Northstar-at-Tahoe

Sunblock, Wax, And A Smile!

We are going into one of the warmer days of the season today.  Temps will be in the 50’s on the mountain and tons of sun.  3 words; “Bring Your Sunblock!”  These kind of spring days are my favorite, the snow becomes so pliable I don’t ever want to leave the Terrain Parks.  Bring a few buddies up for this beautiful Saturday because there is sure to be good times awaiting you.  Don’t be fooled, temps will start dropping this afternoon through tomorrow with increasing winds, so don’t forget your jacket even knowing you won’t be needing it today.  The forecast is saying to expect a high near 33 degrees, in my mind I’d say it will feel more like 40 degrees.  With that said, the sun will actually make the real temperature feel warmer, especially if you’re wearing a wind proof jacket.  I took a little bit of video from the ButterBox Highest Ollie event last weekend and caught a few people enjoying their day on Pinball yesterday.  You’ll see what I mean when I say, “from snow to sun in a single day!”  The conditions are most definitely springy, prime time for skiing and riding is between 10am to 3:00pm right now in my opinion.  Come on up and check it out, there are all kinds of discounted lift tickets available.   Shoot me a comment, let me know what you think!

See ya,

Chris

Spring It On!

I don’t know about you, but I do love spring skiing!  Of course the numbered powder days are what we look forward to, but the last month of spring park and groomer riding is always fun.  When the sun is shining and temps are mild there always seems to be a good vibe out on the hill, everyone is smiling and generally in a good mood.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but that seems to be contagious in this atmosphere.  It is a perfect time to cruise up with your friends to ski or ride the terrain of your choice; I don’t think you’ll find me outside of the parks because Northstar’s Terrain Parks are off the hook right now!  5 different terrain parks, a regularly cut Superpipe, and of course The Stash make for one sweet day on the hill.  Not to mention we are always hitting at least 70% of groomable terrain daily, way to go grooming team!  There is ample coverage and maybe a few hidden powder stashes as well, so again summer is not here, get your weekend ski plans ready!  Check out the photo provided by David Stillman and more like it, thanks David!

Spring it on is coming April 4th with our second annual Pond Skim!  Grab your favorite outfit or something completely ridiculous and come on out, let’s see your skimming skills.  I’ll be out there skimming the pond as well, come on out let’s grab some of the BBQ, a cocktail, and go skimming with a smile!  Oh yeah, Live Music will be going on as well, this event will be one you don’t want to miss.

Hope to see you there,

Chris

I Love That Powder!

Wow!  What an awesome day on the hill, people including myself were out shredding lap after lap and getting fresh tracks the whole time.  I haven’t seen such big smiles for a long time, everyone was loving it!  To give you the picture; blue skies to rapid snow, back to sun and blue, and then more snow showers is how today’s weather was.  It really was incredible, one run would be straight snow flying piling up on your gear, the next would seem like a sunny clear blue bird day.  Epic!  Who knows how many powder days are left?      I’d say get your excuses in order and tell the boss, “I gotta get it while I can,” or come up with something creative if that is what needed.  Trust me it will be worth it, one sweet pristine day will be awaiting you here at Northstar.  Temperatures are expected to remain relatively cool for this time of year which will really help hold consistent snow conditions.  This storm was exactly what Tahoe needed to freshen up the current conditions and make for excellent spring skiing.  Put those golf clubs, swimsuits, and summer gear away because there are more great days out here to be had.

See you soon,

Chris

Think Spring, Think Again!

13” of new snow fell on the summit in the past 12 hours and we are expecting more today and tonight!  We should see over 2 feet of snow by tomorrow morning with cold sustaining temperatures.  What a change one day makes, from sweatshirt worthy days with brilliant blue to the cold winter jacket and bright white blanketing everything!  This is a January-like storm, meaning super light and fluffy powder today with the highs not even reaching the 30 degree mark.  If you thought your powder days were numbered for the season, well I must say you were dead wrong.  Be sure to check out the current road conditions before heading up and remember to take extra time and drive safely.  Oh yeah, the pontoons or powder board would be a great idea for the conditions today.  You can expect the mountain to look like the picture below tomorrow, but today is the day with fresh tracks and free refills. 

See ya,

Chris

Warm And Sunny, Then Cold And Snowy!

Today is shaping up to be one of the warmer days of the year followed by cooling temperatures and snow.  The outlook for this weekend is snow!  Starting late tomorrow afternoon through Monday we are expecting snow showers with accumulation totals of 1 to 2 feet by Monday.  All right, another fresh helping of snow!  March has been very good to us so far, bringing our season snowfall total to 366 inches when our season average is 350 inches and more to come.  I am an optimist shooting for the 400 inch mark and truly believe we will be so close to reaching that goal.  What do you think?  What are we going to end up with at the end of this year?  Shoot me a comment!  The spring conditions are so much fun right now with; soft snow, a face full of sunshine, and good times with friends.  If you read this before heading up today, I recommend follow the sun bright and early for ideal ski conditions.  Start of on the Tahoe Zephyr until other parts of the mountain start soaking up the rays, the snow should be softer and more pliable for edging on the Northwest Territory Early.  I’d say about 10:30 everything will start softening up, leaving you with 87 different trail options.     

