Deep Turns and Strange Times in Lake Tahoe

It was a 50 degree sunny, Tahoe day. West and South facing slopes were showing off their rocky ridges and sadly, the manzanita started to pop through the last of a crappy winter’s remaining white.

That was until everything changed. There were only rumors of a few COVID-19 cases in the Sacramento and Bay Area when the weather forecast was confirmed. A major winter storm was an about to roll through. The local stoke was high and plans to shred were being made.

With impeccable timing, the storm barreled closer to Tahoe and with it came the sweeping fears of the coronavirus. With hoards of people converging on Tahoe for this long awaited storm the vibes got weird. Half the population was stoked to ski pow, the other half was terrified by the virus.

Most local resorts only opened for Saturday (and a few on Sunday) as the ban on large social gatherings started gaining momentum. And then, just like that, they were ghost towns.

The feet started to pile up on porches, driveways, and mountains, but there were no resorts to ski. Avalanche danger was high with winds and snow flying at blizzard pace.

Somewhere between shoveling, mass shopping, and social distancing a few of us found time to ski.

We found 3-5 feet of low angle blower powder and a few hours for our minds to wander in the woods and away from the pandemic.