Northstar-at-Tahoe

Over 50 Inches in 7 Days!

Within the last 7 days we've seen over 50 inches of fresh powder fall on the summit, leaving Northstar with great snow conditions. We are expecting sunny skies and high temperatures in the midst of the 40 to 50 degree range. Spring skiing is back, following another substantial snowfall! There is a chance we could see some precipitation Saturday, however we are only expecting trace amounts of snow or rain.  Prepare for sunshine, ideal temperatures, and great snow conditions at Northstar this weekend.  I went out and made some turns this last weekend with camera in hand to show you how things were looking – they were looking great!

In case you weren't aware, Northstar Resort is hosting the 4th Annual Vans Cup at Tahoe this weekend. Some of the biggest names in professional snowboarding will be here to duke it out for a chance to win some of that $200,000 prize purse for 3 different events. You've got to come check out the Rail Jam this Friday next to the Village Overlook Bar – it has been a great event the last few years. It is incredible what some of these guys will be throwing down on the feature built by Snow Park Technologies just for this event. Check out our home page video featuring Vans and what’s happening this weekend here at Northstar.  The Rail Jam will be held from 5:00pm – 6:45pm on Friday.  If you won’t make it Friday night but are planning on heading up this weekend, can still watch some great snowboarding here at the resort.  The Slopestyle event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.  If you haven’t had a chance to see some of these pros throw down live and in person, well you should make a point to stop at Pioneer Trail this coming Saturday.  I can guarantee you will be impressed or just in awe!  The Big Enchilada will be held Sunday, meaning our even more beefed up Superpipe (just for this event) has been closed this entire week so the perfect pipe will be ready.  The Superpipe event is the one to come watch!  First place takes home the biggest chunk of cash out of all 3 days and is really fun to watch.  The finals will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., so that’s when I would recommend you be there.

See you on the hill!

Are you ready for another helping of snow?

A Huge Storm is rapidly making its way to the Sierras and is predicted to drop 2 to 3 feet of snow by tomorrow night.  We are expecting to see snow start falling around 4:00pm this afternoon and it is supposed to keep dumping until 10:00pm Sunday night.  I hope you have your powder skies ready to go because you’ll need them this weekend for sure.  Here at Northstar we live by the motto, “more skiing and less wind hold.”  Especially with the 100mph gusts we are expecting to see over the ridges this afternoon and Sunday.  The high winds mixed with heavy snowfall will make for very low visibility at times on the road.  The skiing will most definitely be nothing short of epic this weekend, but I do encourage everyone coming up to keep a close eye on Current Road Condtions and Current Weather Conditions.  If you decide to tear into the deep fresh snow this weekend please be safe on the roads and give yourself extra time for travel.  I not only recommend but insist you carry a flashlight, tire chains, water, food, and a blanket or sleeping bag just in case the inevitable does happen.  Do you want a few helpful powder safety hints?  Check out our Powder Safety Tips, you might find them helpful.  I hope you get a chance to come check out the snow sometime this week.  Trust me you won’t want to miss out on the new snow we’ll be seeing in Tahoe.  You can find me on Lookout this weekend, waist deep in powder.  See you on the hill!

I love snow and carving the freshies!

The snow just started falling and is going to continue through the weekend!  I've pulled some information from a few different forecasts but mainly from, "The Man, B.A."   Snow will be developing this afternoon with periods of moderate to heavy snowfall through the early morning hours of tomorrow and will linger until around 4:00pm.  We are looking at 3 to 6 inches or snow accumulation at lake level and 6 to 12 inches above 7,000 feet.  That’s what I am talking about!  That is not even the bigger part of this weather pattern, we are supposed to get hit the hardest Saturday night with 1 to 2 feet of fresh powder by Sunday afternoon. A great site for general weather information is provide by our partner NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).  I hope you didn’t decide to put your powder skis back in the closet the last few weeks, if so you better pull them right back out.  I love riding in stormy weather, what about you?  I generally see less people and when your tracks are getting covered every run with new snow, that’s when you know the conditions are epic.  For the longer range forecast, it looks like more stormy weather is trying to make its way into the Sierra, but only time will tell.  I’ll let you know as soon as I have some more substantial long range weather information.  As an FYI:  “We are expecting moderate to heavy winds the next few days and we are the best wind protected mountain on the North shore.”

Watch this video!

