Rose Knob

Something about the vibe of a sunny day at Rose Knob will leave your soul smiling, and your appetite for corn satiated. Perched right above Lake Tahoe, this destination ranks as one of the best views around, and even Mount Lassen can be seen on clear days. Couple this with easy access and navigation, wide-open, south facing bowls, and a failsafe drainage to take you back to your car, and you’ve got a recipe for a stellar day. The main descent is the southeast facing bowl from the summit proper. A large, low angle, ridgeline separating the south and southwest faces of Rose Knob makes lapping the upper bowl a cinch. From the main bowl, traversing hard skiers left at about the 8,600’ level places you at the face seen from the parking lot. This option has an especially scary terrain trap, and obviously, this whole area is best in corn conditions when stability is less of an issue. The west-facing descents off of nearby Incline peak also feed into this nasty terrain trap gully, so travel wisely. The southwest descent from the summit is a great later-day option, but must be skinned out, either to the main ridgeline, or at the bottom traversing around the base above the neighborhood. But this is only a drop in the bucket. Looking west from the summit, the First and Second Creek drainages spill out in front of you, offering a huge, mellow, corn playground.

Parking for Rose Knob is located in a neighborhood cul-de-sac less than 10 minutes from Incline Village. From the highway 28 – 431 junction in Incline, drive 2 miles up highway 431 toward Mt. Rose. Take a left on Marlette Way, and then a right on Jennifer St. Follow Jennifer less than a mile to its end, and park in the cul-de-sac. Please drive slowly through this neighborhood, as we like to keep the community happy with skiers to preserve access. Backcountry access can be touchy in these neighborhoods, which ended with a parking ban in Rubicon’s case. From the lot, skin up through the south-facing forest, aiming for a false summit at the 8,500’ level. Following the drainage on your ascent will likely result in unnecessary side-hilling and extra effort.  Once atop the false summit, an obvious ridgeline directs you to the summit.