Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Late season Sierra storms blanket the slopes!


It’s been nine days since Julie and I arrive in South Lake Tahoe and sadly, we’ll be leaving in two days. Having begun this year’s trip over a week later than usual, we arrived to the unusual sight of brown lawns and a mild breeze. Sure, this is the beginning of spring around Lake Tahoe, but aside from the snow-covered trees and slopes beginning part way up the mountains, the lack thereof at lake level, was just weird.

Then less than 24-hours after our arrival, the latest storm models began to take shape and in a season that was being described as nothing short of a drought, the locals were beginning to salivate at the thought of a true Sierra Storm cycle. If you’ve never experienced a Sierra snowstorm, they can be best described like heavyweight prize fighters that may be a little slow out of the gate, but when they unleash their fury, they don’t hold back punches – for days.

Less than four days after the storm cycle began, we had seen about four and a half feet of snow at lake level and about eight feet above 8500 feet. Needless to say, Julie and I were pleased about the storm, but also pleased for all the resorts and communities in the Sierras that saw a huge influx of skiers and riders over the past week with the weather.

No comments: