Skiing Stoke from Lake Tahoe

Month: February 2014

Keeping it real at Grand Targhee

Mark Durgin digs in at Grand Targhee.

Mark Durgin digs in at Grand Targhee.

After nearly three sub-par ski seasons in Tahoe, a couple of friends and I finally decided to join the vagabonds and hit the road in search of powder. The plan was to select a date and leave enough flexibility to pick one of several destinations within a reasonable driving distance of Tahoe. We would study weather and snowpack forecasts at different resorts and hopefully zero in on the one with the best possible conditions at the time. We also wanted to choose a less popular destination which would offer more quality skiing with less competition for fresh tracks. We finally decided on Grand Targhee. Located on the western slope of the Teton Range in Wyoming, Grand Targhee had a reputation for good terrain, lots of snow and few skiers.

Tony's Italian joint in Driggs.

Tony’s Italian joint in Driggs, Idaho.

A twelve hour drive from Truckee landed us in Driggs, Idaho. Driggs is located just across the boarder from Wyoming and 2,000 vertical feet below Grand Targhee. The next morning we drove up the pass to the ski area as rain turned to steady snowfall and the snowbanks grew in height with every switchback. It had snowed twenty eight inches in the week leading up to our trip and eight inches new were reported overnight. We got into line at 8:45 with maybe thirty other skiers. Why were they so relaxed? Where was everyone?

Hucking one of the steeper zones off the Sacajawea chair.

Hucking one of the steeper zones off the Sacajawea chair.

We joined a local contractor called Big Dave on our first chair ride. He told us the dense fog we encountered about half way up was commonplace at Grand “Foghee”. He also said Targhee was notorious for under reporting snowfall amounts. He gave us some directional advice, told us the day was going to be sweet and disappeared into the fog. It took us a few runs to adapt to the snow and wind induced vertigo on the upper mountain but after that followed pure bliss. The upper snowfields were extremely smooth which made the skiing easy once you gained confidence in your lack of vision. As we descended below the clouds, visibility improved allowing us to pick up speed through Targhee’s widely spaced trees, chutes and rollovers. The snow conditions were dense, Tahoe-like powder which allowed for high speed and total control. Sheltered north faces had deep dry snow. Either way, it skied great and we had found what we came for.

Perfect glades accessed from the Dreamcatcher lift.

Perfect glades accessed from the Dreamcatcher lift.

The ski terrain at Grand Targhee is serviced primarily by two high speed quads, Dreamcatcher and Sacajawea. Dreamcatcher runs 2,000 vertical feet to the summit of Fred’s Mountain which offers wide open cruisers and perfectly spaced tree runs ideal for powder skiing. The Sacajawea chair (Sac to the locals) goes about 2/3 of the way up neighboring Peaked Mountain. Sacajawea’s shorter vertical can be advantageous as it’s top station frequently sits below the layer of frozen fog that can hammer the summit of Fred’s. Sacajawea serves plenty of fun cruisers and some of Targhee’s steepest in bounds terrain. When conditions permit, you can hike above Sac to the summit of Peaked Mountain, which offers mellow pow runs to the south and wicked steeps to the north. More great sidecountry can be found on Mary’s Nipple, located between Fred’s and Peaked. If you want to travel back in time, try a few pow laps on the old center pole Blackfoot double chair. Though not the biggest or most challenging ski area, Targhee’s 2,500 acres provides more than enough quality terrain for powder pigs looking to get off the grid.

Shred uncrowded deep powder?  Check!

Ride uncrowded pow? Check!

Perhaps the most alluring part of Grand Targhee is it’s lack of crowds. We were there during a holiday weekend and still pulled into a half empty parking lot each day at 8:30. A few locals mentioned it was the most crowded day of the year despite no line being over five minutes long. More common was the scenario of skating right onto the lift. Apparently midweek days at Targhee can have less than 1,000 skiers at the entire area.

Another hectic weekend at Grand Targhee.

Another hectic weekend at Grand Targhee.

Sometimes the clouds lift and you can actually see the top.

Sometimes the clouds lift and you can actually see the top.

Evening descends on the Targhee Village.

Evening descends on the Targhee Village.

Another key ingredient to Targhee’s mystique is that it always seems to be snowing. Storms hang up on the western slope of the Teton range and dump absurd amounts of snow. Targhee actually receives more snow than it’s legendary neighbor Jackson Hole. It snowed off and on during our entire visit. On our second day the wind kept refreshing tracks so that some of our best runs came after 2pm. After skiing we retreated to the Trap Bar for live music as it continued to snow as hard as it had the entire trip despite nothing being forecasted for that afternoon. A local told us this happens all the time. He had trouble recalling the last half day of sun they had received.

Tailgaiting Targhee style.

Tailgaiting Targhee style.

Still snowing.

Still snowing.

