# Snow conditions North Shore Lake Tahoe?



## Denise L (Feb 5, 2009)

We are headed to Hyatt High Sierra in a couple of weeks.  It is so dry here in San Jose, so I know that there is no snow on the ground at the resort in Incline Village...yet... .  Has anyone been up that way recently? My kids aren't skiers (though I suppose we might have to go up to a ski area to find any snow!), and last year we hung around Incline Village and played in the snow every day.  Now I'm not sure what to do this year if there is no snow! Beach?!  I could use some suggestions.

We had a 100% chance of rain here in San Jose today, and so far I have seen about 25 drops  .  If it would only rain here, it would snow up there. But we need a lot of snow up there for it to stick  .


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## GrayFal (Feb 5, 2009)

Is there really no snow there???/
I went in September a few years ago and it snowed one day and night when I was there.

I would be happy to send the snow we have on the ground here in Long Island to Tahoe, just say the word :rofl:


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## Denise L (Feb 5, 2009)

GrayFal said:


> Is there really no snow there???/
> I went in September a few years ago and it snowed one day and night when I was there.
> 
> I would be happy to send the snow we have on the ground here in Long Island to Tahoe, just say the word :rofl:



Yep, please send it all!  I called the resort to check which unit we are being assigned, and the front desk person told me that the ground is brown, no snow at all. We'd have to drive to the ski resorts to find snow.  Last year, we were worried about getting stuck in it!

The front desk person told me that they were supposed to get snow today..not one flake so far  .


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## GrayFal (Feb 5, 2009)

Well, maybe in a week or 10 days......that is what u can hope for anyway.....


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## Denise L (Feb 5, 2009)

GrayFal said:


> Well, maybe in a week or 10 days......that is what u can hope for anyway.....



Great! I will them to expect a large shipment of fluffy snow from Pat  .

Keeping fingers crossed that we get dumped on for the next two weeks!


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## Zib (Feb 5, 2009)

I just came home from there on Wednesday.  We had gorgeous SUMMER weather!!  Not much snow left.  We're going to be in a lot of trouble here in Calif if we don't get some more snow in the mountains.  HOWEVER, it's RAINING today here on the coast and supposed to be a little new snow up there.  We're hoping for a LOT more!  Good luck with your trip.  Tahoe is fun anyway!


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## Denise L (Feb 6, 2009)

Zib said:


> I just came home from there on Wednesday.  We had gorgeous SUMMER weather!!  Not much snow left.  We're going to be in a lot of trouble here in Calif if we don't get some more snow in the mountains.  HOWEVER, it's RAINING today here on the coast and supposed to be a little new snow up there.  We're hoping for a LOT more!  Good luck with your trip.  Tahoe is fun anyway!



Did you go to the beach  ?


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## WalnutBaron (Feb 6, 2009)

We just got back from the Lake Tahoe area and, as reported, it looks like late spring instead of the middle of winter.  Unfortunately, the rains we're now getting in Northern California are very warm rains.  Snow levels in the Sierra are at 5,000 feet and higher.  Incline Village is at 7000 feet so hopefully you'll have some snow on the ground, but the skiing, I fear, is going to be a lot like spring skiing.  Watch out for rocks, use rented skis, and keep your first-stringers in the garage


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## Denise L (Feb 7, 2009)

Incline Village received a dusting of snow last night.  This is the current accuweather.com forecast for the week of our trip:

Day 1
Cold with periods of snow 
Low: 12 °F High: 27 °F

Day 2
Mostly cloudy 
Low: 19 °F High: 33 °F

Day 3
Snow much of the time 
Low: 28 °F High: 32 °F

Day 4
Snow much of the time 
Low: 23 °F High: 36 °F

Day 5
Snowy 
Low: 16 °F High: 33 °F

I hope it keeps getting more snowy  .  Last night, it showed sunshine for all 5 days. Crossing fingers!


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## DeniseM (Feb 7, 2009)

Denise - You better be careful what you wish for!  

Do you have 4WD and/or chains?


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## Denise L (Feb 7, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> Denise - You better be careful what you wish for!
> 
> Do you have 4WD and/or chains?



Snow! Snow!  

We have chains, and so far the snow isn't sticking much because it's too warm during the day.  Last year at this same time, there were tons of feet of snow all around the Hyatt High Sierra, and huge snowbanks with fresh powder to play with.  There was absolutely NOTHING on the ground as of last night, so even if it snows every day until then (which it won't since there is mostly sun predicted), there would never be the nice pack that we had last year.  We just want snow on the ground! Snow to sled in! Snow to play in! All of this without driving too far from the resort.  

Snow! Snow!


