Lake Tahoe Skiing Blog

Skiing Stoke from Lake Tahoe

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Ramping up at Squaw – Snow in the Forecast

November 3, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Lots of activity around the base of Squaw recently. Construction projects in full swing, lifts getting bumped to life and snowmaking to the top of Red Dog. Six inches of snow is expected above 7,000 feet tonight. It may be a tad early to get amped on ski season but let’s not forget the seven feet of snow that fell prior to Thanksgiving last year.

KT getting kicked into gear.

Ground level of Olympic House stripped to the ribs.

Fresh sod in front of the Funitel where the ticket portals used to be.

Alpine Meadows residence that collapsed under snow load last winter. A reminder of the epic 2011 season.

Squalloween!

November 1, 2011 / / 0 Comments

The Chammy hosted a Halloween party in Squaw Valley last night. Truckee residents with kids trick or treated in the Gateway neighborhood.

The Occupy Squaw Movement pushing a cause we can really get behind.


Everyones favorite stop in Truckee...the Baeza residence. Candy and ghouls for the kids and tequila shots for the grownups.


Saucer Boy was there too!

The Keymaster : Moonshine Ink gets the skinny from Troy Caldwell

October 22, 2011 / / 0 Comments

With the legal merger of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows now complete, Troy Caldwell holds the cards in connecting the two ski areas. Troy’s White Wolf property, complete with lift towers already installed, is the obvious link between Squaw and Alpine, which would create a mega resort with over 6,000 square acres of skiable terrain. How did Troy obtain this piece of land? What does he think can be done with it? Moonshine Ink gets the scoop from Troy himself. Check it out here: Troy Caldwell talks about White Wolf

Squaw Gets a Facelift

October 16, 2011 / / 0 Comments

KSL is knee deep into a five year, fifty million investment in improvements at Squaw Valley. The fortress of ticket portals has been completely demolished creating enhanced views of KT and Red Dog from the Village. A new ticket office is being built into the main base lodge where the Patagonia store is. The KT Sundeck will now have a two sided bar that can be accessed from the deck or from inside. The lower level of the sundeck facing Cushing Pond will feature cabanas. The ground level of Olympic House is getting a long overdue remodel. All base facility buildings including Le Chamois are being painted to better compliment the Village.

Former ticket portal location

 

New ticket office

 

Olympic House gets a paint job

 

Olympic House after new paint. Note new lamp posts have replaced the round glass bubble lamps that have been there since the Hot Dog movie circa 1983.

 

The Chammy after new paint

Epic Timelapse of Black Rock City

October 4, 2011 / / 1 Comment

Truckee photographer Grant Kaye has been dabbling in timelapse photography over the last year. Below is timelapse of Saturday night at Burning Man 2011. Looks like the set of the 1982 science fiction film Bladerunner. I’d say Grant’s got this format pretty wired. Some of Grant’s timelapse images will be featured in SBDC’s fall ski film release called Sierroin.

Burning Man 2011: Rites of Passage – Burn Night Timelapse from Grant Kaye on Vimeo.

Squaw Buys Alpine! 6,000+ Square Acres of Terrain!

September 27, 2011 / / 1 Comment

Finally, it’s official! Squaw Valley USA (owned by KSL) announced that it will buy Alpine Meadows and the two resorts will combine their operations. The result will be a massive ski resort offering skiing and riding along the Pacific Crest from the West Shore of Lake Tahoe (Ward Canyon) to Granite Chief Peak, nearly halfway to Truckee from the Lake. The two ski areas combined will offer over 6,000 acres of skiing and riding.

Though it’s all just rumor now, the two resorts may eventually be connected through Troy Caldwell’s White Wolf property, adding additional dynamic terrain off the backside of KT. This would make Squaw-Alpine the second largest ski resort in North America, after Whistler-Blackcomb. For this season, at least, the two resorts will only be connected via shuttle.

This is the biggest news that we’ve heard in North American Skiing since Jackson Hole opened it’s boundaries a decade ago. Bring it on!

Gear Review: Hydrapak, Ryders Eyewear and GU Chomps

September 20, 2011 / / 0 Comments

The rain finally fell toward the end of September, packing down the dirt and finishing off an excellent summer of biking with prime riding conditions. Last weekend we headed up to Downieville to camp by the Yuba river and ride the downhill. The trails were in good condition and the 17-mile ride gave us the perfect opportunity for a final test of some of the gear we have been happily using all season.

Hydration Pack: Hydrapak Morrow $124.99
This pack has everything that you need and nothing that you don’t for a take-everywhere, do-everything hydration pack. Made from lightweight, durable, rip-stop fabric, the 800 cubic inch pack comes with a 100-oz bladder. The bladder hitches onto the inside of the pack so that it stays upright and in place, and a slick zipper lets you open and close the bladder to fill with no spill. The straps and back panel are made from ventilated mesh that has been keeping me cool on hot rides. Six conveniently placed pockets store everything I need for a ride, just where I need it. One of the coolest things about this pack is that all of the straps have easy, tuck-away storage for the excess, so that there is no strap dangle or flapping while riding.

Sunglasses: Ryders Defcon Photochromic $69.99
Ah, technology… These durable, lightweight glasses change their tint depending on the amount of sunlight. This meant that it was bright enough to see obstacles clearly while riding down a shady creek bed and then dim enough to protect my eyes from the glaring sun when we emerged from the shadows 10 minutes later. The glasses fit well on my face, staying in place while the rest of me got bumped around.

Energy Chews: GU Chomps $35.20 for 16
Gone are the days of worrying about keeping an energy bar warm enough so that you don’t break your teeth, or choking down just enough grit to power you through the rest of your ride. GU chomps are easy to chew and they taste like candy, so they go down easily and provide quick energy during big climbs and tours. I alternated between the caffeinated and non-caffeinated flavors depending on whether I needed an extra energy boost or just some extra calories. Flavors include orange, peach tea, blueberry pomegranate, strawberry, watermelon and cranberry apple. Peach tea and strawberry were standouts for me.

hydrapak, gu chomps, ryders eyewear

Things to do this summer: Burning Man

August 22, 2011 / / 0 Comments

The annual Burning Man Festival begins Monday in the Black Rock Desert north of Reno. Tickets for this year’s event sold out for the first time in history. An ironic scenario unfolded in which tickets are being scalped for an event founded on self reliance and a gift economy. It’s no surprise that the exponential growth of this event would eventually be restricted by the Bureau of Land Management. Nothing like a little controversy to heighten the anticipation of the 50,000 people who will attend this brilliant temporary community.

The author’s of this blog spent much of last summer supporting a music and art project called Electric Ladyland. Here is a look back at Burning Man 2010 as seen through the eyes of the Electric Ladyland Collective.

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