Brutally Steep Snowshoe to Tahoe's Most Epic Summit

Winter hiking season is upon us, and on this glorious winter morning in South Lake Tahoe we set out on what is locally known as being one of the most extreme winter snowshoe trails in Tahoe, which is Jakes Peak. Jakes Peak is a favorite winter hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing route for Tahoe locals. The trail to the summit is no joke - it's incredibly steep, which, in snowshoes or skis can make for an interesting climb both up AND down, but the struggle is 100% worth it for the most epic views in South Lake Tahoe! If you're looking for a route for winter hiking or snowshoeing in Lake Tahoe, consider putting this one on the list :)
#snowshoeing #winterhiking #laketahoe

[@larrywheeler9797]

Fantastic snowshoeing! Fantastic scenery! Fantastic singing! Fantastic couple! It was FANTASTIC!!! Thanks for sharing! 😀 ❤

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks Larry! Really glad you enjoyed this one -- the higher we got, the more excited we became to show you guys the video because it just got more and more beautiful. Hard climb, but totally worth it!! ❤️

[@paulproctor5555]

The views were beautiful and you two are amazing trekkers ❤

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks Paul! We were really excited to show you guys these views. Even on the way up they were so gorgeous in person, and we were just hoping that they'd come out okay on camera! ❤️

[@johnmcnulty1129]

Spectacular guys. We all know Adam's a Cyborg but Elise, that climb had to be absolutely brutal on the quads. Well done you two. Awesome 360 ☀️ 🍓🐿🐿❤

[@garyleibitzke4166]

Cyborg ? That explains a lot. 😂

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Hundred percent, John. My quads were sore and tired for two days after! But it was totally worth it. The views from up there are about as good as Tahoe views get, and that's saying something. ❤️ --E

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Adding to the cyborg theory -- we took the next day off from adventuring, and Adam was in the gym doing deadlifts 🤷🏻‍♀️ --E

[@johnmcnulty1129]

😂 🤍 🔩🐿

[@markgubbins1958]

I'm glad you two endured the hardship, climbing that steep mountain, and made the wonderful video for us to enjoy. ❤❤

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks very much, Mark -- we love sharing these kinds of beautiful adventures with you guys!! ❤️

[@miguelbarreto]

Wonderful views and song!

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks so much, Miguel! ❤️

[@ФёдорФёдоров-ь3ь]

What a nice view at 8:15, super😊👍👍👍

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks so much! Every day we wake up here, we're amazed at how beautiful Tahoe is in the winter. Very happy to share it with you. ❤️

[@edaleman3345]

I have watched a shit ton of hiking vids and ur vids are some of the best quality I have ever seen. 💯💯 . I'm jelly u also do this with your partner what a blessing. I live vicariously through you guys. G bless u both keep up the great vids.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks so much, Ed -- that really means a lot to us. We do feel very fortunate to have a partner who loves all the same things, because we know that's not how it works for the majority of couples. God bless you too, and we promise to keep bringing you guys adventure videos for as long as we're physically able, so hopefully for many years to come! ❤️

[@nickspencer7868]

Beautiful singing

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks so much, Nick -- that means a lot to me! ❤️ --E

[@paulproctor5555]

Thanks!

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks so much, Paul! That's very kind of you!! ❤️

[@sergelainesse7893]

Got home late Elise but nothing will stop me from enjoying your posts... Guess you know it... Cannot imagine how much cardio is needed to get on top of this area and in loose snow.. But wow the scenery from the top of lake Tahoe and surrounding areas are out of this World Elise.. Thanks to you for making my Thursday night a pleasure evening... Even after hard day work on the road and snow storm... Have a great evening Elise... 😘🤗👍🥂

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Aw thanks Serge! Yes the cardio has been really something this month with all the hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing at altitude -- but it feels really good to be getting in high-altitude shape! You have a great evening too! ❤️ --E

[@davidtate166]

A fine work out.for you two.💪

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

It really was. Between snowshoeing and skinning up hill in our backcountry skis we've been getting in great shape this month! ❤️

[@petr-podrouzek]

Fantastic my dear friends 🙂

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

So glad you liked it, Petr! We feel so lucky to be in this beautiful place right now. ❤️

