{"id":36308,"date":"2025-06-08T00:00:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T07:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/?p=36308"},"modified":"2025-06-03T08:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T15:17:08","slug":"sup-to-ski-lake-tahoe-a-paddleways-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2025\/06\/08\/sup-to-ski-lake-tahoe-a-paddleways-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"SUP to Ski Lake Tahoe: A PaddleWays Adventure\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

My breaths were shallow, my steps short. I hadn\u2019t drunk enough water. It’s hard to believe that any activity on snow could produce this much sweat. Sweat dripped from my face, my quads shaky. I rarely get this fatigued. After all, I’ve hiked this peak dozens of times. But never like this. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Over the last decade or two, I’ve made a career of planning unique and mildly kooky trips around the world. Whether on foot, skis, bicycles<\/span>,<\/span> or boards, I look for interesting ways to get to beautiful places.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As a Tahoe resident, avid backcountry skier and paddle enthusiast, I have often dreamt about paddle-to-ski missions on the lake. The idea of hopping on my board and paddling out on early morning glass to one of the world’s most scenic ski destinations had always been music to my ears.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Pulling off this current trip, while it had seemed simple in my mind, was like completing a Rubik’s cube.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The intricacies of reading the wind, water, sun, snow and light, combined with the complexities of scheduling, were a challenge. And, it turns out, finding people proficient in both sports, who also possess an affinity for frequent photo stops, is harder than it sounds. As spring drew closer, my days were spent studying the forecast, trying to overlap the best potential weather with the availabilities of the few people who expressed interest in joining me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea was to paddle Tahoe\u2019s West Shore to Emerald Bay while carrying ski gear, set up camp, and ski one of the Basin\u2019s most iconic ski lines, linking what I would consider to be one of the region’s most unique multisport missions. <\/span><\/p>\n

Emerald Bay is the gem of Lake Tahoe. Sparkling blue and green hues are surrounded by gardens of granite, high mountain peaks, and dense forest, making it one of the area’s most visited State Parks<\/a>. Its most fascinating feature is Fannette Island, Tahoe\u2019s only island. Carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago, it is now home to a small “Tea House” built by the former residents of Vikingsholm Castle.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n