I felt it was necessary to cruise around the mountain this morning on my snowboard and video a little, just so you would have a visual of our conditions.  And trust me that is the only reason (laughing).  I’ve been having a great time riding the parks in the sunshine lately, but I want to rip some more deep snow again.  How about you?  I will definitely be updating this blog with another powder video, most likely Saturday morning.  If you missed the Powder Safety Video we made earlier, you might find a couple of helpful tips.   What do you want to see in the next powder video?  Big walls or snow from carving?  Different hidden powder areas around Northstar?  Some footage of The Stash?  Let me know, I’ve been trying to incorporate your ideas all winter and would love to hear from you.  Thanks and check back soon for another update.  You can find me in the powder!

Chris

Snow, Snow, Snow!

The storm door is open and we are expecting potentially 3 feet by the end of this weekend!  The February Spring Break has passed and the storms are rolling in.  I really liked having a few weeks of warm temperatures, sunshine, and great spring skiing, but it is definitely time for some more powder.  I feel like we've been so spoiled this season seeing epic snow for a month, 3 weeks of sun, (generally during the coldest few weeks of the season) and a Terrain Park line that is way above and beyond anything I expected before the season started.  Check out the weather forecast provided by NOAA, if you are planning on visiting this weekend you'll be seeing some open powder.  I'll have a detailed forecast for you all by tomorrow afternoon and I will do my best to get a video together so you can see how great the conditions are.  Thanks and check back tomorrow.

What are you doing this President's Weekend?

I don't know about you, but I plan to be out on the slopes with the sun gleaming on my face this holiday weekend!   It is definitely going to be a beautiful weekend with temperatures ranging in the 40’s and 50’s and nothing but sunshine.  I’ll bet you won't be able to spot a cloud in the sky on Saturday or Sunday, let me know if you do.  It is really looking like we are going to be able to enjoy spring skiing until Wednesday when some more snow is expected to fall.  I really hope to see some major storms roll through again, how about you?  What conditions are ideal to you?  Perfect groomers?  Super deep powder?  A little dusting?  I am very curious, you should shoot me a comment and let me know.  Even if you don’t ski or ride, I invite you to come on up to Northstar and enjoy the sunshine and the variety of activities happening this weekend.

Who ever said the Marketing Team doesn’t know how to ski and ride?  Most of the team went out this morning and took a few laps around the mountain, and yes the whole team was ripping.  I was thoroughly impressed with their skills, I have to admit I was kind of skeptical myself at first but soon realized they all knew what was up on the mountain.  I took a little footage of some of our adventure on the slopes and put it in a little video for all of you, just in case you don’t believe me.  What kind of video would you like to see me put together for the next update?  Please let me know, I would love to incorporate some of your ideas, they have been good so far.  Thanks and I’ll talk to all of you very soon.

Chris

Do you want to win a 08/09 Northstar Season Pass?

Have you uploaded your “Good Day” video yet?  Don’t forget that we’re giving away, that’s right, GIVING AWAY a 2008 / 2009 season pass to Northstar.  All you have to do is shoot and cut a video of your good day at Northstar and upload it to our website.  The Grand Prize winner will be given a 2008 / 2009 Northstar season pass and two runners-up will be given 4 lift tickets each.  Remember to be creative, but, more importantly, it’s all about your good day, so have fun!  We took a few clips and created a video giving you a little taste of what we might be looking for in your "Good Day" video, check it out.  We have a variety of events happening this Presidents Weekend here in the Village and on the Mountain.  Check out our Events Calender for details on all upcoming events.  If you can make it up today, there’s a Valentine’s Fun Day Race on Lower Pioneer and Timbercreek Restaurant has a few specials for you and that special someone.  The skies are looking blue, clear, and ideal for skiing or riding today.  Tomorrow looks like it will be a beautiful day.  The average temperature will be around 40 degrees throughout most of the day and we’re not expecting to see a cloud in the sky!  Check back with us tomorrow for an updated weekend weather forecast and maybe a few other things going on here at Northstar.  Hope to see you out on the hill today!

How Do You Have a Good Day at Northstar?

Whether it is park riding, tracking the powder, slashing the groomers, or any other activity at Northstar, we want to see and hear about it!  We decided to put together a Good Day Video Contest for a chance to win a 2008-2009 Northstar Season Pass.  All you need to do is upload your video taken at Northstar Resort by March 15th, we will judge the winner by March 20th.  Try to be super creative and remember the video doesn’t have to be limited to only skiing.  For example, you could show yourself getting a cup of coffee, heading up the hill, stretching, skiing, taking a lesson, cocktail hour, you get the drift.  The Northstar Marketing Team will select three videos based on quality and entertainment value. A webpoll, containing the three chosen videos will be posted on the web site by March 20, 2008 and will be available to all users to vote! Grand prize winner will win a 2008.09 Season Pass and the other two winners will win 4 lift tickets each.   You better grab your camera and start putting your Good Day video together if you want a chance of getting that season pass.  It is looking like sunny skies for the next week or so, we might see some a little bit of snow this Wednesday, but only time will tell.  Perfect time for videoing, so what are you waiting for?  I am really excited about this contest, I get to watch your videos for a change.  I threw together a little video this morning showing you how some people have their "Good Day."  Feel free to send me any comments about this Good Day Video Contest or if you have any questions I am always happy to answer them.  Take care and good luck with your video.

