Reno-Tahoe

The 2008-2009 ski and board season is coming to an end, so get up to Lake Tahoe this weekend at all costs! Sunny weather and great (fresh) snow is on the menu. Check out this video from Alpine Meadows if you need to get pumped up:

The Sierra Nevada is getting a fair dusting of storm as a cold front moves through. We hit Alpine Meadows on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore on Saturday and enjoyed some powder turns. Sunday should be great at ski and board resorts throughout Reno and Tahoe. If you are planning a trip to the area, be sure to check out our searchable resort finder to get up-to-the-minute snow and weather reports, as well as maps and pricing information.

The month of December started on a somber note for skiers and boarders in Reno-Tahoe – at the beginning of the month a couple of good early storms put down a base, but it was dwindling. But Mother Nature served up enough snow this week to more than make up for the paltry beginning of the season.

Powder hounds woke up to more than two feet of fresh snow today, and bluebird conditions at Alpine Meadows, where blue skies and moderate temperatures made for the perfect Sierra Nevada ski day. Check out more pics from Alpine over at our flickr site.

Reno-Tahoe’s 18 ski and board resorts all received strong snow totals from a week of on-again, off-again storms, with the biggest system hitting Christmas Day. Alpine’s official measurement as of Dec. 26 was nine feet of snow at the base, and more than 13 feet at the summit, ensuring plenty of snow for a long season.

Now is the time to book your Reno-Tahoe getaway and get a taste of this great snow. Shop online and get discounts on lodging and lift-ticket combos.

Two Lake Tahoe ski resorts – Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley USA – scored top 10 placement on the Ski Area Citizens Coalition environmental scorecard, reflecting their leadership in creating green best practices. Here is coalition’s breakdown of top-scoring ski areas:

It should be noted that although others in the ski industry are hard at work minimizing their environmental footprint, the scorecard reflects negative value for new development – and several resorts are expanding their villages, on-mountain amenities and terrain.

If you haven’t seen the latest issue of Ski Magazine, the cover story is the “Top 50 Resort Guide,” with Reno-Tahoe-area resorts getting some major props from readers.

In the last decade, the resort industry has definitely taken a turn, shifting its attention from a niche of solely ski/board enthusiasts, to travelers and families who want the fresh tracks, but also after-hours activities, shopping, restaurants and nightlife.

Throughout Reno-Tahoe, resorts have been keeping up with demand – and readers of Ski have taken notice. Here are some of the rankings:

• Squaw Valley USA, ranked number 15 overall, was recognized as “A giant playground. Never boring and always challenging,” with it’s 4,000 acres sprawled across six peaks.
• Heavenly Mountain Resort’s addition of a new gondola a few years back certainly helped it earn the 17th spot in the poll, along with its expansive terrain bridging two states and 300 days of sunshine a year.
• Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, ranked 23rd overall, is a local favorite, and with a “terrific” new village, its reputation is growing in the larger ski community. The resort recently added expert terrain at Lookout Mountain, and the Ritz Carlton Club under development at mid-mountain will add a touch of class when it is finalized in a year.
• Alpine Meadows, earning a ranking of 29th overall, looks like a hometown mountain at first peek, but the 2,400 acres of awesome terrain and snowfall that tops 500 inches some years tells a different story. Alpine is a good fit for skiers of every ability, but still exudes that Old Tahoe charm.

Other notable Ski Magazine rankings:

• Family Programs: 8. Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort
• Best Terrain Park: 3. Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort
• Best Scenery: 2. Heavenly Mountain Resort
• Best Terrain/Variety: 5. Squaw Valley USA
• Best Terrain/Challenge: 6. Squaw Valley USA
• Best Lifts: 9. Squaw Valley USA
• Best Apres Ski: 4. Heavenly Mountain Resort
• Best Off-Hill Activities: 5. Heavenly Mountain Resort

In other news, Squaw Valley USA received high marks in Outside Magazine’s November listing of the 15 Best Ski Resorts in North America, coming in at a respectable number nine.

What is your favorite Reno-Tahoe resort (and why)?

Alpine Meadows Ski Resort joined forces with the Jamaica Ski Team with an unprecedented partnership inspired by the newest skier cross phenom, Errol Kerr. A resident of Truckee, Calif. who has dual citizenship in the United States and Jamaica, 22-year-old Kerr will represent Jamaica at the 2010 winter games in Vancouver, Canada.

“I want to represent the land of my father,” Kerr told a reporter at the Jamaica Gleaner this spring. “That’s the dream,” he added. Kerr’s father passed away 10 years ago, which gives his journey to the Olympic podium extraordinary representation of kindred father-son connection.

“I believe everyone has to appreciate where they came from. I feel like one day in his own way, he’ll say to me, ‘I’m proud of you, son!’”

Kerr’s number-one Olympic mission is to win the newest winter ski discipline, skier cross. Emerging on the scene during the 2007/2008 on the international skier cross circuit, his performance surprised the world with his 5th place finish in his first Winter X-Games competition in 2008. Former U.S. Olympic coach, Raul Guisado will train Kerr for the Games.

For the complete story, visit Alpine Meadows online. For more Alpine Meadows photos, check out their Flickr page.

- Photo and information courtesy of Alpine Meadows Ski Resort