I had the good fortune of skiing at Northstar California Resort in the last few days enjoying some awesome early-season bliss. Standing at the top of the new Promised Land Express chairlift, I was taken in by the beauty of the snow capped mountains, the fogged-in lower valleys, and the glistening microscopic ice crystals in the air around me. I took just a minute to enjoy the 360 degree view knowing that I had hiked, climbed, biked, or skied everything I could see. Living in the Truckee-Tahoe area is good!
The presence of the ice crystals is a certainty of good cold snow because this optical phenomena typically only occurs in below-freezing temperatures. While meteorologists in our country call it “diamond dust,” according to a blog I recently read, our Finnish friends call it “Laapinlaapita” with a direct translation of “Rainbow-Sparkling Air sequins.” While I couldn’t find “Laapinlaapita” in a Google search, I still love the translation.
As I sit in my office working today, I can hear the wind and see the swirling snow, and I know that the ski season of 2015-16 is off to an amazing start no matter where you choose to ski. As the snow falls, we are also accumulating a great base for some back-country sugar for rondenee, teli, and snowshoeing. Northstar, Diamond Peak, Squaw Valley, Tahoe Donner, Alpine Meadows, Homewood, Sugar Bowl and Boreal should all have excellent conditions going into the Holiday Season.
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