Spring Skiing and Snow Dancing in Tahoe

Thus far, the 2021–22 winter has been the epitome of feast or famine for Tahoe skiers and riders. Of course, you’ll remember that in December Mother Nature walloped the area with a pair of Christmas-time storms that had even the hardiest among us hoping to never lift a shovel again. The UC Berkeley snow lab on the top of Donner Pass reported a monthly total of more than 200 inches, shattering a record set in 1970!. This wasn’t just another “DEEP-cember;” it was one of historic proportions. Resorts across the basin had all lifts spinning for the holiday break, and mountain-goers were comparing photos of chest-deep turns. Spirits were as high as the snowbanks in Tahoe.

Fast forward six weeks, and a completely different story is being told. Snow drifts have been replaced with sunshine, and powder skis that got early use have been gathering dust ever since. Last I checked, it was more than 35 days straight without a single centimeter of precipitation. Another record-breaking month, only this time it’s in memory of the region’s driest January ever.

Needless to say, there are many among us lamenting the lack of snow, the epic winter that could have been. I myself have been known to check the weather report before even rolling out of bed, hoping with all my might that one of those adorable little snowflakes shows up on my Weather app. 

The slowly diminishing snowpack would truly be cause for despair if it weren’t for one thing: If it isn’t snowing in Tahoe, it is almost certainly sunny, warm and beautiful. And you know the only thing more satisfying than spraying a cloud of fresh snow into your friend’s camera lens? Getting a tan while leaving your mark in buttery, sun-drenched corduroy. 

That’s right, my friends, like it or not spring skiing is upon us, and oh how good it can be! Now that we’re nearly two months on the other side of the solstice, that February sun is high enough in the sky that it has begun to transform those 200 inches gifted to us in December. Trails that once felt scratchy and slick now offer a soft, edgeable platform that can rightfully be called “hero snow.” Don’t believe me? Take a rip down your favorite groomer at 10:00 one of these mornings, and you’ll swear that you should be in the next Warren Miller film. Moguls that were icy and intimidating in January now beg to be bounced down in style (headband and sunglasses optional). Even those north-facing runs that still don’t see direct sunshine have softened to offer grippy, satisfying turns that can best be described as “chalky.” Simply put, it is really hard to have a bad time skiing and riding right now.

Now before you get after me for cheering a melting snowpack, let me assure you that I too am still craving powder turns. Those storms in December were nice, but the increasingly distant memory offers little consolation when I consider the long, snowless summer growing ever closer. Fortunately for all of us unsatisfied powder hounds, it appears that our patience is going to be rewarded. There are whispers – rumors – rumbling on my favorite weather sites that the pattern is going to shift at the end of the month. Already, a few inches fell on Monday night, a glorious reminder of what it feels like to have to brush off your windshield in the morning. Even better – if the word on the street is to be believed – we could have some more storms rolling in before March 1. 

I will admit, I am forever an optimist, especially when it comes to snowfall. I know a storm forecast in the mountains can be about as reliable as a homemade paper airplane; sometimes it goes farther than you ever imagined possible, and other times it nosedives straight into the ground. That said, I’ve got a good feeling about this one. I have faith that before long we’ll have an excuse to dust those powder skis off and – dare I say? – relish the idea of picking up a shovel again. Until I do see those flakes fly like my best-ever grade school paper airplane, I’ll be spending my days soaking up sunny, spring turns and my nights snow dancing like a maniac. Please, feel free to join me. 

For snow reports at the local resorts, visit our Lake Tahoe Snow Reports page. For things to do around the Tahoe area before and after the slopes, visit our Daytime and Nightlife pages.

Photos by Morgan Brown