Reno

Wow, just an incredible amount of moisture with this cycle.  Jason, how long are you out there?  Looks like they could potentially get a ton of snow (like 4-6 feet) Sunday into Monday.  Current forecasts have the freezing level moving up to 9k on Saturday, so there could be a mixed bag in the middle of this cycle, which will certainly make for an interesting snowpack heading into next week.  Hopefully you have time to keep it conservative while things stabilize a bit.  Where you planning on skiing?  All (controlled) resort, or any backcountry plans?  Excited for you!

Squaw......is it me, or is it very susceptible to storm related closures?  It's on my short list, and I always check their conditions when it's storming.  When I do.....there are usually limited trails and lifts available.

This incredible cycle will be great, but too much of a good thing can get in the way!  Alpine Meadows is closed today, and Squaw expects to open with limited lifts/terrain.

I am currently in Florida.  I am trying to change my flight to slc.  Looks like Tahoe might be out of action for a whileI am flying out Sunday night.  Not real happy. Looks like things might go tits up

What's your primary concern......that Sat/Sun are going to be mostly ncp and bugger it all up, or that it may take them a couple days into next week to dig out and get operational?

If you were looking at the weekend of Jan 14/15 (MLK weekend) would you go Tahoe or SLC?  I know you aren't, but if someone were....

Screw that dude. They are getting blasted. You can always take the long drive around. Epic snow. Go get it. There will be hills within a 30 minute drive of Truckee that will be spinning lifts.  I drove around at the tail end of a 4 footer and it was a hoot.

I canceled the whole trip..took a 120 dollar hit...just too much of weather shit show..better to take a 120 hit , then a 2k one

Sorry it turned out that way. You'll get 'me next time

Too bad!  Tough call, but not a bad one.  I've mostly been watching Squaw/Alpine reports and they've had limited ops the last few days.  It's going to rain a lot Sat and Sunday, then start snowing a ton again.  Probably be a dicey snowpack with potential further limited ops a lot of next week.  Of course you might have ended up at a place like Sugar Bowl and had a ball.  Hell of a crap shoot.....and a lot of dough to gamble!

I've been following Turns All Year since I started skiing out in WA.  A guy there reported a buddy of his in CA who skies Kirkwood said the many feet they have gotten the past 3 days is wind blasted, skiing like a foot of fresh, not bottomless blower.  So the conditions might not be as spectacular as one might think, and with the rain and extreme weather to follow who knows....

I'm pissed. But it would have really sucked being stuck in a hotel watching in pour.

"WEAK!!"

Hey, I don't blame him.  I actually had a flight into Reno booked for the 13th to get a weekend chase in.  Had to cancel it because I couldn't get the sun, moon, and stars to align the way they needed to in order to pull off the chase.  Honestly, I'm not that upset about it.  With limited miles, funds, and opportunities.....traveling into a weather situation like that is a YOOOGE gamble!

Tahoe can suck, even a day after a storm. I've been there three times, and each time it snowed heavily. Fun while it blew, as long as the winds stayed reasonable, but, even the next day was a good example of the famous Sierra cement. Pretty place, and cool California people, but, not worth flying over Colorado and Utah for.

Mountain-Forecast (sometimes accurate, sometimes not, but was pretty good on the snow earlier this week) is showing 200 inches of  snow on Granite Chief at 9k tonight through Wednesday.  200!  And there will likely be more after that.  Two Hundred!!!  That's on top of the 83 inches they've had the past 7 days.  I guess in the Sierra you only really ever ski the top 12 inches.....but the Chimney should be prime all season.  Wow.

Squaw is projecting to be open today, but it doesn't look like any of the good expert terrain will be open.  Just as soon as they get control work done a lot of that snow will get saturated with upwards 15+ inches of rain this weekend.  That's got to wreak havoc on a snowpack.  And then it gets loaded with another 75 to 150 (depending on elevation) inches of snow.  Unfathomable!!

My sister sent me this cause I worked at Alpine one season. It kind of shows how serious the terrain there really is. When I was there the big avalanche from the eighties was still very much front of mind.
http://m.timesunion.com/news/article/Avalanche-hits-Alpine-Meadows-homes-causes-epic-10848518.php

Looks like it's been a real shit show out there since last weekend right into tomorrow.  Closed or limited ops, shitty snowpack.  Jason made the right call.  That said, looks like it could be a stellar weekend assuming the resorts can get any damage they have repaired, and that slopes aren't too terribly wind affected.

Agreed
Also will be some killer spring skiing with all that base that's building up, which I think RA might have pointed out in another thread

this is just the beginning, this pattern of massive rain/snow on the west coast looks to continue for the next month...leaving us warm and wet.

I fly out on Tuesday. It'll either be awesome, or it will suck, or it will be some combination of both.

I'm excited either way.

every now and then I get it right..  still depressed as hell since it was my only opportunity to go out west this year..
I was even considering driving to SLC from Reno..Glad I didn't ..They have been having the same shit show..

matt..looks like you might have a little rain then a massive dump.. I should be a blast!!!!

Yo,  Mattchuck,

I recall an expedition to the wilderness of Reno-Tahoe some time ago.  All you did was huck 60'+ off the Squaw Palisades, got shown up by the local wingnuts (Cali weed mellows the mind, man) flipping at 80', dude.  Meanwhile, Jimmer and I almost dislocated our hips, hop-turning down KT22 in the Sierra Cement at high noon in April. (Hey, nobody's there, lets hit in now while it's empty!)

And Ace, well, she got her dream-ski-outfit; Hot Rippin' Pink. And rip she did.  She'll always be Pinky to me.

The best was hitting Kirkwood the week they broke 700" for the season.  I can say I've skied glades with 30' of snowpack around 3' wide tree trunks (30' up from the ground), zip-lined The Wall and took over MCP's in South Lake Tahoe for one night with the worst crew of gapers ever.

I can feel your brain grinding, "How can I possibly top that awesome trip". Hey, why not send some photos, live video from Harrah's, pretty sure you'll meet some swell fellas.

All the best.

P.S. Grab a bunch of trail maps for me.