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## Denise L (Feb 10, 2009)

Oooh, the accuweather forecast is getting even more exciting. It is predicting 27.4 inches of snow over the next few days  , and the forecast for our stay is:

Day 1
Snow
Low: 19 °F
High: 39 °F

Day 2
Colder with periods of snow
Low: 15 °F
High: 29 °F

Day 3
Intermittent snow
Low: 18 °F
High: 28 °F

Day 4
Snow of varying intensity
Low: 15 °F
High: 31 °F

Day 5
Cold with snow at times
Low: 13 °F
High 27 °F


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## Carmel85 (Feb 11, 2009)

Denise

It has snowed like hell overnight you have nothing to worry about but good skiing you best be a PRO.

We have snow snow snow snow!!!

Get you chains on .


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## Denise L (Feb 11, 2009)

Carmel85 said:


> Denise
> 
> It has snowed like hell overnight you have nothing to worry about but good skiing you best be a PRO.
> 
> ...



Yay!!!  I think.  Accuwweather says 47 inches of snow over the next few days, so I hope it sticks.

Now I have to hope that we can up there okay. Luckily, it is North Shore, so much easier to drive to than South Shore in the winter.  

We won't be skiing...just sledding and hanging out in the snow.  If we were staying at Northstar (!!!), we would probably try to get the kids in ski school, but oh well. Maybe another time.


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## tombo (Feb 11, 2009)

Sierra at Tahoe is on the south side of Lake Tahoe, but it was my family's favorite ski resort when they were beginners. My son, wife, and daughter took their first ski lessons at Sierra. There are a lot of really good, long, green slopes (Sugar and Spice is about 2.5 miles long). You can ski a long time before getting on the lift and get a lot of experience in on each long run. 25% of the trails are green. When the kids get a little better, 50% of the slopes are blue, and most are not hard blues, so 75% of the slopes at this resort are skiiable for novice skiiers. We did Sierra first, then Heavenly, then Squaw Valley. I gave the family their choice on where they wanted to ski the last day, and they picked Sierra unanimously. For an expert I would choose Heavenly, but for beginner skiiers, Sierra was our number one choice, followed by Squaw Vallley, with Heavenly the least favorite due to limited green terrain.


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## GrayFal (Feb 12, 2009)

.....and here is MY weather forecast for next week  
Cayman Islands......You can keep that STINKIN' snow :hysterical:


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## Denise L (Feb 12, 2009)

GrayFal said:


> .....and here is MY weather forecast for next week
> Cayman Islands......You can keep that STINKIN' snow :hysterical:



Thanks for sending your snow, Pat  .  I wish I were going to the Caymans!  But since we are going to Tahoe, let it snow!  Then I'll be ready for Maui in April.


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## hsintang (Feb 14, 2009)

We are heading to Incline Village tomorrow.  Hwy80 was closed for a while this morning due to heavy snow.  There are snow storms one after another this and next weeks.  Expect delay in traffic and carry chain in your car even if you are driving 4-wheel dr SUV.

check www.dot.ca.gov for road conditions.

The wish for snow is granted.... 

Yvette


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## Denise L (Feb 14, 2009)

hsintang said:


> We are heading to Incline Village tomorrow.  Hwy80 was closed for a while this morning due to heavy snow.  There are snow storms one after another this and next weeks.  Expect delay in traffic and carry chain in your car even if you are driving 4-wheel dr SUV.
> 
> check www.dot.ca.gov for road conditions.
> 
> ...



Have a safe trip!  Post if you are online once you are there and let us know what the conditions are like.

This is the first time my "snow dance" has worked  . We were due for some winter or else it would have skipped us altogether. I'm sure that the state of CA will thank me when we don't have to ration as much water this summer  .  I hope we all have good driving conditions!


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## DeniseM (Feb 15, 2009)

We've been in Tahoe since Thursday evening and it's snowed on and off all weekend.  This is the view from our hotel room, across Edgelake Golf Course, toward the casinos and Heavenly.


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## Denise L (Feb 15, 2009)

Lovely! Thanks for posting.  Have a safe drive home.

Our weather report now looks like clouds and sun for four days.  I hope it changes to bits of snow. We love the fresh powder on our balcony!


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## Carmel85 (Feb 15, 2009)

Denise L said:


> Lovely! Thanks for posting.  Have a safe drive home.
> 
> Our weather report now looks like clouds and sun for four days.  I hope it changes to bits of snow. We love the fresh powder on our balcony!



Denise L

If you love the fresh powder on the balcony you should have the kids try it on the slopes. Teach those kids to ski right there at diamond peak.

Do not forget to get a sled to use (at the front desk), go behind building #6 or #2 and you will have a blast.

We always stay in build #6 just so the kids can go sledding or saucer fun all day long.

Enjoy that snow.


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## taffy19 (Feb 15, 2009)

Enjoy the snow Denise with your kids but be careful getting there.  We can see snow all around us here.  I have never seen so much but we need the snow in the Sierras for our water.


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## DeniseM (Feb 15, 2009)

Denise L - Your snow dance is really working!  We barely made it over Carson Pass (Hwy. 88) this afternoon before they closed the pass at 1:40 due to avalanche danger.  

