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