California Highway 89 is probably the most mountainous route in the Golden State, winding 243 miles south from the base of 14,179 foot Mount Shasta through the southern Cascade and northern Sierra Nevada ranges to the high desert of eastern California.

And for 47 of those miles, from Truckee to Meyers and skirting Lake Tahoe en route, California 89 lies in close proximity — less than a dozen miles — to nine significant winter sports resorts.

“WINTER IS COMING” isn’t just a motto coined from the hit show Game of Thrones, it’s a mantra many people recite every morning to their reflection in the mirror as they brush their teeth… or maybe that’s just me?