Video recap:
A record setting snowfall in March 2018 made for some amazing conditions in the Lake Tahoe area. One of the great things about living in the Bay Area is that you are within 3 hour driving distance from Squaw/Alpine which provides the perfect opportunity to head up last minute on a powder day.
0:00 - Only open during days with excellent conditions, the Palisades at Squaw are great hike-to terrain. This is where you can see the pros send a 30 foot cliff and make it look like child's play. It gets crowded pretty quickly once they've been opened, so ask a ski patroller at the beginning of the day if he/she thinks the terrain might open and then hang around Siberia bowl if you want to get close to first tracks. Here we headed down skier's right of the Palisades (no cliff jumping for me yet, but maybe someday...)
0:48 - Probably my favorite place at Squaw is Granite Chief Peak area which is the hike-to terrain above the Granite Chief chair. The hike-only access keeps the terrain less tracked out and usually has great conditions all day on a powder day. Although we weren't motivated to reach the summit on this particularly windy day, riding some of the chutes off the very top of Granite Chief Peak is a definite must if the terrain is open and conditions are good.