[@davidtate166]

Glorious divine beauty.south land Tahoe California.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Yes David! Tahoe is glorious for sure, and most especially in the snow!! ❤️

[@jaredempey5706]

Looked amazing. Hope to see a video of Mount Rose in the near future.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

That is a great idea -- if our backcountry ski skills get up to snuff, we might try to ski that bad boy! ❤️

[@jaredempey5706]

@LiveHardxLoveHard It is possible to do with snowshoes but it would be much easier with skis

[@tonypilki3]

That looked STEEP!! but so much fun ☺ Loved all that snow and wow what a gorgeous day you had for it. Breathtaking views before the nice slippery slide down. You made it look easy haha. All the best 🙂

[@kari4295]

Beautiful views as always! Do the show shoes actually have some traction? Looks so steep I can't believe you are not sliding more. Thanks for sharing!

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Yes Kari! They actually have really excellent traction, almost like mini-crampons, so they work very well in terrain with icy snow. The problem is that on really steep slopes with deep powder the non-traction part acts like a ski and so you have to learn how to half-ski down, which Adam is really good at but I have not yet mastered. ❤️ --E

[@ianmcbride6955]

I’m tired just watching you both! However great fun and great views 😀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

So fun, Ian! Snowshoeing is just lovely because hikes where there might be 20 or 30 people at the summit in summer are totally deserted. We were up there completely all alone with those views! ❤️

[@kblaine123]

Sitting here after having a gummy watching this. Editing is crazy good in these VIDS, terrain is stunning and its 2 of my favorite hikers. Thanks for the views !

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Haha yes!!! Gummy and video is my absolute favorite Friday night activity, and I will be engaging in it tomorrow night! So happy to know that our vids are on your watch list for that! ❤️--A

[@Huffcake]

Do consider placing your music on Spotify - some of your songs are really beautiful and I would have them on repeat - I'm sure others would as well. Glad you guys are having some Winter fun up north :D

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thank you very much for saying that, and you are reading our minds -- one of our goals for 2025 is to put 5-10 of the best songs on Spotify. We'll for sure let you guys know when they're up! ❤️

[@Huffcake]

@@LiveHardxLoveHard Excellent news :D I use Distrokid but in truth I don't know if you can find a better company to help get you placed on Spotify. 5-10? Climbing Til We Die!

[@kenkrempasky2732]

That had to be hell on your quads

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

You're right about that, Ken. Between snowshoeing and skiing up and down the local slopes in the early morning, our legs are getting super ripped! ❤️

[@j.wilkerson1905]

I used to Snowshoe around Mt Rose (other side of Lake Tahoe), tennis rackets on your feet is not for the faint of heart, climbing a steep mountain. You guys are amazing.

[@vampireslayer1989]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Thanks.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

So glad you enjoyed it -- what a place! ❤️

[@prowrestlingisart6742]

I think Adam needs to trademark "I'm sure this doesn't look as steep on camera," then make T-shirts out of it

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Hahaha you're so right! The two most frustrating thing for us about filming are sunspots on the lens, and how much the cameras tend to flatten out steep terrain! ❤️

[@saraschultingkranz.]

@@LiveHardxLoveHardagree!!!!

[@0noam]

HA FIRST! Sounds really nice :) Hope you had fun.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Thanks very much! Yes we had a fantastic time -- at least on the up. I didn't love all the slipping and sliding on the way down, but Adam was like a big kid in the snow and loved it so it all balanced out! ❤️ --E

[@maryberrie1]

My legs fee like Jello just watching that down climb! Ive done Maggies Peak which is nearby and you are correct about the sunrise over Emerald Bay, its just beautiful!

