Hello all.  As of today, 11/15/2011 we have snow.  The snow level is at about 7000 ft.  Most trails above this mark are closed for the winter.  Right now the local trails out of Reno, Nevada are open.  Dry Pond trail in South Reno does have some snow over the top of Dry Pond, but it is passable.  Tyrolean DownHill off Mt. Rose Summit is still open with some snow near the top.  In South Lake Tahoe, Sidewinder is still open.  Most trails out of Truckee, Ca. are under snow and done for the year.  

As many of you know, I am participating in a supported mountain bike ride across the state of Nevada.  We started at Cal-Neva on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, and finishing at the Utah border east of Ely, Nevada.  The ride is around 11 days, and over 500 miles.  We are now 7 days, 370 miles, and 23,900 ft of climbing into this ride.  Here are some quick notes on the ride.

Day 1:  Cal-Neva Lake Tahoe north shore to Washoe Lake State Park.

Wow, this late in the season, Hole in the Ground mountain bike trail on Donner Pass I-80 at Boreal is finally open.  You still have to jump a couple of snow drifts on the back side, but it is open and mostly rideable.  All other trails in the Reno - Tahoe area are clear with no controls.  Get in  - Get out - Go RIDE!  And be safe.

For those of you heading out to Burning Man this year, I am sold out of inexpensive bikes.  I have a couple used bikes that could work for you.  However, if interested, I can still order bikes from 3G and get them here in time for the event.  But you have to move quickly.  Here is a link to 3Gs web site.  http://www.3gbikes.com/showroom.html

The Isla Vista is a great choice at $200.00.  Let me know quickly.

I just rode my mountain bike up Mt. Rose to Relay Ridge out of Reno, NV.  There were 2 very small snow fields that we had to walk over starting at 9500 ft.  These were in the shade.  Once we cleared the shaded area, we climbed up to 10,150 ft with out a problem on the exposed side of the mountain.  This means that most Reno / Tahoe mountain bike trails are open and clear.  The Tahoe Rim trail (Rideable sections) are all below 9000 ft, and are clear.

Snow level is just over 8500 ft right now.  The Flume trail is open from Spooner Summit all the way around Marlette Lake.  The Tahoe Rim Trail from Mt. Rose Meadows is still under snow and impassible.  The top of Tyrolean Downhill has some snow but is being ridden now.  Hole in the Ground out of Truckee, CA. is still heavily snowed in.

More updates to come.

By the way, Great Basin Bicycles is still doing next day, or day after service for most repairs.

Great Basin Bicycles will be closed on Monday, the 4th of July

SNOW REPORT

Ok, snow is now clear for all of the Galena area trails.  The trail all the way up Thomas Creek is clear all the way up to Mt. Rose Wilderness.  So, that puts the snow level up to about 7500 ft. in the shade.  Right now, these trails in South Reno, NV. are in great shape.  Go out and have some fun.  Please always share the trail with other users.  Put a bell on your bike for all shared use trails, and if you don't have one already, mention this blog entry, and I will give you one.