North Lake Tahoe Backcountry Ski Conditions
2024-03-24
West Shore Lake Tahoe
Spring came in like a lamb and turned into a lion! For a second there it seemed like the spring regime was taking over and our powder skiing days were numbered! Friday night's storm brought about 15" to the mountains above 8,000', last night's storm tacked on another 7" and throughout the day today we eeked out another 3". So, all in all, we received 2 feet in 2 days, not so bad!
The skiing is incredible and slated to stay that way! Today's snow was classic Tahoe powder skiing - deep, silky and heavy enough to not hit much underneath! The snowpack was touchier than it seemed at first. The upper snowpack was soft and seemed unconsolidated at first glance, but on closer inspection with test rolls, there was enough cohesion to propagate across slopes steeper than 35 degrees.
With a reactive storm slab problem, avoiding larger connected terrain was important to avoid an avalanche involvement. This problem should settle out within the next 24-48 hours, but could become more sensitive if the sun opens up or the temperature rises quickly. Read the avalanche forecast, make conservative terrain choices and ski with experienced partners!
For more avalanche and weather resources in Lake Tahoe, the Eastern Sierra and more, check out our page devoted to our favorite links for each zone:
