Blue World Blog 2.23.09

February 23, 2009

President’s Week has come and gone. Local retail and rental shops had brisk business, especially on those stormy days when the shopping and indoor activities seemed to be a good option. Oh yeah, the restaurants were busy as well. Lots of new snow fell this past week and I had a chance to ski Heavenly on Tuesday. 8 inches of fresh was reported that morning so I had to at least get a few hours of finding the good stuff under my skis.

I got to the Stagecoach Parking lot about 9:15am and it was almost full and headed to the upper mountain. Riding up the lift I noticed only a few tracks under the lift, so I delayed heading up further to take a warm up, under the lift. Very… Very… Nice!

By the time I got to the upper mountain there were a good number of skiers and riders starting to congregate at Dipper and Comet Lifts. I rode up Dipper and B-Lined it to Milky Way Bowl. Lots of folks had the same idea… I traversed across the bowl and jumped in down past the tree line (Stu’s Run) and caught several powder turns. I headed back up to do it again and decided to traverse all the way over the Killebrew Canyon rope line and ski the trees down… Sweet! After that, yet another ride up Dipper to see what was left down Dipper Knob and it was pretty well skied out but the snow was great. From there I continued past the Galaxy Lift and headed on the cat track to catch a few turns in Galaxy Glades, another stash that many skiers and riders bypass, and found a route, although a much lower angle, to satisfy my addiction for powder!

I rode Galaxy back up and headed to Comet. The bumps were starting to form on Little Dipper, but the tree skiing was still really good… so, two more runs down the trees and I was ready for a break. I stopped in to my perch at the Star Bar and had my usual warm up drink… Poor man’s mocha… ½ Coffee & ½ Hot Chocolate with a topping of a little whipped cream…

I was also preoccupied thinking about my North American Snow Sports Journalist Western Winter Summit coming up the next week and decided I should start preparing for my trip, so I rode Comet one more time to head back to Stagecoach Lodge.

On the way down the mountain the impulse hit me and I found myself loading the Olympic Express to check out the “WP”. Some tracks were in there but still lots of pow left to my surprise, and then continued down through North Bowl Trees and down to the base of the North Bowl Lift. The ride up North Bowl, as with Galaxy, is slow but a welcomed recovery ride to rest my screamin’ legs. I headed back down to finish up at Stagecoach Lodge before heading out. A great morning on the Heavenly mountain, and now you know where some of my powder stashes are.

This past week Kirkwood was also able to get both sections of the Covered Wagon Platter Lifts fired up to access Emigrant Basin as well as the New Vista T-Bar at the top of Chair #2 to access, what we used to call, the Moon Cornice and Boogie Slide in Thunder Saddle, so if you are heading out, check it out. Plenty of snow at the Wood.

With more snow coming this week, the conditions on the mountain continue to get better and better and more upper mountain off-piste terrain is getting better and better as well.

If you plan on skiing or riding off-piste, do as I say and not as I do… Always ski and ride with a buddy. Be Safe and stay in-bounds.

Have a great week,

Curtis Fong

“The Guy From Tahoe”

BikeandSkiTahoe.com

tgft@bikethewest.com

Blue World Blog - 2.16.09

February 16, 2009

It’s President’s Day and it’s snowing… it’s been snowing all week and the conditions at the South Shore resorts continue to improve… not that were bad, but more fresh snow continues to allow skiers and riders more off-piste, trees and open bowl terrain. As of this morning snow storm accumulation totals at Heavenly were 25-33” of new snow; Sierra at Tahoe is reporting 25-50” and Kirkwood a whopping 82-108” of freshly fallen natural snow this past week. This on top of their already accumulated base depths.

Kirkwood has a bunch of “Screamin’ Deals” on their website so visit Kirkwood.com and Click to save. Sierra-at-Tahoe continues to offer their 3 pack of tickets that comes out to $49 a day and can be used any day till the end of the season.

I got out to Sierra at Tahoe this past Tuesday to sample the freshies as there was a break that morning from storms. Conditions were the best all year and the skiing and riding was great. I headed to my favorite runs in the West Bowl and warmed up with some cruisers. My son, Matthew, came along and I was able to shoot some fresh video for my Après Ski Show on KMTN TV. I shot video of him as we rode thru their Terrain Park on Bashful with all the hits and jumps. Sierra opened their backcountry gates that day, but we didn’t have a chance to ski/ride out in Huckleberry Canyon. We rode the fresh pow on the backside as well and in the trees. The Fresh snow was light and fluffy and the groomed snow perfect.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce hosted their monthly Chamber BAHM (Business After Hours Mixer) on Thursday evening at the Marcus Ashley Galleries in the Village Shopping Center. It was a well-attended event as it was billed as their SWEET HEART BAHM. Local Business folks enjoy socializing and networking while enjoying great appetizers and beautiful fine art.

Valentine’s Day was Saturday and thousands of skiers & riders came into Tahoe to enjoy the Presidents Weekend and this Presidents week. Valentine’s Day is also Lake Tahoe Discovery Day… It was on February 14 in 1844, that John C. Fremont along with Scout Kit Carson, while they were mapping the west for the US Geological Survey, discovered a BIG MOUNTAIN LAKE from high atop a peak above what is now known as Carson Pass. It is a debate as to whether it was from the top of Steven’s Peak or the top of Red Peak that they saw the Lake. They did not see or identify, from that viewpoint, an established river drainage canyon dropping to the West, so they continued up and over what is now known as Carson Pass. A bit of Lake Tahoe history there for yah.

I took my Valentine to dinner at the Blue Water Bistro, located behind the Timber Cove Lodge & Resort. This is one of only a few restaurants with a great view of the Lake as it sits on the Timber Cove Pier and a great menu of healthy and organic choices. That evening they featured a special Valentine’s 5- course dinner. Champagne & a rose for the Lady; Sweet Potato Crab Cakes appetizer; Choice of Soup or Salad; Filet & Lobster Tail entrée & dessert… all for only $49.95 per person. The regular Steak & Lobster was posted at $47.95, so, why not enjoy it all for a couple of bucks more. Blue Water Bistro is a great place to dine with a beautiful view.

After dinner, we headed to the MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa to enjoy an evening of comedy with Dana Carvey, front man from Saturday Night Live and famous for his skits like “Hans & Franz”, “Wayne’s World” and “The Church Lady”. The Show was sold out and the show room was filled with both locals as well as hundreds of visitors from all over. He was hilarious and even played guitar with his band. After the show, we were invited back stage to meet Dana and to take pictures. That was real special! We ended up playing some video poker in front of MontBleu’s Café Del Sol, which has been recently changed to their 24-hour restaurant. Check it out… they feature a new Mediterranean style menu. After that, we closed down the Fox & Hound Restaurant up on Tramway Drive… A great Valentine’s night out on the town.

As for some special events, Sierra-at-Tahoe will be hosting a 3-Day Women’s Ski/Ride Clinic starting Sunday, February 22-24. Kirkwood will be hosting the Rip Curl Grom Search on Saturday, February 21… for ages 16 and younger, looking for the next upcoming snowboarders and promising more prizes than one can carry; and on Sunday, February 22, they will host the USASA Skier/Boarder Cross event. Heavenly has opened online registration for their popular Jack Pot Rail Jam series for both Skiers and Snowboarders happening March 14 and March 21. Top 5 finalists from the two prelim events will compete in the Finals on March 28 for Over $4000 in cash and prizes.

Presidents Week skiing & riding will be epic with lots of fresh snow still coming and a little break in the weather towards the end of the week. Get out and enjoy everything that Lake Tahoe’s South Shore has to offer!

See you on the Slopes,
Curtis Fong
“The Guy From Tahoe”
tgft@bikethewest.com

Blue World Blog - 2.09.09

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Monday, February 9, 2006

What a difference from last week’s report where bicyclist, sports car enthusiasts and Golfers were enjoying the spring like weather. This weekend was a direct flip flop.

Punxsutawney Phil was right last Monday and Winter has returned to the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe!

As of this morning Heavenly reported 7-10” of new with a storm total of 14-20”. Sierra at Tahoe got 12-14” of new and storm total of 29”; and Kirkwood reports 12-16” of new with a 22-24” storm total.

Last Thursday, I was invited to attend a special Locals Hospitality/Press Day with Lake Tahoe Cruises’ Tahoe Queen Après Ski Shuttle. The morning started early with the motor coach pickup at the Horizon Casino Resort at 7:45am. We enjoyed the boxed breakfast on the bus ride around the east shore en route to Squaw Valley.

When we arrived at Squaw the clouds started to engulf the mountain peaks and the light became very flat, even with proper goggles, it was still hard to see. I got up the Funitel and headed up Emigrant to ski over to Shirley Lake. This side of the mountain goes down a basin and is wind protected and is usually groomed out and a great place to take a couple of warm up runs. With the flat light, there are also several runs cut with trees along the side that offer the best visibility in flat-lit conditions.

