Tahoe Backcountry Skiing - Hidden Peak

A cold Sunday morning that promised to turn into a spring-like sunny day meant there was no reason to rush for a dawn patrol on Tahoe's west shore, so I (Greyson, Start Haus web guy) met up with my buddies Paul and Jan at Homewood at a leisurely 9 a.m.-ish to head down to Hidden Peak.

Looking north from Hidden Peak.

Also known as Bliss Peak, tucked between Jakes and Rubicon just to the north of Emerald Bay, Hidden Peak earns it's name, tricking you into thinking you're almost at the top with a false summit. it rises up over 9,000 feet, overlooking both Tahoe to the east and Desolation Wilderness to the west.

I skied my K2 Backcountry Skis with Dynafit Bindings and Dynafit Boots, a great setup for the day.

Greyson (Start Haus) and Paul (Homewood) at the top.

The skin track up was ... a typical Tahoe skin track, meaning occasional low-angle switchbacks, a couple agro-straight-up-the-fall-line pitches, and a healthy dose of dog and snowshoe prints to keep things interesting. The uber-light Dynafit bindings and boots really helped out on the over 2,500 foot climb.

The view from the top of Hidden Peak was spectacular. We spent a few minutes eating, pealing climbing skins off our skis and scrambling over boulders in our ski boots to grab photos.

Paul and Jan at the top of Hidden Peak.

The first few hundred feet was wind affected with small lips and firm snow - the K2 Backlash ski metal construction felt sure-footed with good edge grip here. Then at the top of treeline, we found ourselves in untouched light powder, perfect for these skis at 90 underfoot with a little tip rocker. They were happier making medium length turns through the trees, but their light swing-weight meant I could throw them sideways to scrub speed when the forest became more dense. Powder prevailed almost all the way down, and the stiffer snow at the bottom had been softened by warming temps by the time we were finishing.

If you're looking for a new backcountry ski setup, swing by the Start Haus and we'll get you dialed in!

Looking south from Hidden Peak towards Emerald Bay.