Bronco Chutes- North Lake Tahoe

AlexMitchko
Feb 9, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Mar 30, 2023

December 2021, a record month for snowfall for the Tahoe area. This blistering start to the season was met by a 6 week drought with ample amounts of sunshine. As we scoured the forecast week after week we finally got a nice shot of precipitation in early February. The optimism around town regarding the season had dwindled immensely and in turn had fooled most folks to disregard the storms potential. Luckily my ski partner, Sam Rusak, and I knew this was the time to strike! We had been eyeing up this unconventional line in the bronco chutes area; a descent that was rarely skied due to its rocky nature combined with exposure.

Moving towards our objective that morning our confidence grew immensely as there was much more snow than we had even expected. Cresting onto the Relay Peak ridgeline to see our line was damn near cathartic. Feelings of gratitude, opportunity, luck, and this ambient aurora of positivity crept into both of us.

We poked around, talked about options over snacks and decided to belay me onto the face to mitigate the potential for a wind slab ripping me off my feet and over some cliffs. Nothing beats the security a rope adds when one is unsure of the safety of slope. After doing some ski cuts and finding all the new snow to be unconsolidated, cold smoke, I dropped in for a run of a lifetime. Making conservative turns to test depth and taking in the exposure created even more confidence for the rest of the line. Arriving at an island of safety, Sam packed up the anchor and rope, proceeded to ski to me with the biggest, most infectious smile ever. While still exposed we knew we should move quickly, so we did. Making more gingerly turns through the main crux section which lead us to a beautiful apron underneath. From here we skied some of the best snow I've ever experienced in this area of Tahoe. Absolute diamond dust!

Days, weeks, months pass by. All we are left with are memories. Short pieces of our existence to revel in. Don't overlook this. Our time here is sacred. Each day a new canvas of creativity; a new opportunity for fresh perspectives accompanied by past knowledge. Finding adventures that excite you, big or small, is what being outdoors is all about. In this information age, we can easily skew our mindsets into a constant feeling of not doing enough. Go out there and enjoy what you can; from the deepest powder day to an icy sleet storm, there is joy, there is comfort, there is gratitude and, most certainty, there is growth to be found. Stay searching and you will continually find it.