 Poster: A snowHead
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Will have a friend working out there with a law firm next winter and could possibly meet up with him to do some skiing.
Obvious place seems to be Tahoe. Are Heavenly and Squaw Valley both on the lake? Mammoth is another possibility. When is the best time of year?
Bear in mind this chap has done all of his skiing in Scotland, mostly at Glenshee and Lecht!!!!!!!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Heavenly is at the south end of the lake, Squaw up at the north end - next door to alpine meadows. Kirkwood is a ways south of the lake and closer to SF than the other resorts - about 45 minutes off the journey time. there are a total of 27 resorts in the lake tahoe area!
Mammoth is a similar distance physically but harder to get to as you have to make a big trip round the mountains - that info from a british couple living in SF who I talked to on 7th heaven lift in whistler 2 weeks ago.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Mammoth is a good place, especially late in the season; we were there at the end of April, and the snow was great. You can ski almost all year round (there's no glacier). The jouney time from SF depends on which passes are open. In the summer, no probs. In winter, you may have a long journey, as nbt says. We found that a pass which was billed as shut was open, which cut our journey time to Yosemite (no distance from Mammoth as the crow flies) to about 6 hours. The driving is very pleasant, 'though, with great views, so I wouldn't let that deter you.
There's a smaller resort near Mammoth, June Mountain, on the same pass. Don't know anything about it.
If you have the chance to visit Yosemite, take it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We skiied both areas last april and had a great time
Above mentioned mountain passes were closed so from mammoth back to SF via Yosemite was a hell of a drive! On leaving Mammoth heading to SF you have a choice of north nearly all the way back to tahoe area before cutting across or heading a long way south until only 100 miles or so from Death Valley before getting across mountain.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Badger Pass is the oldest ski resort in Ca and is situaed in Yosemite. May be worth a visit for nostalgic reasons. Visited in June when there was still loads of snow on the ground but unfortunately lifts closed.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Roger C wrote: |
We skiied both areas last april and had a great time
Above mentioned mountain passes were closed so from mammoth back to SF via Yosemite was a hell of a drive! On leaving Mammoth heading to SF you have a choice of north nearly all the way back to tahoe area before cutting across or heading a long way south until only 100 miles or so from Death Valley before getting across mountain. |
If you go late enough, some of the passes may be open (even though the map says that they're shut). We didn't have to drive as far north as we expected to, although it was still a long (but pleasant) drive, and worth it. Tahoe is obviously more convenient, but Mammoth is very reliable for late snow, which might be useful (and the passes are more likely to be open.
We drove up to Mammoth from LA, which was a great drive.
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From the Mammoth website
DRIVING TIMES & DISTANCES
Bakersfield 4.5 hours 260 miles
Death Valley 4 hours 214 miles
Fresno (winter) 6.5 hours 357 miles
Fresno (summer) 4.5 hours 200 miles
Las Vegas, NV 5.5 hours 377 miles
Los Angeles 5.5 hours 325 miles
Orange County 6 hours 363 miles
Reno, NV 3 hours 164 miles
Sacramento 5 hours 290 miles
Santa Barbara 6.5 hours 385 miles
San Bernardino 5 hours 290 miles
San Diego 7.5 hours 400 miles
San Francisco (winter) 7 hours 360 miles
San Francisco (summer) 6 hours 300 miles
Yosemite Valley
(Eastern route closed in winter) 2.5 hours 100 miles
They say the passes over the mountains are usually closed from November to May, though clearly that is weather dependent.
Conversely Tahoe, assuming you avoid peak traffic in San Francisco/Oakland and later on around Sacramento is an easy 3-4 hour drive in good weather. If it is snowing heavily they may close the roads at higher elevations as you get nearer Tahoe or require chains (bear in mind for that area heavy snow means feet of it not inches)
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johnboy, just back from SF- Mrs Ed at a conference- me baby sitting- if you've never been spend afew days in the city- it is a fantastic place  .
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Lots of people hit Tahoe every weekend from Bay Area but I'd take driving times with a pinch of salt. Friday traffic heavy & snow closures common. Some days apparently its a scramble to grab the last motel room in Auburn when I80 gets closed.
If your friend is living out there he'd be well advised to get 1 or more season passes, Squaw is top dollar but everywhere else seems to have decent deals especially pre-season.
No-one from SF would really consider Mammoth for the weekend - its busy enough with people from LA and Vegas though Tahoe skiers reckon they're soft and in a whiteout there'll be no-one on the slopes.
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Squaw Valley is the closest resort of a decent size to SF. I80 can be pretty jammed on a Friday evening.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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...or Sugar Bowl. Alpine Meadows just down the road from Squaw too.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| fatbob wrote: |
| No-one from SF would really consider Mammoth for the weekend - its busy enough with people from LA and Vegas though Tahoe skiers reckon they're soft and in a whiteout there'll be no-one on the slopes. |
It's definitely too far for a couple of day's skiing. When we were there (end of April) it was quiet; usually we had the piste to ourselves (this was 8 years ago, no doubt things have changed). All the runs except the very lowest were open most of the time, although the top runs were closed for a day or two because of high winds (undetectable lower down). Much of the skiing is above the treeline, so not the ideal spot in a whiteout.
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We had reason to be in SF for a couple of weeks three years ago in early January and went to Tahoe for a few days. We landed at SFO airport, leapt in a hire car and headed for the hills. I think it took about three hours from SF to South Lake Tahoe, it was cold and snowy but the southern pass (name escapes me) down to the lake was open. Skied two days in Heavenly then drove around the lake to Tahoe City, stayed there and skied Squaw Valley. Then drove back on I80 (?) from Truckee to Bay area.
Despite being told that the road around the western side of the lake was closed we did go around there (to Emerald Bay) and it was OK if you drove carefully (and officially open).
Tahoe is worth doing as a 2/3/4 day break from San Francisco but I expect roads are busy at weekends and you need to keep abreast of the weather reports.
I preferred the skiing in Squaw to Heavenly but they both provided good entertainment for a couple of days with nice powdery conditions and spectacular views. We also went dog sledding on the Truckee pass while staying at Tahoe City which was expensive but good fun - a good option if weather is a bit crappy for skiing.
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