tseeb
Well-known member
My wife decided at the last minute to return to Northstar instead of joining me at Palisades Tahoe. After moving her skis back to friend’s truck and a few other last minute items (although I didn’t load jacket but had one in SUV), I arrived about 9 and and parked between not running Far East and Red Dog, which I rode, then skied to Wa She Shu, then skied three laps on Siberia.
The Reverse Traverse, short hike to get to the top of Headwall, was closed (Headwall was on mechanical hold) but there was a high traverse past it and across North Bowl although there was a 8’ drop onto plowed road from Headwall that I had to back up my first time to find a usable for me drop onto it. I skied Hogsback my first two times. It was mostly smooth wind-packed with some blown-in and a couple places of deeper. My second time at top of Siberia, the hike to the top of Palisades had opened, but sign had National Chute, the only one I’ve done closed so after looking in empty patrol building to ask about it, I put skis back on, then saw people skiing nearly pristine National while traversing below it. The next time up I did the hike and thought long and hard about skiing Main Chute, something I’ve never done, as the entrance looked as good as I’ve ever seen.
But it was the day I turned 68 1/2 and I have 8 more days to ski on this trip so I did National Chute with a lot of style instead. I went left at the bottom of it, finding some decent, but not deep untracked, before skiing crusted to the traverse I’d done twice before. There were a lot of people at the end of it wondering how to get off the big drop which I showed them without stopping. I traversed around to Headwall Face, skiing the steep corner next to big rock that most people were going above. Then I found some of the best untracked of the day on Cornice II Bowl. I skied to the bottom and went up Wa She Shu and Siberia going right at the top down Siberia Ridge a little before dropping off into smooth enough, but wind-chopped powder before skiing blown into to the bottom where my worst fall in a long time happened. I must have hit an unseen groomer or wind lip at speed and it threw me in the air and I came down hard on packed snow losing both skis. I hit hard enough that I had multiple body parts to test to see if they were OK. It seemed like worst was a couple of ribs on the left side. I skied to and rode Big Blue, then did two laps on Solitude, the second time going to ropeline above never-open Silverado, then rode chair with a couple of SkiTalkers. I skied to my car took a couple of Ibuprofen, refilled, then left it in car my water bottle, put on sunglasses and put one of my wife’s hard sodas in my pocket for Funitel ride to catch end of SkiTalkers lunch. But while riding Red Dog, I realized Headwall was opening so I next rode KT and skied in Saddle area to it. I had moderate line to get on Headwall and was one of the first to ski North Bowl, cutting left partway down to get to Gold Coast where group of SkiTalkers where leaving. This is line building before Headwall opened and West Face of KT in background.
Fingers of KT when going up it to get to my first Headwall ride.
No time to finish now, but doing OK the next morning although shoulder on side where ribs hurt also sore and I don't want to cough again. I quit about 3:30 with 27.5K’ vertical, then shoveled deck at friend’s house, alternating with another Truckee friend for about 30 minutes. I had shoveled the ~4' of snow off hot tub before he arrived previous night.
The Reverse Traverse, short hike to get to the top of Headwall, was closed (Headwall was on mechanical hold) but there was a high traverse past it and across North Bowl although there was a 8’ drop onto plowed road from Headwall that I had to back up my first time to find a usable for me drop onto it. I skied Hogsback my first two times. It was mostly smooth wind-packed with some blown-in and a couple places of deeper. My second time at top of Siberia, the hike to the top of Palisades had opened, but sign had National Chute, the only one I’ve done closed so after looking in empty patrol building to ask about it, I put skis back on, then saw people skiing nearly pristine National while traversing below it. The next time up I did the hike and thought long and hard about skiing Main Chute, something I’ve never done, as the entrance looked as good as I’ve ever seen.
Fingers of KT when going up it to get to my first Headwall ride.
