Tahoetopia

Taming Avalanches

During and immediately after winter storms, deep accumulations of fresh snow, wind driven snow deposition, and dramatic temperature changes can make the slopes unstable and extremely hazardous.

More on Understanding Tahoe Weather

The Sierra
Our local weather is the interplay between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. This pairing creates the sharply defined seasonal weather patterns we experience.

Parents of Storms: Disappearing Ice Caps & Sea Water Temperatures

Following are NASA images and commentary that highlight the changes occurring and illustrate the vastness, relatedness, and beauty of the planet Earth….as a "very large" storm approaches the Tahoe Region.

Shrinking Ice Cap

Skiing: Love Me Tender

It was a surreptitious meeting. While marveling at the array and difficulty of The Chutes, mini-couloirs, and heart stopping fall lines, I rested for a few brief lung-refilling moments. That's when I discovered his kingdom. Secluded in a warren of pines below a steep spine, his picture was tacked to a tree. It was a photo of a young Elvis, the one that launched a thousand screams.

STORY: Global Warming--Santa May Move to Tahoe

For example, one possibility that has generally been overlooked is that Santa may have to shift his operations away from the North Pole.

Shrinking Ice Cap

LOST LEGEND #5: UFOs at Tahoe

Most people have heard of Sutter's Fort, which can still be visited in Sacramento. It was the targeted, end-of-the-California trail for thousands of emigrants--including the Donner Party--before, during, and after the '49ers gold rush to California.

PLACES: Truckee. Historic, 80-ton locomotive arrives.

Truckee grew up around the railroad that still, today, connects America, East and West. One big part of that history is the snowstorm of 1952 that stranded a loaded passenger train for 4 days. The event was headline news around the world.

LOST LEGEND #2: How Lake Tahoe got its Name

It was in February of that year that John Charles Fremont first spotted the water and called it "mountain lake" on his map of the area. Another member of the same expedition, Charles Preuss, created his own map and called the water "Lake Bonpland" in honor of a French botanist. Much later, as the reader will see, it was "Lake Bigler."

LOST LEGEND #1: Origin of Lake Tahoe

Big Blocks on the Move

LOST LEGEND #7: The Lake Tahoe Plug

Dr. Charlie Goldman at USD, an authority on lake matters, has not mentioned the plug in his numerous writings, and he has been part of the teams that have been deep in the lake in a submarine. So the reader will have to decide about the validity (and location) of the plug.

The Story

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