Lake Tahoe mountain ski resorts continue to open this week. After a nice snowfall last week, Heavenly began operations and opening ski runs. Heavenly Ski resort now has 4 of 29 lifts running with 6 of 94 ski runs open. This Friday two more mountains will open for business, and with the predicted snow storm on the horizon, they might just have perfect timing. Sierra-At-Tahoe will start running lift chairs this weekend and are very anxious for guests to arrive. The great folks at "Sierra" are going to be offering free backcountry tours all year long and are pumped to provide the free service. "Sierra" also just got word that they were voted the #9 Best Park / #9 Best Pipe / #6 Overall Resort in Transworld Snowboarding Magazine's, "2010 Resort Guide." Kirkwood Mountain Resort's long anticipated opening gets underway this weekend. Minimal lifts will be running but they are optimistic that much of the terrain will be available very soon to ski. So get your ski and snowboard rentals ready because it's time to hit the slopes.
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Every year about this time in the Sierras, fire becomes a major concern for the community. This summer we have been experiencing an awful lot of moisture for our area. In my five years of living in South Lake Tahoe, I have never witnessed so much precipitation in the month of July. Unfortunately, this has created a false sense of safety among the great folks here in Tahoe. These storms can actually be more of a nightmare than a dream for the people living up here in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains. One would think that we are receiving ample moisture, therefore fire danger should be relatively low. Resultantly, it allows for multiple lightning strikes to rock the Tahoe Basin and leave us vulnerable for environmental hardships. We also have a lot of dry sage and brush which is indigenous to the region and is extremely flammable. For example, just last week, a lightning strike sparked a small fire right outside the Lake Tahoe Community College and a second strike hit Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort. Luckily, our local South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service were extremely alert and quick to respond to the emergency. They were able to quench the flames and save us from dealing with a huge disaster. Sometimes we don't realize how close we come to devastation, and that there are people out there behind the scenes who are constantly saving the day. These folks don't ask for a pat on the back or any celebration, they just go to work everyday, serve the people of Tahoe, and are the true heroes of our community. On the other hand, a lot of us winter enthusiasts only view the crazy weather as a sign for great things to come this upcoming ski and snowboarding season in Tahoe. We have all heard that this is a "La Nina" year and the precipitation we are experiencing this summer only supports that notion. Hopefully, this will allow us an early opening for Heavenly Mountain and brings us an unlimited amount of snow-pack this season. Still the threat of fire looms while we wait for our ski and snowboard rentals to come out of the garage and onto the hill. Just remember, the next time you bump into your local firefighters, don't forget to tell them, "Thanks for protecting our community and keeping us safe at home."
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In the age of technology that we live in, people are now using game systems to practice and train for sports. The Nintendo Wii game system has several sports games that are helpful for athletes and more specifically snowboarders. Sure, the Shaun White snowboarding game is hardly educational, but it has a snowboard deck-like controller from which you control the game. I have never played this game and I wonder if it is really lifelike. Does it help you keep fine tune your riding skills and keep in shape during the off-season?
It is time that Nintendo comes out with a game for alpine skiing. The possibilities would be endless. The game could go from beginner level(green runs) all the way up to expert(double-black diamonds). Imagine, bombing down the resort of choice any time of the year.
I think the biggest hurdle behind this game would be a controller/pad that can realistically simulate downhill skiing. But nonetheless, there is a huge market for a product that can physical educate and train novices and experts alike. The end result would be more skiers at the resorts. Which, inturn, brings revenue to the community through lodging, dining, ski rentals and retail purchases.
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Having a GPS unit while skiing or snowboarding can be a very useful tool out on the slopes. Not only do GPS units give you your exact location, but they also allow you to track your speed, distance, elevation, and bearing. Many people use GPS devices to keep track of their progress while they ski. Some GPS units even come with heart rate montiors that allow them to track their excercise, while out on the slopes. Other uses included "marking" your favorite/secret powder stashes on the mountain. A useful website for viewing GPS data is www.gpsvisulizer.com . This website allows you to tranfer all of your GPS data and convert it to Googel Earth. There are several features on the site that allow you to see the GPS data on a very simple color coded Google Earth map. GPS units are becoming very popular on mountains, even in the winter. DT
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A very popular and common question that people coming out to the mountains want to know is if they have never been on the mountain before, what should they do ski or snowboard? I feel that there is a simple answer to this question. If someone is only going to have a couple of days on the mountain than I would recommend skiing over snowboarding. Most people find it easier to get the basics with skiing before they do with snowboarding. I am not saying that skiing is easier than snowboaring but in terms of making it down the mountain, beginners find it easier to make it down on skis than a board. This does not mean that snowboarding is impossilbe and nobody should try it. There is nothing wrong with it other than you have to expect to be frustrated the first day. This goes for skiing as well. Bottom line is that on your first day on the mountain you are going to fall.....alot. This is totally normal and should not deter people from trying it. You will get better and fall less and thus spend more time having fun and less time getting frustrated.
JS
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