Northstar-at-Tahoe
Friday 3 January 2003

Weather

Conditions

Big Springs (480) :

The first day of a new ski season and I needed a relatively easy day to warm-up. I left San Francisco at 4:15 am and I made it to Northstar just before 8am.

It was already getting quite crowded, but they have made great improvements to the ski rental process since last year, and it only took a few minutes. I was at the top of the gondola to Mid Mountain just as the lifts were opening

Vista (1173) : Straits, Drop Off

The weather forecast was cloudy. In fact there were few clouds in the sky and the sun was just beginning to peek over the top of the ridge. The temperature was just above freezing

Everyone takes the Arrow lift straight up the mountain and there was a long queue so I decided to take the alternative Vista through the trees to a slightly higher point. This means a very short walk and as a result there was no queue at all

For the first run, I took the groomed run under the lift. It was well groomed but a little crisp on top

Vista Chair	Early morning sun at the top of Woodchuch run	Sun through the trees
The top of Vista lift

Vista (1173) : Magic Moguls

Second run and first mistake. I took the Magic Moguls run down towards Comstock lift. In the past these have been artificial bumps created as a terrain park, well spaced and ideal for building a skiing rhythm. This time they were freshly cut, rock hard and no way to switch between tracks. It was far too early for this kind of run.

Comstock (1250) : West Ridge, Luggi's, Cascades

There was already quite a queue for Comstock although the singles line moved much more quickly than the rest.

After the previous run, I promised myself an easy cruise down the West Ridge.

The easiest way down

The top of Comstock at Mt. Pluto summit

Comstock (1250) : Iron Horse

This time, the queues were even longer and it was time to check out the Backside.

As usual, about half the runs had been groomed overnight and the others left as moguls. I chose Iron Horse, which was a great run. It was well groomed and starting to soften up. After a non stop run to the bottom, I realised that my legs were in reasonable shape.

Iron Horse

Backside (1860) : Sierra Grande, Challenger, Lower Burnout

For the next run, I turned right from the top of the lift and headed down Sierra Grande and Challenger, the East most trail down the backside. Again it was in great condition, even the short steep face.

Backside lift looking up The Rapids

Backside (1860) : Burn Out, Lower Burn Out

Burn Out is the most direct route down the mountain. This may well have been the best groomed run of the day. There was plenty of loose snow on the surface, which was beginning to pile up to offer a skiing line.

Backside (1860) : Lower Burn Out, Sierra Grande

Backside (1860) : Lower Burn Out, Rail Splitter

This time I turned left from the lift with the intention of taking the short Follow Me run.

I could not remember whether Rail Splitter had been groomed or not. From the narrow entrance it looked as if it had been. I got just too far down the run to turn back when the run steepened and the grooming ended. There were moguls and the surface was still a little crisp

However, as the run steppened, the snow was a little softer and this turned out to be a pretty good run, just 1 stop in 1200 feet of moguls!.

Backside (1860) :

Time to stop for a drink. Unfortunately, the lift had stopped to allow a youngster in obvious pain and with his right leg immobilised to be lifted onto the chair.

The Gulch West Ridge, Flying Squirrel, Upper Main Street

I had never skied the new Lookout Mountain at Northstar, so decided to give it a go. There are 2 ways to get there, back to the mid mountain area or a rather flat track across the ridge with potentially the need for some polling. I decided to ski to the mid mountain.

Pioneer (960) :

The queues for the lifts at Mid Mountain were enormous. This was obviously still a holiday. The last time I got on the Pioneer lift, it was called Lookout. Despite the change of name it was still the same very slow 2 seater chair.

Salmon Run (100) : Marti's

Lookout Mountain is higher than the top of Pioneer lift and to get to a point where it is possible to ski down to the bottom of the new lift, there is a rope tow Salmon Run. At the bottom there is a large warning sign "No Easy Way Down .. Experts Only", so a good possibility of avoiding queues.

From the top of the rope tow, Marti's is the only way down and starts out as a gentle cat-track. The transition to expert terrain is brutal; the track ends at the top of a seriously steep run down, marked by a congregation of skiers and boarders trying to work out whether and how to attack it.

Although the run had been groomed, the groomers had in fact broken up a frozen surface into lumps of ice. There was no nice corduroy pattern and no loose snow on the top. Skiers were kicking up lumps of ice, rather than snow. Despite this, the run was pretty comfortable. The steepness produced an adrenaline rush and after the initial 150 yards or so, the run flattened out a little.

Lookout (1300) : Prosser

The Lookout Express lift is unusual in that it loads across the line of the lift, rather than looking up the slope. It is a pretty steep high speed quad which gains a lot of verticial very quickly.

From the top of the lift I turned right along the slightly uphill track to the highest point. There is a great view of the valley towards Truckee and the small airport. From the top is not really clear where the groomed run down is. It is steep, justifying its black grading. Just visible in the photograph is the split, with the groomed Prosser run on the left and the mogulled Stampede run on the right.

At the top conditions were pretty good, with some snow on the surface. Further down the surface deteriorated to groomed ice cubes again.

Looking towards Truckee airport from the top of Lookout Mountain

Prosser and Stampede runs

Lookout (1300) : Marti's

Knowing what to expect, This time Marti's run was much more enjoyable. Skiing straight past the nervous group at the top of the face was fun.

The bottom of the new Lookout Express chair	The bottom of the new Lookout Express chair	The top of Marti's run

Lookout (1300) : Stampede

This run was a mistake. I checked out the snow conditions at the top and the moguls seemed skiable. Not far down they became very crisp and in the shade visibility was extremely flat. I did NOT enjoy Stampede.

Lookout (1300) : Schwarzer Strasse, Back Door, Iron Horse

Backside (1860) : Grouse Alley

Back at the bottom of Backside the queue was enormous, so I abandoned any idea of one last run on that side of the mountain.

Unusually, Grouse Alley, the steep narrow run just to the East of Comstock lift, was groomed.

Rendezvous (646) : Village Run, Lumberjack, Main Street Crosscut

I decided on one last run before calling it a day, from the old triple chair Rendezvous lift. The queue was sufficient, that I was not tempted to continue.

Crosscut, the run just to the right of the lift was in its usual state, pretty heavily mogulled (but short).

By the time I had finished it was about 1:30pm and my legs were telling me to stop, but a good opening to a new season

Runs

Last updated: 07/01/2003