10%

53/54

By Lowell Robinson

March 4^th, 2024

There's always a storm that reminds you how deep things can get. This storm predicted 10 feet of snow. Highway 80 was closed, but for those who love snow, they love snow. There very few things better than snowboarding in deep powder. Add to that riding with good friend and that's a plan you need to make happen.

So here was the plan: drive up to the Sierra foothills (Saturday night) and in the morning, see what's possible.

Highway 50

Sunday morning it was still storming. Most highways in the area were closed, but Highway 50 remained open. So almost every resort in Tahoe was closed, except one, so that's where we went.

Now this might not be the cover shot for Heavenly, CA. But if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes. Mark Twain's famous quote was never truer.

Sunday's weather was filled with excitement, a mix of unstable blue skies and angry snow commercials.

But as the day came to a close, Jason and I knew Monday was going to be magic!

Riding in deep powder is the closest I've ever come to wakeful dreaming. Imagining where you want to go, and just have your body travel there. On hard pack snow you feel every bump, every vibration, it's exhausting and exhilarating.

Floating on powder is just wonder. It can be effortless or intent-full. It's a medium filled with possibilities, only leaving a trail to remind others it happened.

A couple of guys in the lift line let us know they hoped they still would be snowboarding when they were our age.

I guess it made me smile a bit. If they only knew how deep this passion ran. A rare capture of me riding in Colorado (1989).

It was hard not be in awe of all the snow that fell over Tahoe over the weekend. On the Northside, Sugar Bowl reported 126" or 10.5' ft and Palisade Tahoe reported a wind gust of 190 mph. It took some planning to get to the Southside, but honestly, Caltrans is amazing! Caltrans' dedication to keeping us all safe is easy to take for granted -- but Jason and I sure didn't. One of the many topics we explored on our drive back home.