Chris

The Sun is Smiling this Week at Northstar Resort!

The weather forecast is calling for sunny days to compliment our great snow conditions.  It looks like the massive storm system that just swept through the Tahoe region has left the area giving us a break from the stormy weather for a week or so.  We will be looking at temperatures ranging in the 30’s to mid 40’s through most of next week, “Spring Like Conditions.”  I think we could use a little change in weather scenery for a week or so, lets enjoy some spring skiing for a week followed be more storm systems.  What do you think?  More and more powder?  A little sunny break?  Let  me know, I am curious to hear what kind of conditions are ideal to you and where you like to ski, whether it be the park, backside, lookout, front side groomers, or nothing but the powder.  I plan on sliding some boxes, rails, and hitting the sweet jump line in the park on pinball. 

Have you ever hit our Superpipe? If the only reason is the massive wall height, well you have to check out the brand new Halfpipe our Terrain Park Crew has built and just opened Monday.  In my opinion we have the best park line in Tahoe located on Pinball and the best pipe, especially since we offer a less intimidating halfpipe for riders and skiers trying to get a hang of riding the walls.  Unfortunately I don’t have a video for you at this time, check back for a weekend weather and event update.  I’ll talk to you soon and hope you have been enjoying the snow this season.

Chris

Want To See Some Crazy Freestyle Riding?

The Burton Amateur Series Superpipe event is happening tomorrow! Burton and the Terrain Park Crew put on a great Slopestyle event today for all riders striving for a wild card entry into the US Open.  The women and men were throwing down their best and really killing the course, which consisted of 2 jibs and 3 huge jumps. Riders from all over came for this event to get that gold medal, a new snowboard, one thousand dollars cash, and a chance to compete in the US Open. If you are coming up tomorrow, make sure to stop by the Superpipe if you want to see some huge air and crazy freestyle tricks by both men and women.  Well, I think you just need to see for yourself, so we put together a little video with some of the tricks, but its nothing like when your actually there. We’ll let you know how the Superpipe goes tomorrow in case you are unable to make it. Talk to you all later and remember to keep checking back for all kinds of updates.

Sorry for the video delay, we had a few technical issues.  Thanks and we'll talk to you soon.

Chris and Justin

Do You Love Powder?

Mother Nature is at it again, she left us 9 fresh inches of powder in the last 24 hours! 

Honestly, we are being pretty modest with our snow totals, the wind was gusting yesterday and some ridge gusts were over 100mph.  In case you weren’t aware, when we see sustained winds and cold temperatures the super light snow tends to move around the mountain, giving us more in some spots and less in others.  How would you like another insider tip?  Before I head out I really pay attention to the wind direction so I can tell which face of the mountain the large pockets of snow will have accumulated.  To explain:  if the snow is blowing up the face of the mountain, you will see more snow on the run and large swells in the trees.  If the snow is blowing down the ridge, we tend to see faster conditions and less snow accumulation in that area.  This Morning we checked out some tree lines off of the Zephyr area, Backside, and of course fresh tracks in The Stash. When we were out riding we saw some major drifts of snow in the trees, big enough to create some fun little natural jumps, I’m talking like 4 feet high!  If you are able to get out here today or tomorrow you’ll see what we are talking about, so what are you waiting for, come make Northstar™ Resort your own favorite snow filled playground.  Ok, we made a video this morning in case your one of those, “I need to see it to believe it,” people who are uncertain or in disbelief how great the conditions really are up here.  I want to see you up here and not stuck on the roads, so be sure to check out road conditions before you head up.

Latest Update From Our Weather Man, B.A.

Here is our latest update from B.A., the weather man. Our latest system doesn’t look like it will start rolling until Saturday afternoon, but when it does come “it should be bigger than the past two with a solid foot in town and two feet, possibly more, on the mountains”. This system will also have a lot less wind. So if you have been unable to make it out to Northstar or have been making some lame excuses for missing out on the abundant powder all over the mountain, Mother Nature is offering up what is looking to be another couple of epic days of deep powder. After this storm, long range models aren’t predicting snow till the following weekend. So watch the above video one more time and remind yourself what you could and should be riding.