Sunday, August 14, 2011

Where to take a winter vacation??

Living in Tahoe offers the chance to live right in the middle of the perfect vacation land.  It makes it hard to figure out where to travel for a vacation while keeping the cost reasonable.  Obviously there is the option to visit a new area of Tahoe on the weekends and see a different place with different people from the everyday Northstar grind.  Homewood and Heavenly offer amazing views, Squaw and Alpine give steep runs, Mt. Rose and Sugar Bowl have unique mountains that are away from the crowds, and Kirkwood is always buried in powder.  Clearly staying at home is not a bad way to do it.  However, the Northstar epic pass gives access to the Vail resorts in Colorado, and Utah, Sun Valley, and Jackson Hole are not too far away for a nice road trip with friends. Colorado has big mountains which means big crowds, there is a lot of fun to be had at their resorts and its near family making it a pretty complete trip.  Utah has the best snow and multiple resorts very close to each other.  Utah is often overlooked by the Colorado folk, but it has great terrain and truly is a skiers paradise.  Keep going north and you reach the small epic ski towns of Sun Valley and Jackson Hole.  These are small places with huge skiing.  Jackson has it's reputation and it surely lives up to it by all accounts (including my own from growing up there).  Sun Valley is a smaller place out of the way, but steeped in tradition and fun times on the mountains.  So many good places to go and Oregon, Montana, Southern Colorado, Taos, and BC haven't even made it into the conversation.  My solution: ski Tahoe all I can and aim for one great trip every winter.  Jackson will always be high on my list, but what a list it will be when they are all checked off.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Surfs up

Surfing lake tahoe is an awesome way to enjoy a beautiful august day on the lake. You get that great feeling of slashing turns on the waves like the ocean all while riding behind a boat. It's even fun for everyone since the wake can be bigger or smaller and you can hold on to the rope the entire time making for a long run that doesn't take much work.  It's amazing making quick turns or drifting away from the boat then cutting hard to catch some air and maybe throw a little spin or grab into the mix.  It's also fantastic for beginners with the slow speeds and the ease of standing up on a bigger board than a wakeboard.  Any first timer will be making turns the first day and loving what lake tahoe has to offer them.  And do not forget, this is a group activity!  The more the merrier and the bigger the wake for those guys trying to surf sans the rope.  So gather up your friends, sit them all on the back of the boat and enjoy surfing lake tahoe!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Finding that perfect ski

Remember when there were just a few ski companies and the dimensions and types of skis numbered just a handful?  There is so much available now.  Different lengths, widths, flex, materials, camber/no camber, rocker/early rise.  Where do you even start.  I think you need to determine your own ability and goals first.  That will give you a lot of answers right away in terms of ski size.  Something to consider along with that is what mountain you are most often skiing.  Tahoe offers lots of options so skiing Northstar is a completely different option from say Squaw Valley.  In general you need a much more aggressive ski for Squaw.  It is steeper with much more of a big mountain feel.  Northstar has some great areas to go fast but is not nearly as demanding when at those speeds.  But this has only gotten you as far as sizing and perhaps the flex of the ski.  Technology today allows for rockered options that can make the skiing experience completely different.  Early rise seems to give the best edge control for a rockered ski.  It allows the most edge contact on turns while still offering float in the soft stuff.  But even rockers are different depending on their stiffness.  The questions just keep coming, so the best option is to demo some skis.  Hit up your local ski shop for expert advice and great equipment to try out.  For those in the Tahoe area, stop in at Elite Feet either at Northstar or Squaw Creek.  Bob and Christian know exactly what they are talking about for all the area mountains and can get you in the perfect setup to make your days in the Sierras an amazing experience.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Colbie Caillat and Andy Grammer Rock Northstar

Another great evening in Tahoe was made perfect with the talents of Colbie Caillat and Andy Grammer playing to a capacity crowd at Northstar Resort.  The second of three Tahoe Music Festival concerts this summer put its mark on annual Tahoe music party.  Mr. Grammer brought excellent entertainment with his tremendous voice, interesting stories, and even a little beat boxing.  The guy had talent and he put it on display for the large crowd in the center of the Northstar village.  The crowd, seemingly twice the size of the Blues Taveler crowd, sang and danced with Colbie as she crooned hit after hit.  The recognizable tunes kept everyone enjoying the hour and a half pop concert.  The Tahoe Music Festival did right by having a well known contemporary artist come to the concert series.  It clearly appealed to all ages and gives hope for the future of the festival.  Happy and upbeat lyrics, while I’m sure frowned upon by anti pop, so called musical purists, created a wonderful atmosphere and a fun time for all involved.  The Festival also went with a perfect venue.  The Northstar Village is intimate feeling, but large enough for 2000+ people.  The food and drink options have kept everyone happy and the stage has given two great nights of music so far.  Michael Bolton is just around the corner to finish off the concert season, and one can only hope he finishes off the great times with one more night to remember.