Mt. Rose Backcountry: Tamarack Peak Ski Tour

Tamarack is the easiest peak to access in the Mount Rose wilderness, and because of this it is one of the most popular objectives in all of Tahoe for backcountry skiing. This area is a backcountry mecca and features the famed Hourglass Bowl, a well known backcountry destination in the area. From the parking area, the tour starts through the forest and works its way up the ridge line to Tamarack’s summit. My favorite runs of Tamarack include Hourglass, Broken Glass and Proletariat.

Trailhead

Tamarack shares a parking area with several other peaks so it can be crowded, however the lot does hold about 20 cars. The parking area is right on the side of the Mount Rose Highway, about 1/2 mile from the highway’s summit (coming from reno) or 1/2 mile past the summit (coming from Incline Village). It will be a very obvious parking area, with an extended pullout on the side of the highway that you can’t miss.

Descent Options

There are three main descents off of Tamarack Peak, two popular bowls known as the Hourglass and Broken Glass and the face which is readily seen from the road. Hourglass Bowl is the most popular descent and offers a well pitched slope that boasts some of the best snow conditions anywhere in Tahoe. Broken Glass is found on the northern pitch of Tallac and requires a bit more effort to get back from the runout to the car. If Hourglass is busy and ski’d out the northern Broken Glass Bowl is a very nice option and far less traveled. The face is a shorter pitch that has an ideal pitch for powder skiing. The face also allows skiers an obvious descent path back to the car for first timers in the Mt. Rose Wilderness.