Since my friend introduced me to Sierra-at-Tahoe, it was love at first sight. Towering old growth trees. Kootenay-like pillows tucked away under a canopy of Red firs. Each section of the mountain provided something different. You could say even magical. And when the Caldor Fire ripped through it, my heart was torn in half. Even with the strong community, a BIG part of what made it special was the terrain… and the trees. I knew it was going to be different. What if I didn’t like the NEW Sierra? I was hesitant to return. With a friend in town, I decided to finally bite the bullet and visit for a Sierra At Tahoe review.
A Different Perspective
Making the final left, we begin our ascent up the service road towards Sierra. My stomach was in knots. Was I about to ruin my good memories of this place? Quickly the thick forest disappeared and were replaced with huge open slopes. For the first time ever, you could see the entire mountain from one vantage point. Looking over towards West Bowl, nearly every single tree was removed. It was now as smooth as a frosted cake with only a few burnt candles left on it. Even the main slope next to Grandview had lost a majority of its woody cover.
Some Things Stay The Same
As quickly as a sense of sadness came over me of what I saw, seeing the same buildings brought a glimmer of hope. The lodge was filled with laughter and people joking around. Java Junction was still serving up high quality drip coffee. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Grabbing my buddy a pass, we quickly hopped onto Grandview Express. Zipping up, the slopes under my feet didn’t give me a sense of dread. Rather, it felt foreign.
Sugar N’ Spice And Everything Nice
That morning the sun kept poking its head in between the bouts of snowfall. We knew this was temporary and made the executive decision to hit up West Bowl before the brunt of the storm arrived. Sugar n’ Spice looked exactly the same, lined with huge trees allowing us to warm the legs. Then dropping onto Upper Main, that’s where the topography changed. Instead of a fairway-like run, it had become a huge face. So much so that it disoriented my navigation and made it a bit challenging to find the entrance for Corkscrew.
West Bowl Lives Up To Its Name
Finally finding the entrance, we quickly slide over and drop into Beaver. The terrain is familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. Hopping onto West Bowl Express, the sun burned through the thin layer of clouds and bathed the slopes in radiant light. Dropping in we quickly dip our toes into the proverbial waters of West Bowl. I always thought the terrain was smooth and very mellow, almost boring some days. That wasn’t the case at all. Rather, it was undulating and rolling. Small boulders to jump off. Waves to slash.
No One Around… On A Powder Day
Quickly we made it to the bottom of West Bowl Express and hopped on the lift. I wanted to get as many turns in before the crowds would show. After our 6th run of untracked powder in less than an hour, a permanent grin began to form. I began to hoot and holler. No one was coming!
A Grand Old Time On Grandview
As fast as the sun had broken through the clouds, the storm arrived. The trees that helped protect the slopes and lifts from the brunt of the massive Sierra Nevada were no longer there. Instead, the HUGE open faces of West Bowl created vertigo. It was time to head over to Grandview Express.
All This Snow Makes Jack’s Bowl A Fun Boy
Since Sierra is known for its off piste, we had to sample Jack’s Bowl. The upper sections were mostly untouched from the fire, so the lower you went, the more the terrain changed. What used to be cliffs that you couldn’t launch or boulders that were unrideable, they were now game on. It was like an entirely new playground to explore.
Don’t Look At The Past… Look Towards The Future
After lapping Jack’s Bowl countless times, I came to realize I couldn’t be stuck in the past. What’s done is done. I had to take the perspective that the Sierra-at-Tahoe I knew was gone. Instead, this is a brand-new ski area that just opened. A NEW place to explore and learn. And I can tell you that the new Sierra is worth returning to.
Sierra is my home mountain, have skied there forever, personally I love the new “Sierra”, yes it gets a lot of wind blown powder now since it’s not protected by trees anymore, yes the wind wrecks havoc on the lifts since they are more exposed, BUT the terrain has literally double it seams, and rarely gets tracked out on a powder day now, the new west bowl will force you to become a better skier, no more perfect groomers now, as it should be.
I grew up riding Sierra since it was a ski ranch. I haven’t been back to Tahoe in years, but the news of the fire and seeing the damage was like losing a friend. I am glad that they are recovering, but I am going to miss making new paths cutting in the trees.
Another thing that hasn’t changed is the spirit of the mountain. Management and staff continues to make Sierra one of the best possible corporate neighbors (and a wonderful place to ski). A wonderful resort, run by people who know what matters. Thanks, SAT!
Cool beans! Sierra taught me at age 45 it was past time to slow down some. H’burger face, blood all over snow and way more pity/sympathy beers than I could drink and still drive back up and over Echo. Although its commercialization has gone into geometric over drive Heavenly is/was/will be my favorite. But HOW MUCH for a day ticket? Anyone over at S Shore got a rough read on rooftop snow load currently?? Just might be the needed impetus to get up the hill. Shovel roof then slide down some frozen mountains. Momentary smile and RIP Spyder, hometown Kyburz, bronze Sapporo, horrible end Starwood. Peace and out.
My family supported Sierra @ Tahoe (Sierra Ski Ranch) then and we will now.
Doc