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Oh my gosh, Mary, the down climb was brutal! Part of it was that the snow conditions kept changing so just when you got used to powder you'd hit a big patch of ice, etc. But so worth it. Awesome you've done Maggies -- we will def do that at some point too! ❤️

[@danbluenord8984]

ELISE and ADAM a hello from France. Immersed in the great American outdoors, snow-capped mountains, lakes that shine in the sun, fir trees and deep snow, and you are in your element, nature in its raw splendour. I put on my Bluetooth headset to better listen to ELISE's voice, and I let myself be lulled by these timeless moments. ELISE's falls made me smile, but I also felt bad for her, and you ADAM nothing stops Bip Beep. Kisses to you both. DAN ELISE et ADAM un bonjour de France. Plongés dans les grands espaces Américains, montagnes enneigées, lacs qui brillent sous le soleil, les sapins et la neige épaisse, et vous voilà dans votre élément, la nature dans sa splendeur brute. Je m’équipe de mon casque Bluetooth pour mieux écouter la voix d’ELISE, et je me laisse bercer par ces moments hors du temps. Les chutes d’ELISE m’ont fait sourire, mais j’ai aussi eu mal pour elle, et toi ADAM rien n'arrête Bip Bip. Bises à vous deux. DAN

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Oh my gosh, Dan -- Adam was SO roadrunner in this one! Every steep part he would just glide down through the snow, and then I would fall on my butt like the poor coyote that always chases the roadrunner! I think it's so cute that the two of you both love that cartoon. And also, thank you so much for saying that about the music -- it makes me really happy that you put on the headset to listen to it! ❤️ --E

[@Donmchase]

Fantastic video. Used to live in the Tahoe area and absolutely loved it. Followed your adventures for years. Just wondering...what would you each consider your most dangerous or sketchy adventure that you would never do again?

[@andreajohnson1796]

Beautiful , lucky you both trek in the snow . But we have brown snow in northwest New Mexico (warm and dry) it's going to be extremely hot this summer ugh Thanks for sharing enjoy and be blessed

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Oh my gosh, Andrea -- you might have to come over to the Cali coast for a while to get out of that heat this summer!! ❤️

[@thomasshoebotham4407]

Damn, this is one amazing and beautiful climb from you two! Tahoe is one of my absolute favorite spots. How far is that from Mt. Tallac?

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

It's super close to Tallac, Thomas -- you pass it on the way there. Totally agree with you about Tahoe. We love it so much that we're coming back for a whole other month of spring snow season after Kauai. Do you guys ski? We're trying to get our skiing good enough that we can ski mountaineer peaks like Tallac! ❤️

[@anthonypalac3879]

I'm so jealous of you guys I wish I was there.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

We wish so too, Anthony! The skiing and snowshoeing have just been so beautiful and fun -- and we're really building up our winter skills for even more spectacular adventures in the future! ❤️

[@ke6mt]

Looks like you had an absolute blast! For your next snowshoe: snow baskets can help on your poles so they don't sink 3 feet! And if Elise had taken her own path, I think she could have skiied like you did, Adam! I think your tracks were tripping her up.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

It was totally awesome! I had that same theory about E trying virgin snow rather than my path, but when she tried it didn't go any better so she went back to my tracks. But I still agree with you -- if she'd taken time to get the hang of it, the virgin powder would be better. We actually do have poles with baskets, but we'd heard the snow was very icy (which it was for the whole lower part) and sometimes baskets get trashed by rock and ice so we brought the non-basket poles. If we'd known how much deep power there was up top, we prob would have gone with the baskets. --A

[@ke6mt]

@@LiveHardxLoveHard Ah! That totally makes sense. Well, glad you both had a great time and challenging but rewarding route!

[@ellenclary]

That looks like an awesome snowshoe. I'd be tempted to let it get slushier and start glissading sooner.

[@josephregallis3394]

Wow, what a view! I was there years ago hiking the two state parks below you along the lake. It was fantastic! I also hiked down to the house by Emerald Lake. That was one mile down.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Awesome! Really glad you've gotten the opportunity to see this place in person, Joseph. It looks good on camera, but in person it is just magical! ❤️

[@marcsorensen2985]

nice, but if you want to impress me do pyramid via rocky canyon 4000ft vert.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Fantastic challenge, Marc! We're back here for a whole month after we go to Kauai, and conditions willing I think we're going to give that a shot!! ❤️

[@marcsorensen2985]

@@LiveHardxLoveHard park on 50 just east of strawberry under the electronic sign, and cross the road. its 3 miles+ one way to the top and 4k vertical

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

@@marcsorensen2985 Fantastic!

[@Newstatejournal1]

You can almost see the small airport near the south side of the lake from that peak.

