Category: Reviews (Page 1 of 5)

Eureka Peak, located about an hour drive north of Truckee, is home to some of California’s richest ski history and is still a great place to visit today. The gold rush of the late 1800’s brought thousands of eager miners to Plumas County in search of gold. During the winter months, mining operations slowed down and miners looked to winter activities to kill boredom. Longboard skis made from timber were used in the first official ski races in California in which skiers straight ran Eureka Peak reaching speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. Mining ore buckets on Gold Mountain (now Eureka Peak) were used by skiers as possibly the first ski lift in the world.

In the 1950’s Eureka Ski Bowl opened with a rope tow (later replaced by two poma lifts) serving the wide open slopes below Eureka Lake. Eureka Ski Bowl closed some time ago but a new cooperative group has been working to reopen it. They have raised $370,000 so far and have purchased the retired Mainline double chairlift from Squaw Valley. Work has begun on the lower terminal and will continue as funds permit. If the group succeeds, Eureka Ski Bowl will once again be a great place for families and skiers to gather and recreate. The lift will also provide great backcountry access to Eureka Peak proper which has everything from low angle glades to steep, north facing chutes and cliffs.

With or without ski lifts, Eureka Peak is a great place for a backcountry adventure. Eureka State Park is located in Plumas County, about four miles west of the town of Graeagle. From Graeagle, take route 506 past Mohawk to the tiny town of Johnsville. About a mile past Johnsville the road dead ends at a parking lot which is a popular starting point for snowshoers, nordic skiers and backcountry enthusiasts of all types. From the parking lot you can skin up Eureka Ski Bowl to Eureka Lake and Eureka Peak. In the summertime you can take a 4 wheel drive road through the old ski bowl to Eureka Lake and the start of a great hike called the Eureka Peak loop trail. Visiting this part of the Sierra feels like discovering a time capsule of Sierra ski history and a way of life long forgotten.

Plumas Ski Club history of Eureka Peak

Fundraising for the Johnsville Historic Ski Bowl

After nearly three sub-par ski seasons in Tahoe, a couple of friends and I finally decided to join the vagabonds and hit the road in search of powder. The plan was to select a date and leave enough flexibility to pick one of several destinations within a reasonable driving distance of Tahoe. We would study weather and snowpack forecasts at different resorts and hopefully zero in on the one with the best possible conditions at the time. We also wanted to choose a less popular destination which would offer more quality skiing with less competition for fresh tracks. We finally decided on Grand Targhee. Located on the western slope of the Teton Range in Wyoming, Grand Targhee had a reputation for good terrain, lots of snow and few skiers.

A twelve hour drive from Truckee landed us in Driggs, Idaho. Driggs is located just across the boarder from Wyoming and 2,000 vertical feet below Grand Targhee. The next morning we drove up the pass to the ski area as rain turned to steady snowfall and the snowbanks grew in height with every switchback. It had snowed twenty eight inches in the week leading up to our trip and eight inches new were reported overnight. We got into line at 8:45 with maybe thirty other skiers. Why were they so relaxed? Where was everyone?

We joined a local contractor called Big Dave on our first chair ride. He told us the dense fog we encountered about half way up was commonplace at Grand “Foghee”. He also said Targhee was notorious for under reporting snowfall amounts. He gave us some directional advice, told us the day was going to be sweet and disappeared into the fog. It took us a few runs to adapt to the snow and wind induced vertigo on the upper mountain but after that followed pure bliss. The upper snowfields were extremely smooth which made the skiing easy once you gained confidence in your lack of vision. As we descended below the clouds, visibility improved allowing us to pick up speed through Targhee’s widely spaced trees, chutes and rollovers. The snow conditions were dense, Tahoe-like powder which allowed for high speed and total control. Sheltered north faces had deep dry snow. Either way, it skied great and we had found what we came for.

The ski terrain at Grand Targhee is serviced primarily by two high speed quads, Dreamcatcher and Sacajawea. Dreamcatcher runs 2,000 vertical feet to the summit of Fred’s Mountain which offers wide open cruisers and perfectly spaced tree runs ideal for powder skiing. The Sacajawea chair (Sac to the locals) goes about 2/3 of the way up neighboring Peaked Mountain. Sacajawea’s shorter vertical can be advantageous as it’s top station frequently sits below the layer of frozen fog that can hammer the summit of Fred’s. Sacajawea serves plenty of fun cruisers and some of Targhee’s steepest in bounds terrain. When conditions permit, you can hike above Sac to the summit of Peaked Mountain, which offers mellow pow runs to the south and wicked steeps to the north. More great sidecountry can be found on Mary’s Nipple, located between Fred’s and Peaked. If you want to travel back in time, try a few pow laps on the old center pole Blackfoot double chair. Though not the biggest or most challenging ski area, Targhee’s 2,500 acres provides more than enough quality terrain for powder pigs looking to get off the grid.