We took several runs down and some made it up Granite Chief to sample the snow, then we headed down the mountain to Red Dog, the other side of the valley to sample the runs there. The snow was in good shape. This front side of Squaw is really where the vertical is with both Red Dog and KT22 taking you up offering 1300 & 2000 vertical feet of drop.

Later we grabbed some lunch in the Gold Coast Station before we headed back down the mountain run and decided to ride the Cable Car up to High Camp. Most were content to enjoy cocktails in the bar at High Camp while some folks enjoyed The Olympic Ice Pavilion experience.

At 4:00pm we met the motor coaches and were transported to the pier in Tahoe City where the Tahoe Queen was waiting for us. We were able to leave all our gear, except for what we wanted to take on the boat, loaded on the bus. This was the first time I had been on the Tahoe Queen since its refurbishing last spring. I must say they have improved the experience with large scenic windows; a more relaxed interior lay out including a lounge area behind the bandstand and redesigned bars on both decks and more.

We were treated to an incredible and delicious buffet with a variety of items from Salad, Fish, Beef Wellington, fresh carved turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed veggies and more… AND THEN… the Steve Walker Band, a legend on the Tahoe Queen for 25 years, started up with all the popular dance tunes. Everyone had a great time dancing and enjoying the Après Ski Party experience. It’s a must do for any visitor as this is a unique offering at Lake Tahoe.

This week the Tahoe Queen will be offering the Ski Shuttle on Wednesday and Thursday as well as the usual cruise on Friday. They will also have a special Valentine’s Day evening dinner dance cruise on the Queen as well as the M.S. Dixie II. On Sunday, Feb 15, they are hosting a special Pints & Paddles Cruise. Zephyr Cove Snowmobiles will be resuming daily operations as well. Check out ZephyrCove.com or call 1-800-23-TAHOE.

I got to Kirkwood on Sunday and found some untracked turns in a few of my favorite stashes. I rode Cornice to the top and jumped into Jim’s Run where soft packed powder bumps were just starting to form… into the trees along the side to catch a couple of powder turns and back on the run. I took a couple of cruisers down Sentinel Bowl, which was buffed and Upper Look-Out Janek, which was also groomed. Kirkwood works the wench cat often and you can find steep high angled runs groomed and buffed of bumps.

I found some untracked, enough to satisfy 5 to 6 powder turns, down into the Drain accessed from both Buckboard off chair 11 and Lost Cabin off chair 5. To the backside was the next destination. As I rode up Chair 2, Thunder Saddle looked inviting and I made the decision to come back to the front side down the Saddle. At the top of Chair 4, the Covered Wagon Platter lift lower section was operating taking skiers and riders up to the other side of the Wave and I decided to ski some cruisers down Happiness Is and Larry’s Lip and of course came back over and down Thunder Saddle where the snow was perfect.

Later, I took a break to visit Sully at Bub’s and caught the end of the Celtics vs. Spurs game. Kirkwood is offering the Mid Winter Season Pass for $259 that is valid from February 16 through the end of season with no black out dates. Also great deals for Kirkwood pass holders to pick up buddy tickets and if you have a season pass from any other resort you can purchase 3 days of lift tickets for only $99.

On my way back down Carson Pass into Hope Valley, there were lots of other winter sports enthusiasts riding Snowmobiles out of Blue Lake Road and folks enjoying Dog Sled rides as well. There’s anywhere from 2 to 4 feet of snow in Hope Valley and up towards Carson Pass, maybe 5 to 6 feet. I stopped in to see the folks at Hope Valley Outdoors located in their Yurt at Pickett’s Junction (Hwy 88/89). The Snow Park lot was almost full and several cross country skiers and folks on snowshoes were enjoying the day. Snow shoeing is a great winter recreational activity for the entire family and you can rent snowshoes for kids as well. The learning curve is mostly learning how to put them on and after 3 steps walking forward you got it. Hope Valley Outdoors has 20 Miles of groomed trails and 40 miles of marked skier and snowshoe packed trails. There are no trail fees and no snow park permit required. They have equipment rentals and lessons available and you can bring your dog.

With more snow predicted for this week, the Presidents Weekend and week should prove to be enjoyable whether you ski, snowboard, snow shoe, cross country ski or ride snow mobiles. Winter is back!

Have a great week and we’ll see you on the slopes.

