up quite a bit more terrain for type-1-fun skiing! Our tour included ascending a south-facing slope to gain access to a ridge, and the surfaces there required ski crampons for ascent. After gaining the top of that slope, we were rewarded with a 1,400 foot descent all the way down to Warren Lake! Our entire group couldn't stop giggling - bluebird skies, soft snow, and good company are an undefeated combination! Our tour then returned to Frog Lake, linking a few more pitches of skiing on the way home. Although the sun started to affect slopes with eastern exposure by midday, the northerly aspects we skied on our return (even late into the afternoon!) remained as soft as Charmin. 

Our next day included more of the same, chasing north aspects between about 8500 feet and 7000 feet to find soft snow. We skied 5 runs, and didn't cross a track! So much terrain that isn't accessible from frontcountry trailheads is accessible from the Frog Lake huts, and it's easy to find zones without any traffic.

The luxurious accommodations helped us all recover from all of those powder turns each night, and comfortable mattresses and a real deal kitchen/dining room go a long way. We're already dreaming about our next trip there!

More snow is on the way in the next few days, and we've got a couple of spots left on our February 20-23 trip! If you haven't been out to Frog Lake before and want to ski some of the best terrain in Tahoe, book your spot here and join us next week!