Lake Tahoe ski resort walloped with 15 feet of snow

Recent storms blanket Kirkwood

Kirkwood, Calif. – On Wednesday, February 21, Kirkwood’s snow fall for the season measured 125-164 inches. As of this morning, it now measures 233-305 inches. Over eleven feet of new snow has fallen upon Kirkwood in the past week.

Mother Nature was very good to Kirkwood during the month of February. Over 15 feet fell during the month alone bringing Kirkwood’s conditions back to mid-season levels. The first round of storms hit Thursday, February 8 in which over 90 inches fell over four days. Since then, three additional storms have delivered over 140 inches.  

With a total season-to-date snow fall of 233 – 305 inches and base depths of 131 – 172 inches, March is looking to be the highlight month of the season bringing out the best conditions and activities.  

The Junior Expedition Teams (JETS) four-, six- and eight-week programs for young upper-intermediate to advanced skiers/riders kicks off on March 3. Kids learn to take on all 2300 acres of the mountain – cornices, chutes, open bowls, trees, hike-to terrain, park, pipe – in a team environment with a dedicated coach. The program includes expert coaching, video analysis, social events and preferred pricing on equipment.  

Two other clinics are also set for March 3. The One-Day Steeps Clinic is designed to help skiers and riders identify the right line, read a slope, devise a back-up plan and select terrain. The groups are small to ensure individual attention. The six-hour clinic is $125 for passholders and $155 for non-passholders and includes video analysis (weather permitting) and lunch. 

The One-Day Telemark Clinic teaches techniques and tactics to improve, as well as more advanced skills such as backcountry techniques, steeps and bumps. Groups are determined according to ability levels and current conditions. These six-hour clinics are $125 for passholders and $155 for non-passholders and include lunch and video analysis (weather permitting).  

Kirkwood’s popular Backcountry Awareness Clinic will be held on March 11. This six-hour program teaches the basic skills including avalanche awareness and avoidance, equipment usage, snow observation and safe terrain travel. Expedition Guides and Pro Patrollers lead the clinics, which are limited to 12 participants with strong intermediate or better skill levels. Cost is $125 for passholders; $155 includes an all-day lift ticket. Backpack, shovel, probe and receiver are provided.

Those looking to advance their skill set know better than to rely on luck. That’s why Kirkwood is hosting several clinics over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, March 17-18. 

The Steeps Two-Day Clinic is ideal for strong intermediate through expert skiers who are looking to learn sophisticated techniques for mastering technical terrain. Topics covered include safe terrain travel, slope safety and mountain etiquette.  

Kirkwood’s Women’s Two-Day Ski Clinic is designed for women by women, with a focus on techniques, finding the best line, reading a slope and selecting terrain. The natural camaraderie that occurs between women adds a cooperative spirit and motivates participants to push themselves to new levels. 

The Women’s Two-Day Burton Snowboard Clinic can help intermediate through expert female riders gain proficiency and advance to the next level, all within the non-competitive environment of other women. The Burton Mobile Women’s Lounge will be on-site with women-specific gear available for complimentary demos and special pricing on women-specific equipment for all Clinic participants.  

The two-day clinics are six hours each day and include lunch and video analysis (weather permitting), apres-ski wine tasting, a trunk show, equipment demos from Rossignol and Nordica, film fest and raffle prizes from Burton, Marmot and others. The clinics are limited to 24 people. The cost is $225 for passholders; $275 includes all-day lift tickets.