The Lake Tahoe area is home to a host of world-class backcountry terrain and powder stashes that any backcountry skiing enthusiast would love. The Truckee Skyline Traverse is a 12-mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail connecting two ski resorts—Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley. The dramatic ridgeline features spectacular views over the surrounding peaks, stunning lakes, and dreamy powdery runs. Some mentionable locations along the ridgeline include Mt. Lincoln, Anderson Peak, Tinker Knob and Mountain Meadow Lake. Go out with a guide and ski some of the best runs of the Lake Tahoe area! Find out more about backcountry skiing in Lake Tahoe from Logan Talbott, owner and chief AMGA guide at Alpenglow Expeditions.
The traverse takes you all the way from Donner Summit to Squaw Valley
Enjoy expansive vistas of remote portions of the Granite Chief wilderness
Ski some of the best terrain that the Lake Tahoe area has to offer
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Truckee, California, please refer to the Government of California website.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
What you get in this adventure:
What’s not included:
In order to enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to have excellent physical fitness. You must be able to hike for 12 miles. It can be expected that much of the day will be spent climbing. You’ll be on your feet for a full day, up to 10 hours. While there is terrain for all skill levels in the Lake Tahoe area, this backcountry adventure is most suitable for intermediate to advanced riders.
All participants should feel comfortable on challenging black diamond-caliber descents and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain. Once the tour has started, cancelling and aborting mid-tour is very difficult.
This adventure is most suitable for experienced skiers comfortable on challenging blue or black level runs. If you’ve never backcountry skied before, this adventure is not for you. Still, the Lake Tahoe area has plenty of terrain suitable for beginners. Your guides will take care of the planning, introduce you to the basics, like skinning uphill, and teach you how to manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training to keep you safe.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
You can rent all the gear from your guide’s shop in the Olympic Valley. Gear should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group size:
Ski touring can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Truckee Skyline Traverse, most people fly into Reno-Tahoe International Airport. From there, you can rent a car or take a shuttle service. Reno, NV, is just under an hour away from the Olympic Valley, CA.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, usually at the guide shop in the Olympic Valley. From there, you’ll head to your tour. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ski ability of the group.