Perhaps the most alluring part of Grand Targhee is it’s lack of crowds. We were there during a holiday weekend and still pulled into a half empty parking lot each day at 8:30. A few locals mentioned it was the most crowded day of the year despite no line being over five minutes long. More common was the scenario of skating right onto the lift. Apparently midweek days at Targhee can have less than 1,000 skiers at the entire area.

Another key ingredient to Targhee’s mystique is that it always seems to be snowing. Storms hang up on the western slope of the Teton range and dump absurd amounts of snow. Targhee actually receives more snow than it’s legendary neighbor Jackson Hole. It snowed off and on during our entire visit. On our second day the wind kept refreshing tracks so that some of our best runs came after 2pm. After skiing we retreated to the Trap Bar for live music as it continued to snow as hard as it had the entire trip despite nothing being forecasted for that afternoon. A local told us this happens all the time. He had trouble recalling the last half day of sun they had received.

The icing on the cake of our trip was discovering the little things we hadn’t expected. We had one great meal after another. Snorkels deli, located steps from the Dreamcatcher lift, has fresh made breakfast and lunch options. In the town of Driggs we had great Italian food at Tony’s our first night followed by an outstanding meal at Forage Bistro our second night. Apres ski at the Trap Bar featured Shook Twins from Portland who played a dynamic mix of indie rock, folk and even some beat boxing. Targhee locals were beyond friendly everywhere we went. Tailgating in the Targhee parking lot is practically a religion and locals are more likely to offer you a PBR and tell you an insider sidecountry tip than shun you as a tourist.

Grand Targhee offers a ski experience rarely found today. The terrain and snow quality live up to it’s reputation among hard core ski bums. Cool locals, great food, and the down home charm of Targhee and town of Driggs take it to another level. If you find yourself missing something in your current ski scene or merely want to chase a snowstorm into the wilds of Wyoming, you should check out Grand Targhee.

There’s nothing better than a weekend surrounded by friends, except maybe a weekend surrounded by friends in a backcountry palace with a gourmet kitchen, Jacuzzi tubs, sweeping mountain scenery and instant backcountry ski access.

In late April, 25 of us set out into Cold Stream canyon and trekked four miles to spend a weekend at the Lost Trail Lodge. In the winter, the lodge is inaccessible by car and visitors use skis or snowshoes to access it. In the summer, guests can drive most of the way. Visiting near the end of a dry winter, during a 70-degree spell, presented us with an interesting challenge – too wet to drive, and too dry to ski the whole way. We started out towing a sled with skis on our feet and snowshoes our backs. Throughout the trip, we had to remove our skis and walk, dragging the sled over dirt and mud.

Lodge owner David Robertson built the majestic lodge from materials that he gathered by hand. On his website, he says that getting there is half the fun. Our crew tends to subscribe to the same notion, but with rapidly-melting snow creating a mixture of snow, dirt and mud, and nine kids in tow, ranging from three months to eight years, getting there and back was maybe 25% of the total fun. The other 75% happened when we kicked off our boots, detached from our sleds and eased into the comfort of our temporary home.

The lodge is adorned in “old Tahoe” memorabilia, including a giant buck head, 20-foot river stone hearth, leather couches and bearskin rugs. The hallways are covered with old photos of the area and a host of other interesting and eclectic toys, dolls, games and instruments. The kids played from dawn to nightfall discovering blocks, piano, croquet sets and pint-sized accordion and horns, while the big kids got lost in history through the photos.

A short trek from the front door offers views of the Pacific Crest Trail, including Anderson Peak and Tinker’s Knob. Though we expected that the warm weather would make for comfortable travel, lounging and sleeping conditions, we were pleasantly surprised at how good the ski conditions were. Cream-cheesy snow lasted until after noon before turning to slush.

Throughout the days and nights, groups prepared egg breakfasts, chili lunches and pasta dinners in the gourmet kitchen. The kitchen has a six-foot stainless steel Wolf gas stove, a full set of cast iron pots and pans and is stocked with utensils and condiments so we were able to pack light and eat well. Family-style dinners with close friends are something so rare and so special that the warm glow of those warm nights is now a precious memory.

Fueled by solar energy, power is guaranteed until midnight so we were able to play music all day and keep the party going well into the night.

After experiencing a magical blend of seclusion, luxury and camaraderie, it was hard to pack up and head home. With much of the snow on the trail having melted during our stay, the return trip took about six hours. Once I recovered from the exhaustion of dragging my pack, skis, snowshoes, cooler and 3-year-old over dirt for three miles, I started planning our next trip – likely during the summer.