januBURIED - Norman Berge
Elly Pascoe and I (Norman Berge) made a somewhat last-minute decision to send it to Lake Tahoe. Fellow homie and Shaggy’s Ambassador Nick Ford was happy to accommodate us and show us around the mountains.
Our choice to go west was inspired by the recent record snow fall that was happening in Tahoe. We wanted to live it. We packed our bags and wished for the best. All we could ask for was plenty of open terrain and that we would find some awesome skiing.
Awesome skiing was what we found indeed. We arrived late into Tahoma and found an abundance of fresh snow with more falling. By the morning, 19” of dry powder had accumulated. We headed to Squaw Valley with for the day. After one run with super-star ski coach, Ashleigh Boulton, we all were smiling ear to ear. I claimed it as the best run of my life. Little did I know, it would only be getting better.
The storm intensified overnight and the majority of the resorts on the west side of the lake were closed. Elly and I headed to Northstar, refusing to lose a day on skis during our coveted time in Tahoe. The day turned for the better when we found vacant, untouched snow on mellow terrain. It is always fun to be able to let the skis run WFO top to bottom with no worries.
Our third morning was welcomed with more fresh snow. We had plans to head to Alpine Meadows, but an avalanche closed the road. We took the long way to make it to Squaw Valley and waited for avalanche control to finish. The first lifts started spinning at 11AM. We patiently waited for the Exhibition Lift, bringing us to chest deep powder. It seemed like it was only getting better. We made our way to skier’s right of lower mountain. Our guides, Nick and Ashleigh, took us to some incredible stashes. Blasting through a large gully, we hit every pillow line in sight, ripped lines through the trees, dropped cliffs, and charged through meadows of powder. The day had everything a skier could dream of and more.
The trip ended with a bluebird day at Mount Rose. The morning was spent searching for hidden powder stashes, waiting for their famed “The Chutes” area to open. The area boasts an impressive 1000’ of vertical with continuous 40-55° steeps overlooking Reno. We made first tracks at 1PM after the heavy avalanche control work was complete. What a way to cap of a great day and an amazing trip.
Our week was powered by Shaggy’s Skis. I was riding my 180 Ahmeek 105’s, Elly had a carbon 174 Ahmeek 105 Wilderness Edition, and Nick rode the 184 Bootjack 115’s. They all carried us longer than our legs ever could allow. The Ahmeek proved itself as an awesome all around ski. It enables you to go anywhere and do anything on the mountain. I think it is pretty cool to be able to ride them in the park in Michigan and a week later be skiing bottomless pow.
