Best bet for no tracks and safer powder skiing is the East side of Rubicon. Reasons? It's very hard to find your way back through the low angle forest down lower, on your way to wherever you parked. Reason 2? There's nowhere to park to begin with.

We've gotten $250 tikets parking up high in the neighborhood before, on a dead end street with no houses in sight, on clear - non-plow days. I've heard the Eldorado Sherrif lives up there, and he hates backcountry skiers. Maybe he thinks those woods are his or something crazy like that. Rubicon Peak is THE classic backcountry ski tour, that people have been doing for 100 years.

Many years back...before plastic boots and fat skis, Rubicon was where everyone went. Now, people are so much better equipped for steeper terrain and longer descents, the majority of backcountry skiers and boarders wouldn't really prefer Rubicon Peak anyway.

I remember 30 cars stacked up at the high dead end trailhead every weekend....so I can appreciate some neighbors being a little bummed....but hey, tough friggin luck. Move away from the popular backcountry access points if you don't want to see a few cars on your street on weekends. I lived right next to Paige Meadows for 8 years, and wouldn't dream of discouraging even tourists from parking on my street to go there. Recreation heals our fucked up world, and the more people going into the backcountry the better. It's usually long time locals we're talking about here anyway, who've skied Rubicon Peak long before the residents of Rubicon lived on the hill. (not me, I first went there in 92'). If the mad get-out-of-my-neighborhood ticketing stopped, there would be more than enough room for everyone who would go to Rubicon, and only one house would even be able to see those cars. Maybe that's the Sherrifs house, I'm not sure.

In South Shore (same County), signs at Ralston Peak and other winter start points say "No Parking when snow removal conditions exist". Sounds good to me, makes perfect sense. It sould be the same thing at Rubicon.

I tried to get the Forest service to consider a sno park permit area, but I could tell that was never going to happen. It's not Cal Trans, or CHP that has a problem. So what's up? I'm not pissed of course, I'm too lazy to fight for my parking...I only go up there a few times a year, and I'll just skin up from somewhere else.

So...yesterday, we did something we've never done, and never will again. We choose an older house that was obviously not being used, and parked in their snowed in driveway. Well I can't complain, we were obviously in the wrong, but Erik Henderson...the property manager of the neighborhood has us towed to Truckee! $510 later, we got the truck back. We only left it there for a few hours, and this guy had to have known we weren't planning on leaving it there for more than that. I would have left a warning note on the car myself, but he had every right to tow us. We just never thought this place would have been "managed".

There's no where to park down on 89, so we'll figure out another route. Maybe from Meeks bay and up the North side of Rubicon, or over from Jake's. either way, it'll be another hour longer to reach the 1000' ski runs of paridise. My new method will be simple. Get a taxi, and split it. $10 per person times 5 might cover it?

Buy a bunch of gear from my store, and I'll cram all you buddies in my van (seats 8 comfortably), and drive you up there and bring you home!

back to skiing Rubicon. Climbing up to the actual peak is a 5.5 kind of thing for 30 feet, really easy, and provides an incredible view obviously, and king of the Basin kind of feel. The skiable terrain to the South of Rubion, below an un-named neighboring peak is top notch as well, but steer clear of the steep Fargo Gully in the middle. This Gully packs a lot of snow when it sluffs. Stay skiers left of it unless you're absolutely sure it's safe in there.

Rubicon pics are on this website under Backcountry skiing - where to go.

Mike Schwartz
www.thebackcountry.net
mike@thebackcountry.net

Yes Mike, this is quite ludicrous. In hindsight the $510 it cost you could have gotten a full day of heli skiing in the Chugach, the best skiing in the world! I agree that when snow removal procedures are in place, that parking shouldn't be allowed. But when the plowing is done, there is no reason no to let us outdoor enthusiasts park at a dead end. Rubicon is one of the few "safe" places to ski during times of unstable snow, and by not letting us park there is ridiculous.

In this time of heightened security, terror threats, etc., I think the cops could have something more productive to do. Just think how long it would take for an Eldorado County sherrif to be dispatched to the trailhead in relation to the rest of their jurisdiction.

I would love to find out who is responsible for this inconvenience.

Just yesterday we skied down to Donner Lake and left our shuttle at the bottom of the housing community without incident. If snow removal procedures where going on, we would not have.

So, how to proceed? Maybe finding out who the tool is who hates to recreate and chat with him. Maybe some false alarms on people parked up there, and the sheriff will get tired of making the commute from South Lake to not make his ticket quota. Maybe leave a box of jelly filled donuts on top of the car for the sheriff when he arrives.

I agree that in some ways it isn't worth the effort, but as I stated on days of instability, it is one of the few places that remains pretty safe.