Noah Gaffney Scores First Chair On KT-22 After 7-Foot Storm
Getting first chair on KT at Palisades Tahoe, CA, on a powder day, let alone a significant powder day, is almost as good as a bonafide ski award.
And there's no one more deserving of that award than Noah Gaffney, the G in G.N.A.R. (well, his dad is the original G in Gnar). It's Tahoe tradition to get first tracks off KT and do the fingers race: those riding up the lift cheer as the skiers drop cliffs, complete highly ranked lines down the face, and sometimes crash right in front of the crowd.
Noah Gaffney did both of these things in memorable fashion last season, posting his POV footage of the Fingers race with his friends, writing, "This storm was a fun one! The morning was pretty exciting but also a little nerve racking. The whole morning while we were waiting in line patrollers were telling us not to send anything big because they thought we would get buried. Ended up taking a mellower run than I intended because of that, but needless to say, it was still epic!"
As a big fan of Squallywood, G.N.A.R., the fingers, KT-22, and, of course, powder, I had to ask Noah about the epic day.
What were the conditions that day and how long had the weather pattern been in effect that week?
In the previous 7 days before this, Palisades Tahoe called it a 12 foot storm cycle. 7 of those feet from the previous 36 hours was deep blower pow. The day after the storm though, the east winds came and made it a lot more dense, which is why it only looks like I’m skiing 12 inches of pow.
What were the vibes going into that morning?
That morning was full of excitement and some nerves. Everyone in line was debating whether it would be okay to send it big because of the risk of getting buried.
How did you guys manage to snag first chair on KT? Did you cook breakfast in the lift line? How early did you wake up?
For that day, I woke up at 4:45 and immediately drove to the mountain. I ended up getting in line just after 5:30, and I snagged the last spot on first chair. After that I waited around for a bit to make sure I had my spot in line, then went and got breakfast at Wildflour.
Who were you skiing with that day? (Also, who is rocking the Chipotle Bananas??)
I was skiing with a lot of different people that day, mainly my friends who also got in the KT line early. I usually don’t plan on skiing with anybody, I just see people I know at the mountain. On the first chair, Andy Hays was rocking the chipotle bananas.
You mentioned Ski Patrol warned you not to send anything too big. What WOULD you have tried that day had it been safer?
In the video, when I get to the spine on the fingers, I was originally planning on airing off the rocky point on the left at the bottom of the spine with some speed, but due to the warning from patrol, I went off the smaller cliff just right of it. Watching other people ski down after it probably would’ve been okay, everyone was just unsure whether you would’ve gotten buried or not.
Tips for anyone trying to get first chair after a big storm this season?
If you want to get first chair, you have to get in line EARLY. I’ve had days where I showed up at 5:30 and have gotten second or third chair. It’s not the same every time, but for the biggest storm I would say get there as early as you can.
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