The icing on the cake of our trip was discovering the little things we hadn’t expected. We had one great meal after another. Snorkels deli, located steps from the Dreamcatcher lift, has fresh made breakfast and lunch options. In the town of Driggs we had great Italian food at Tony’s our first night followed by an outstanding meal at Forage Bistro our second night. Apres ski at the Trap Bar featured Shook Twins from Portland who played a dynamic mix of indie rock, folk and even some beat boxing. Targhee locals were beyond friendly everywhere we went. Tailgating in the Targhee parking lot is practically a religion and locals are more likely to offer you a PBR and tell you an insider sidecountry tip than shun you as a tourist.

Stay in the Trap Bar long enough and your skis may get buried.

Stay in the Trap Bar long enough and your skis may get buried.

Shook Twins from Portland rock the Trap Bar Apres scene.

Shook Twins from Portland rock the Trap Bar Apres scene.

Grand Targhee offers a ski experience rarely found today. The terrain and snow quality live up to it’s reputation among hard core ski bums. Cool locals, great food, and the down home charm of Targhee and town of Driggs take it to another level. If you find yourself missing something in your current ski scene or merely want to chase a snowstorm into the wilds of Wyoming, you should check out Grand Targhee.

Weekend Warriors

Skiers enjoyed sunny skies and spring conditions at Squaw and Alpine last weekend. Conditions should change as a series of storms is expected for the region beginning today.

The ridges at Alpine had great steep corn skiing last weekend.

The ridges at Alpine had great steep corn skiing last weekend.


Wake, bake, loiter, repeat.  Team Tie Die follows their mantra despite getting the boot from their bbq hangout at the base of Granite.

Wake, bake, loiter, repeat. Team Tie Dye follows their mantra despite getting the boot from their hangout at the base of Granite Chief.

SnowFest! Events & Lodging

SnowFest! is North Lake Tahoe’s annual spring snow celebration, and this year is shaping up to be as good as ever. Every spring since 1982, North Lake Tahoe throws this big party, packing 10 full days with parades, special events, races, parties, concerts, and more. If you’re a skier or rider, this is one not to miss.

squaw snowfest sun deck

The Sun Deck at Squaw Valley USA during Snowfest 2013

During SnowFest!, you can enjoy on-snow events at resorts like Squaw Valley USA, Alpine Meadows, Homewood, Diamond Peak, and Northstar-at-Tahoe. There’s plenty of off-snow excitement too, from Tainted Love rocking 80’s hits at the Crystal Bay Casino and the Unimog mobile party unit thumping Squaw’s sun deck, to the polar bear swim and King’s Beach parade. Festivities begin on Thursday, February 27th and go through Sunday, March 9th.

Unimog

A military design driven 1969 Mercedes Unimog is the foundation for a mobile party unit stacked with high performance sound.

If you’re from out of town, you’ll want to find the best place to stay for SnowFest! There are lots of hotels in the Tahoe area, but if you’re looking for a more private experience, you can look to Zaranga, a marketplace for professionally managed vacation rentals. A friend of the blog works for the company and shared some of its unique advantages with us.

Zaranga works with property managers to offer exclusive discounts for last-minute travel, low season travel, and more. Bookings are confirmed instantly so you don’t have to deal with wait times that come with inquiries, phone calls, emails back and forth, etc. You can call their customer service team at any time with questions or to get help in finding a property.

Zaranga has lots of vacation rentals where the SnowFest! action is, including in Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Carnelian Bay, Tahoe Vista, and Incline Village. Below are some of the most notable houses:

See you at the party!

Tahoe City Lakefront Vacation Rental

Ahhh…

Tahoe City

Super Luxurious

Super Unique

Super Gorgeous

Carnelian Bay

Lakefront

Tahoe Vista

Lakefront

Lake View

Plaster Caster

The Light Towers and Headwall are caked.

The Light Towers and Headwall are caked.


The upper portion of Squaw got plastered with five feet of snow from the weekend’s storm. The upside down snowpack ripped out some large avalanches throughout the Tahoe Basin.

The top half of KT is shellacked.

The top half of KT is shellacked.

Fracture and avalanche debris from the Funnel into Shirley Bowl at Squaw.

Fracture and avalanche debris from the Funnel into Shirley Bowl at Squaw.

Entrance to the Chutes at Mt. Rose.

The Chutes at Mt. Rose.

Coming up short

The Valley looks better than it did before the storm but we still need much more snow.

The Valley looks better than it did but we still need much more snow.

Last week’s storm had the potential to drop three feet of snow on the crest, starting with a wet layer and drying out toward the finish.   Unfortunately we have to keep imagining what that would have felt like because the final pulse missed us completely and we only received about a foot of snow.  The good news is we received a ton of much needed moisture and the portion that fell as snow is bonding well with the rain crust layer.  Beyond that, conditions are still extremely lean.  The start to this season is now one of the driest in history along with 1977 and 1991. It’s time to ramp up the sacrificial offerings to ensure the next system delivers in a way this one did not.

KT won't be opening while it looks like this.

KT won’t be opening while it looks like this.