Here is the way to usher in a storm at Tahoe Nov. 20th. I went for a surf check at 8 am and was in the water by 9 am. Four other surfers joined me at this spot. It was good for Tahoe and I came as close as I ever have in getting a barrel in fresh water. When I was done I snapped a few pictures of Mike Vail who was still out. These were not the biggest sets of the day but the average wave.
via TAHOE STORM RIDING!! – Tahoe, Teton Gravity Research Blog post.
When I was a schoolkid back in Jersey learning about how the US was settled they told us that the ‘crazies’ went to California. I always thought this was a funny idea and that my teacher must never have ventured beyond the Mississippi to come out with a generalization like that. Well having lived here for almost 15 years I would now guess that the guy may have been born in the state and knew it well…
Although other parts of Cali let this weirdness come out in all sorts of ways many are social such as scenes you may see in the cities – Bay to Breakers in SF, and Oakland Raiders game, and just about anything that happens in Venice, LA. Well the ‘crazies’ here in Tahoe don’t get too funky out on the streets or at the high school football games. We get weird in outdoorsy ways. One of the stranger ones around is the crew of mutants who surf Tahoe every chance they get.
Powerful Pacific storms and our location high in the mountains can generate pretty serious winds. They can happen on bright blue days when folks are out on the beaches. All of a sudden there’s a rustle in the trees, a subtle wind line appears a couple miles out on the Lake and next thing you know it’s whitecapping just about everywhere. The prime place for surfing on Tahoe is the North Shore. Most of the winds we get are southerly (because of the way storms spin when they approach) so when you let them run rampant over 20+ miles of light water you get an incredible fetch.
Waves here are sloppy in most places although there are some gem spots where it doesn’t even feel windy nor choppy when conditions are right. Generally, though, it’s like a mini-Ocean Beach (SF) with multiple lines of whitewash to contend with while paddling out. There are so many surreal things about the surfing experience on Tahoe and here are a few:
No sharks!
The water is so incredibly clear and fresh that it’s unlike anywhere you’ve ever surfed. You can mistakenly get some in your mouth and doggedly decide to swallow…because you can and it tastes great!
On the coast when winds pick up, it’s over. Here you keep hoping that the wind sustains all day
Even if you surf back east in the snow, it’s even weirder when you look west and catch glimpses of Squaw as it braces for another pounding today which you know means a good pow day tomorrow
When surfing at Sand Harbor on the East Shore you’re directly under the Bear Claw which rises 3000’ out of the Lake. Some of us ski this backcountry-style in the season and seeing it from the water is quite the unique perspective
One of my favorite things about a good surf day at Tahoe (and we had two of them last week) is also one of the elements of a surf break anywhere in the world: people stopping and looking, taking about the swell and how it is there compared to other nearby spots. Some folks living in Tahoe sacrifice things like quality shopping, culture and diversity to be here. For me, not having these regular surf ‘meetings’ is one of the little ‘misses.’ So even if you’re not into surfing but you’re up here when the wind is whistling feel free to pull up your hoodie and get into the chatting circle because having people from out of town ask about conditions is also a part of the worldwide surf meeting….
via « Granlibakken Blog.
Yes the rumors are true..you can surf on Lake Tahoe. Our Nor Cal Burton Rep Ian Tosh was driving around the lake the other day and took these pic. He also saw two boats capsize. take look.
via PortersTahoe.com
I tried to surf the lake yesterday. I caught a couple of waves but it was not quite surfing. Still, it was good fun and it felt really good to be out there. The kiteboarders were having a blast, but it might have been too windy even for them. It was sooooo windy. Then I went to Oktoberfest at Squaw and then to the Matchstick premiere/Shane McConkey tribute party. And…it has been snowing again. South Lake and south from there really got the heavy bands, more like a dusting and flurries up this way. Nice heavy flurries in the middle of the day today too.
B AUST getting some N SpenC!
via Surf Tahoe on Vimeo.
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Sapphire Beach, Lake Tahoe, 1950