Believe it or not - this is the highway!  I took these pictures from the open window of our moving car.  We saw a number of spin-outs and close encounters with the snow bank.  (Thank goodness we were in our 4WD Jeep!)


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## Denise L (Feb 15, 2009)

Wow, that is a lot of snow!

It's been raining non-stop all day in San Jose. My DD9 and I went for a walk wearing our snow boots and snow pants since it is just sopping wet here.  I think this storm is supposed to end Monday. We drive up on Tuesday via I-80.


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## Carmel85 (Feb 15, 2009)

Denise L said:


> Wow, that is a lot of snow!
> 
> It's been raining non-stop all day in San Jose. My DD9 and I went for a walk wearing our snow boots and snow pants since it is just sopping wet here.  I think this storm is supposed to end Monday. We drive up on Tuesday via I-80.



We want a full report please, Im even getting excited and Im not even going to Tahoe till March.


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## glenn1000 (Feb 16, 2009)

*Try to drive off peak*

Have a great time Denise! We have several friend that had very long drives because of the weather this weekend. We were going to take a one night trip today to ski tomorrow but there is too great a chance of getting stuck to go for a day trip right now. You should have fabulous ski conditions. Enjoy! :whoopie:


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## taffy19 (Feb 16, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> Denise L - Your snow dance is really working! We barely made it over Carson Pass (Hwy. 88) this afternoon before they closed the pass at 1:40 due to avalanche danger.
> 
> Believe it or not - this is the highway! I took these pctures from the open window of our moving car. We saw a number of spin-outs and close encounters with the snow bank. (Thank goodness we were in our 4WD Jeep!)


I am glad you made it home safe and sound Denise but it looks so nice when the snow is fresh.


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## DeniseM (Feb 16, 2009)

Thanks Emmy - My DH grew up in NW PA and is a very good driver in the snow.  The snow was absolutely beautiful and the trees were covered in it - picture postcard views!


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## hsintang (Feb 16, 2009)

We were at northstar today and it took us 1.5hr just to get out the parking lot due to snow and crowd. Incline Village got a few inches snow but the road condition was manageable.  I read on northstar weather blog that this storm will last till Wed.... I hope I can get back to the Bay area tomorrow
check www.dot.ca.gov before u are heading Tahoe
yvette


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## Denise L (Feb 16, 2009)

You know, I stopped dancing a while ago but the rain/snow keeps coming  .  

So now it looks like snow all day tomorrow, our driving day. Ugh.  Do I borrow my sister's 4WD Toyota 4Runner, or do we make do with our Toyota Sienna with chains  ?  I don't look forward to unloading and reloading. Hmmm.

Today's highway reports say that it is a mess on I-80 trying to get home on this holiday. Glad we are not going up until tomorrow, but still.  I called the resort and there is plenty of snow on the ground!


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## DeniseM (Feb 16, 2009)

Denise - I would definitely do the 4WD - chains are a nuisance and putting them on can take awhile.


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## hsintang (Feb 16, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> Denise - I would definitely do the 4WD - chains are a nuisance and putting them on can take awhile.



Ditto. and make sure the 4WD is with snow or all season tires.
When it snows, both directions slow down because of the check point.
We made home after 5+ hrs drive...  
There will be several snow showers this and next week.  

Drive safely tomorrow.

Yvette


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## Denise L (Feb 20, 2009)

So we ended up sticking with the minivan since DH didn't want to move all of our things from car to car in the pouring rain.  We drove up Tuesday through mostly driving rain and then heavy snow. Chains required from Crystal Springs exit on 80 to just before 267 (our exit).  Slow slow slow but hardly any traffic going East and tons of cars/trucks stuck going West.  

After 6.5 hours, we arrived safe and sound, and the kids enjoyed the snow continuing to fall.  Now it's been super sunny ever since, so no more fresh snow, but at least driving conditions on Saturday going home should be clear.  We lucked out to have any snow at all.  The last storm up here was at Christmas, they say, so this is the first time since December that there has been any snow on the ground here at Incline Village.

I posted photos on the forum with Hyatt threads http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91627.  I wasn't sure whether to post here or there!


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## taffy19 (Feb 20, 2009)

Thanks for sharing your pictures, Denise.  It looks so nice and sunny and the kids are enjoying themselves.    How can it be better as there is enough snow to play.  I love to see the snowcapped mountains from here as we have stayed there quite a few times before it was a timeshare.  The hotel/casino is still there too but has changed name.


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## rubycat33 (Feb 20, 2009)

*Snow Avalance at Tahoe*

I am a little behind on this thread, but be advised there was an avalance at Mt Rose, sort of North Shore.

http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20090218/NEWS/902189987/-1/RSS01

Not a lot a of meaning since it is in the past.  But a timly reminder with this on again, off again layering of the snow, it becomes unstable and potentially dangerous.  Makes you appreciate the sound of the cannons in the morning!


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