and their winter storm warning

 

ryan, i really hate to say it, but it's looking more & more to be a recipe for a hwy 88 road closure.
heavy snow + strong wind = dangerous pass per CalTrans

 

i know, its that damn wind.

i was hoping this storm would be pretty calm, but doesnt look like it

might have to wait till mext week



anyone want to go off-roading at hollister hills saturday instead?

 

how was it thursday?

 

this is chelsea under james's name, thursday was great, power was a bit choppy on the main runs, the trees were great. we went to squaw. anyone want to go up on monday?

 

ok so hwy 88 up to kirkwood is closed.

josh still wants to go. i am down to head up somewhere and see how it goes.

how does bear valley sound? chels, cliff, you guys still up to go?

 

sup, ryan. i got your voicemail that ya left. didya get the text i sent?

i rode heavenly on fri & sat! we left san jo on fri before 5am. i had hoped to go to sierra but the folks i went w/ have season passes. fri was NICE esp. for the $20 i gave to the couple in the lot that needed to get rid of the last day on their 3-day ticket [ala napoleon dynamite]Yesss![/ala napoleon dynamite]. upper lifts on both CA & NV sides were closed due to high winds. we started off in CA & hit up powderbowl runs a buncha times. we found some good stuff in the trees (on your right, if you're on the chair). then a li'l more decent stuff as we made our way back down for lunch. surprisingly w/ all the snow fr new years wknd, there was still quite a few rocks to contend w/. then we drove over to the NV side to eat lunch & find more pow. was better in there, esp. since there was no line at all on the stagecoach chair. we knew we would be in for a serious treat on sat since serious dumpage was only a few hrs away.

we woke up sat & the report on RSN & heavenly's snowphone was calling for Two Inches Of Snow An Hour in addition the 18 to 26 overnite! they also said they'd have the NV chairs(only the lower ones again due to strong gusts) going by 9:30. so we got to the stagecoach lodge just before 10 to find out that they had just opened the chairs on this side. so we grabbed a quick bite for b-fast. our 1st run was filled w/ huge smiles across our faces, and that was only on the main run which was ungroomed except the lower sections as you approached the chair. after a couple o' hrs of looking to hit every bit of untracked amongst the trees, we decided to skip lunch, grab a snack outta the truck, and ride till 3:30. all was good till the shut the lift @3-ish. it was coming down heavy & the winds remained strong. in the lodge we had to do a 2-minute drill style lunch since they were looking to close they kingbury grade again, plus the staff in there pretty much shooed everyone outta their seats & off the tables.

we tried to head back to the bay that afternoon, but every road outta the area was closed. hmmm...whatta dilemma, THREE days o' pow, not just TWO! so after pizza & beer, we hunkered back down for the nite to ride the next day. in the morn, we found out that 50 was still closed but that we were able to head up the NV side of the lake towards truckee, then head home on 80. sadly the chick i went along w/ was scheduled to wk, so we packed up for the bay. booooo! but little did i know, the fun wasn't really over. it sure was a blast digging out the truck in the hotel parking lot for half an hr. then at the stoplight of our right turn onto 267, the chick's bf slides & rear end's an outback. can u believe this blasphemy! what's he thinking laying his bumper on a subie! luckily --no injuries & very, very minor damage to both vehicles.

so much action in a few short days!

 

You guys would all be wise to go snowboard on Wed. Go to bear. the roads are clearer. No one will be there. You should be able to track fresh ALL DAY. and it should be kinda warm with a light breeze up there.

GO NOW> I still can't freakin ride and I'm pissed. I have an appt on thursday. I am seriously contimplating trying to ride VERY SOON. But my knee gets pissed walking down stairs..imagine trying to rail through trees....

 

^^^yo, ray! i don't know why i didn't go w/ my instincts. i was gonna say as a final note: sorry in advance to OneManArmy for prolonging the torture.

hey, at the rate these storms are going we should have freshies at least once a week till the 1st week o' march. :crosses fingers: oh, and lemme know asap, most likely after your appt on thurs, when we could get the i-club bear valley trip in gear.

i was supposed to be heading up today to sierra w/ a bucha n00bs & a few crafty vets fr wk, but we were a bit concerned w/ a road closure. plus the drivers aren't all that experienced in the snow. i gotta wk tomorrow, but am thinking of a day trip for thurs. i'll keep my mouth...er...i mean posts on lock down for your sake.

 

yeah i got it. its cool, we ended up not going. sounds like we missed some good snow, but at the same time proabbly would have gotten snowed in over night. probably a good thing we didn't go then.

 

I'm finally going snowboarding for the very first time ever, this weekend. Going up on Sunday, just for a day-trip. My friend, who has snowboarded before suggested we go to Dodge Ridge since it's the closest one. Any reviews/comments on that place? How's the drive there, cuz this will be my first time driving in snow. I'm planning to pick up some snow chains/cables for my front tires before Sunday. Any brands or price range I should be looking at. As you can see, I'm a total newbie at this, but I'm more than determined to learn. Thanks I-Club for helpin' a sista' out!

 

Dodge Ridge is cool, but it costs a lot more than it used to($46). For your first time, and since you will be sitting on the snow more than riding the moutain, I suggest you go to Donner Ski Ranch($20) or Boreal($36) since they are the cheapest. Then when you get better, spend the extra money since you will be able to explore the mountain and get the most out of your money.

Kurlee Daddee
(THE ORIGINAL)

 

dodge ridge is so ghetto

as for it being the closest, its only closest by a couple miles, there are a few others that are within 15 miles total distance which isn't much.

 

If I were to consider going to Boreal, how's the drive? Keep in mind, it's my first time driving up in the snow or mountains for that matter. I've got M+S tires on my car. I'm gonna pick up some chains tomorrow. Are the roads crazy or what? Thanks guys for your input.

 

what day are you thinking of going? The roads are clear right now. I wouldn't expect too big of problems for the next few days at least.

With M+S tires you're better off. It's very unlikely you'd be asked to put chains on a subaru and just as unlikely you'd actually need them. But it is state law to carry a set.

Just remember this. Just because you have AWD and decent tires..don't assume you can drive like you would on normal roads or that you're invinsible.

Take it easy. Drive within your comfort level. No hard anything. Braking, accelerating, turning..etc. Give yourself plenty of room to slow down. Our anti-lock brakes are very sensitive and often create a very long stop length.

Boreal's not to bad a drive. It's a small mountain. They have tons of snow and when they have a lot of snow I really enjoy riding there. Otherwise..its just too Jib orientated for me. Too many groms. Too many rails. Not enough trees.