The 3rd annual Butterbox Highest Ollie Competition will be taking place tomorrow in The Village.  This event has had huge success the past couple of years and is sure to be entertaining none the less this year.  TC’s Pub will be offering drink and food specials, so if your not competing grab a burger, PBR, and check out the massive ollies. Check us out for full details. 

See you soon,

The Stash Cabin Closed

Hey everybody, we just wanted to let you know that as a result of vandalism, Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort has permanently closed the Craig Kelly memorial cabin in The Stash. We also have a Code of Conduct policy that states we are smoke-free resort.

The official word is - while we realize not all of our guests have shown disrespect for the cabin, the behavior that has been conducted by some contradicts Jake Burton's vision for this tribute to the late Craig Kelly, disrespects the culture and history of snowboarding.

Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort

A Fun Weekend Was Had!

The Transworld TransAM series sure was a hit, we had over 100 competitors sign up for this event, the least to say it was very entertaining.  Everyone was cheering each other on, good vibes all around!  I took just a little bit of video so you can get a glimpse of the course our Terrain Park Staff built, very unique.  Not to mention the California Repercussions were rocking it at mid-mountain and then in The Village later that afternoon.  They were awesome!  We only have a little more than a month of the ski season left and the conditions are still holding up better than I would have expected.  Spring skiing at it's finest!  If you don't get up here much I hope you have a plan in store for at least another visit, trust me it'll be worth it.  Another super fun event coming up is the Butterbox Highest Ollie Contest taking place on the 21st, and best of all anyone can enter if you think you can get high enough.  I don't know how much skiing/riding you've gotten in this year, but it has been a good one!  I think I just reached my 85th day for the year and yep thats right getting paid to do it.  I mean seriously we really have had some amazing powder days, especially from this last storm.  

There is a good chance we'll be seeing some more snow this weekend and then potentially another cold storm rolling in at the beginning of April.  It has been snowing up around 7000 feet all day, I'm guessing a few new inches as of right now.  I'll keep you updated as the storm gets a little closer so you'll have a good idea of what to expect this weekend.  

Are You Jammin?

Tomorrow is your chance to come out and show everybody your steezey new tricks you’ve learned this season.  For only $10, you can come throw down with your friends or really try and push for the top spot.  Yes, with the $10 entry fee you get a year subscription to Transworld Snowboarding Magazine and a chance to strut your stuff in this jam style format.  Tons of Schwag, raffle prizes, huge prize packs for the winners, basically a chance to push your friends and have a good time.  A great way to spend your Saturday!  This is a six stop series featuring some up and coming riders eager to prove their worth and in general, “give it their all!”  If you don’t feel like competing, come on out and hang out, this event will be entertaining for all.

This weekend should be a ton of fun, nice mild temperatures, with a little breeze whistling through the Sierras.  My kind of spring conditions!  There is snow everywhere, so you have an entire mountain and just about every type of terrain to choose from.  I hope to see you up here this weekend for another helping of “Good Times!” 

We Have It All! What Is Your Flavor?

Groomers as far as the eye can see, pockets of powder hidden in the trees, and park lines you have to see to believe.  I mean we are talking 87 open ski trails, 80% of groomable terrain groomed, and 5 different terrain parks loaded with small, medium, and large freestyle features is what you’ll find at Northstar.  I really notice people had caught the ski bug this weekend, maybe because we had the storm of the season last week and the snow conditions were a brilliant white with the bluest of blue skies!  I would describe it as a heavenly glow in the sky and on the snow, kind of corny but it really was that beautiful up here.     

 About an inch of snow has fallen since I got in at 5 a.m.  Conditions should be really nice with a light dusting of snow, filling the soft grooves of corduroy laid by our Grooming Team, really making for some sweet turns this morning.  Expect some moderate to heavy winds today with a high barely reaching 30 degrees, perfect temperatures for skiing!  I would suggest bringing the wind-protected jacket, maybe a face mask, and a huge smile because today will be a good day.  I hope to have another update by the end of the day along with some video.

 

See you soon,

 

Chris

Snow and Powder Everywhere!

I don’t know if we really could have asked for much more from this last storm, we would just be getting greedy at that point.  77” fell in the last 7 days at The Summit, giving us 361” so far for the season total.  Any yes our average annual snowfall is 350” so we are already above that mark for the year with more storm potential around the 14th or 15th of this month.  Yesterday the mountain was waist deep everywhere, so as you can imagine people were lining up at the Lookout Link to get first tracks and everybody got theirs.  This morning the clouds dissipated and the sun smiled down on the hill, making for the best blue bird powder day of the year!  Of course that is my opinion but I’m sure many people will agree with that statement.  It was perfect for all types of skiers and riders, fresh corduroy trails were cut everywhere with walls of powder on both sides, kind of like the concrete medians separating the highways.  I mean roads of corduroy encased in walls of powder, the best of both worlds! 

Come on out and get yours!

Chris