[@Alpine_Forensics_Locating]

You just inspired me to design a light weight sliding hikers set. Two of the sliders would be on your feet the other one would be on your rear. I don't see why this wouldn't help you to slide down so you don't have to walk back. It would weigh less than skis, and that is critical for hikers.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Haha if you could invent a nice little portable butt-sled for glissading, we would buy that immediately!! ❤️

[@networkimprov]

Elise, is that a new song I heard, with acoustic guitar backing you? It made an otherwise cold but stunning landscape a bit warmer :) Are there more tropics on the calendar, I hope? ;-) Cheers! -Liam

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Yes Liam -- so glad you liked it! And not to worry, we're headed for Kauai in just a couple of weeks for a whole month of epic tropical hiking adventure! ❤️ --E

[@Summitspeedfly]

Let us know how your quads and glutes feel tomorrow.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Haha my quads were sore for two days! Adam, on the other hand, was doing deadlifts in the gym the next day. ❤️ --E

[@jimstevensnavel6318]

You guys need some baskets for your hiking poles in the deep snow.❤

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Ya Jim, we actually have poles with baskets but didn't bring them on this because we'd heard conditions were icy and crusty. That was totally true on the lower part, but we def could have used the baskets once we hit all that unexpected powder about half way up! ❤️

[@fordraven5884]

Are you guys just hiking straight up or zigzagging on the way up. That's amazing view of the lake❤

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

That's a great question. We usually try to just go straight up in the snow, but this one was so steep in places that we had to do some zig-zagging. I'd say it was about 50-50 straight up vs zig zagging. ❤️

[@garyleibitzke4166]

Boozy ? Back many moons ago when I still backpacked we used to bring s 16 oz plastic flask of brandy. Nice around a fire in the evening.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Haha don't give Adam any ideas, Gary -- he would 100% bring a beverage like that, but I think I'd want to be sober for the down climb so he might have to drink it alone! ❤️ --E

[@billyruss]

"It will not be graceful" lol.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Nothing but the truth here, Billy! 😂❤️

[@brianmahern6699]

Great climb. Cold plunge Emerald Bay. It was freezing when I got in one August. Can’t imagine the temp this time of year.

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Haha that is a good dare! Ok, we're coming back here for a whole month of spring skiing after we go to Kauai -- we'll see what we can do about an Emerald Bay plunge 🥶

[@steveklick]

Awesome job guys!! I bought more survival equipment lately. I made a pack of ultimate basic survival items if anything ever goes bad. Do you guys take a "garmin in reach" with you guys in case of emergencies?

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Absolutely, Steve! We even take it along on shorter hikes just in case we come across a person having a medical emergency or something. It's like GPS -- it just comes with us on every adventure. Glad to hear you're taking the same view! ❤️

[@thechad6594]

Maybe bring a lite pair of skis for the downhill. Lol

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Haha we're working on it! We got some backcountry skis and are working on our downhill skills so hopefully one day we'll be able to downhill something like this -- would be SO cool! ❤️

[@Elfowl100]

Nice singing. Why not use Micro spikes early in the morning and carry the snowshoes for the slush?

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

That's not a bad idea at all, and we do sometimes bring bungees to attach the snowshoes to our packs in case it's too steep for them. The only downside to that is we'd need to bring the bigger packs rather than our Salomon vests, because the Salomons aren't sturdy enough to bungee the snowshoes to them. Still, in the right conditions wearing snowshoes part way and crampons or microspikes part way makes a lot of sense. ❤️

[@prowrestlingisart6742]

Just taking 15-20 steps seems like a workout. Good thing there is Liquid Death to rehydrate

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

The Liquid Death was delicious -- and hydration was key at that altitude even with how cold it was! ❤️

[@DougLutz]

Looks like you need heel raises :D

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

Good eye, Doug! I really max out the heel raises on my backcountry skis because I have limited flexion in my calves, and if I ever get another set of snowshoes it will definitely be ones with heel raises! ❤️ --E

[@DougLutz]

@ yeah, I really like the heel raises on my MSR Lightning Ascents. I had them on for the whole upper mountain for Mount Forbes last spring.

[@Carlitabita]

lol “the view”

[@LiveHardxLoveHard]

All beauty should be appreciated, right?