Curtis Fong
“The Guy From Tahoe”
bikeandskitahoe.com
KMTN TV
KTHO AM590

Blue World Blog

Monday, February 2, 2009

Today, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow… So, as legend has it, Six More Weeks of Winter still on its way. We will keep our fingers crossed for that and hope the predicted change in weather towards the end of this week proves to drop some measurable snow.

Wow! Where did this past week go? Between keeping up with my daily Mountain Resort Report and my Mon/Wed/Fri/ Saturday evening Après Ski Show on K-MTN TV, as well as setting up to re-start my report on KTHO, the week just zoomed by. The Mountain Resort Report is now featured daily on KTHO AM 590, starting today at 7:35am, 8:35am and 11:35am for the afternoon skiers and riders.

I was able to get out on Tuesday for a few hours of slope time cruising the Machine Groomed packed powder corduroy on Heavenly’s Nevada side. I must say, mid week skiing & riding is a pleasure with no crowds and no lift lines and most resorts are offering added value deals to entice business. Heavenly is still offering a 20% off discount on lessons; Sierra is still offering their season pass for only $199 and Kirkwood has a variety of “Screamin’ Deals” posted on their website as their Mid-Winter Sale kicks off today thru February 13th.

Saturday was a personal day of taking care of all my domestic duties around the house but decided to fire up one of my sports cars and take a drive in the afternoon. I didn’t have the time to take a bike ride, as I should make time to get on the bike, but there were dozens of road bike riders along Foothill Road, climbing Kingsbury Grade and riding the loop in Diamond Valley in the Carson Valley. Speaking of bike rides… America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride – Lake Tahoe, is coming up on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Anyone wishing to ride this 18th annual event should register as the event is almost sold out. There are less than 150 spaces left. Go to bikethewest.com to register. If you snooze, then you can still register for Tour de Tahoe – Bike Big Blue, set for Sunday, September 13… Plenty of space at this time to register.

The great weekend weather also brought out the full gamut of vehicles from groups of Motorcycle Riders to Classic Cars and Convertibles cruising the valley roadways as well. Lots of pick-ups with Moto-X bikes loaded as well as mountain bikes load on car tops headed to the Pine Nuts for some fun on the dirt as well. The Carson Valley Golf Course was also busy with folks knocking the little white ball around, too. You would think it was spring already by witnessing this, but we have to remember, it’s only the beginning of February and the Ground Hog says Six More Weeks of Winter.

It was reported that Saturday had good crowds at Heavenly as well as both Sierra and Kirkwood and all skiers & riders had smiling faces (some with a little sun burn) as the beautiful weather and great skiing & riding conditions have held up this past week. Please don’t forget to bring the sunscreen and apply it to all exposed skin on those sunny days.

I got out on the slopes early on Sunday morning with my son to do a little on slope bonding before the big game. The conditions up on Heavenly’s mountain remain in great shape with fresh machine made snow, in select areas, as well as meticulously machine groomed corduroy. The snow was smooth and fast… The off piste is starting to firm-up with the warming day time temperatures but still very carvable. Good mid-winter chalky snow – skier/rider packed powder is still found in the North facing slopes and runs.

I hope your favorite team won the Big Game. It was an exciting game all the way to the end. Lots of skiers and riders had the same idea and got up on the slopes early to depart early as well to view the game. After skiing & riding, we stopped by the “World Famous” Fox & Hound to order a Pizza to go to take home to view the game. “World Famous” because a couple of years ago, during the 4th of July weekend, a neighborhood Bear got into a customers car and got the leftovers of one of their signatures Pizzas, and a picture of this made national and world news. Of course the Big Game was also Big for the Casino’s with brisk Sport Books activity for the Big Game. The Horizon and MontBleu Casino’s went all out and hosted parties in all their venues. Smokey Robinson is coming to Harrah’s South Shore Room this weekend, February 7; and Dana Carvey is coming to the MontBleu Theater on Valentine's Day, February 14.

Congratulations to Jamie Anderson, from Sierra-at-Tahoe on being selected the top Women’s Rider of the Year in the 10th Annual Trans world Snowboarding Magazine Riders’ Poll that was announce this past week from the S.I.A. Show held in Las Vegas.

Keep your fingers crossed for more fresh snow and don’t forget to book now for the upcoming President’s week. Lodging is still available.

Have a great week,

Curtis Fong
“The Guy From Tahoe”
bikeandskitahoe.com
bikethewest.com