Tahoe Backcountry Ski Patrol

10/06/2026

A specialized snow theory & field measurement school geared toward industry professionals and new academics

10/06/2026

The Sierra Avalanche Center scholarship program is named after James “JB” Brown who passed away in the spring of 2022. JB was the president of the Sierra Avalanche Center Board, a longtime Board member and instrumental in starting our scholarship program.

Applications will be accepted October 1st - 31st.

As part of our mission to educate the public and foster a culture of safety in the backcountry, the Sierra Avalanche Center is offering scholarships for avalanche education this season. Scholarships can be used for American Avalanche Association approved Level 1, Level 2, Rescue, Pro-1, Pro-2, Pro-rescue and Pro-AVSAR courses. Applicants need to make sure they meet the prerequisites for the course they are targeting.

Awards will be announced in November. Recipients are required to provide photos and a short summary to SAC after completing their course.

An ideal candidate is someone who:

Regularly recreates or performs snow-oriented work in the SAC forecast area

Already skis, snowboards, hikes, or climbs on snow.

Might not be able to take an avalanche course without financial support.

08/18/2026

NOAA NWS Climate Prediction Center is now showing greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño this fall and winter. So, what does that mean for us in the Central/Northern Sierra, especially around the Tahoe region? Not much, statistically speaking.

This plot shows snowfall at CSSL for each Strong or Very Strong El Niño event along with the median snowfall from 1950-present. We can see a pretty even distribution of snowfall with 4 seasons being above median, 3 being below median, and 2 roughly at median. If you single out Very Strong El Niño years, then it looks like we could see average to above-average snowfall but our sample size is small.

The upcoming season is still a toss up at this stage and we'll only know more once we get closer to winter.

06/28/2026

04/14/2026

Few pictures to relay the feeling of winter coming back!

Our patrol on Sunday opted for safer laps on Sunrise Bowl amidst increasing snowfall. First lap had excellent skiing conditions, but on second lap three feet of new snow proved more of a controlled snowplowing exercise rather than skiing. But the season has been extended and the fun continues!

04/09/2026

Please join us in congratulating four new patrollers who passed candidate final last weekend!

Francesco DiMare
Francois Jeanneau
Jamie Morgan
Eric Wilhemy

The final exam tests knowledge in rope rescue, outdoor emergency care, navigation, and avalanche safety and recovery. A huge accomplishment, well deserved! This brings our active patrol to 43 patrollers for the benefit of us all in the Tahoe backcountry.

04/03/2026

It’s never too early to practice avalanche search!

Enjoy the new snow, meet our patrollers (and avalanche dog Buddy!) and run a practice or two at the season’s last Coffee and Beacon on Saturday 4/4 at Tamarack Peak Trailhead!