What is Tahoe Stash?

Ever want to avoid the tourists while on the slopes? Do you want to know where the locals ride? Heavenly Ski Resort (you know they’re one of my favorites based on how many times I blog about them) set up a website called Tahoe Stash that secretly tells you where you need to go on their mountain for the spots that only locals know.

It’s a pretty simple site. At the top you will see the Heavenly trail map with 6 red dots on it. Hover over a dot and it will reveal a secret stash. Each reveal has a description on how to get there, the difficulty level and a video of what to expect. You can also submit comments with other riders and skiers.

I think it’s a pretty cool site that could be expanded on with other mountains in Tahoe. But by posting some of the secret stashes, aren’t they opening them up to everyone – in the process not making them so secret? I wonder if they had thought about making the site accessible to members only, verifying viewers are in fact locals? Probably not. My guess is it was set up as an additional way to create buzz about Heavenly. They do a great job at this and are really active on Heavenly TV, their blog and Facebook.

The Lake Tahoe Backcountry

The backcountry is one of those places most tourists never go. Some areas are unexplored and rarely ever visited by humans. It’s the place to go to get away from it all… and Lake Tahoe has some of the best backcountry skiing and exploring this country has to offer.

Check out this video of the South Lake Tahoe Backcountry. I know the music is awful… I promise you won’t miss anything if you watch it on mute. Just take a look at the country side and the mountains. Absolutely stunning.

Have you ever explored in the Lake Tahoe backcountry? What are you experiences? Post a comment and let me know.

October Snow

It is early October and Lake Tahoe has received it’s first major snow deposit. Mountains on all corners of the lake are blanketed in snow. As of writing this post the temp at Mammoth Mountain is 40 degrees and the have a 6-8″ base. That is wonderful news for skiers and snowboards looking for a big winter season.

Check the live webcams at Mammoth if you don’t believe me:
http://www.mammothmountain.com/WebCams/

Mammoth and other ski resorts around the lake are scheduled to open in early November. Most have activities, discounted rates, free food & drinks, etc. to celebrate the opening of the lifts. If this early snow keeps up I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some October openings!

Check out this picture from October snow in 2008.