Reno-Tahoe

The snow is falling at Reno Tahoe’s ski and board resorts, and the powder hounds are getting itchy with anticipation. The region should start seeing some openings in the coming weeks. Here are some tentative dates (conditions permitting):

• Alpine Meadows: Dec. 5
• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: TBD
• Squaw Valley USA: Nov. 21
• Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort: Nov. 21
• Diamond Peak: Dec. 10
• Sugar Bowl: TBD
• Heavenly: Nov. 20
• Boreal Mountain: TBD
• Homewood Mountain Resort: TBD

For complete listings of Reno Tahoe resorts, visit us online.

(Photo taken today courtesy Alpine Meadows)

When the fall weather cools down on the Sierra summit Boreal Mountain Resort turns on the snow guns. After a several days of intense snowmaking effort, the resort is ready to fire up the Castle Peak Quad for its earliest season opening ever this Saturday.

• UPDATE: Boreal moves opening day to Friday

In keeping with tradition, Boreal will also host the 5th Annual Jibassic Public Invitational Event, Oct. 10-11. This year’s event has been cooked up to feature all shredders willing to throw down great tricks for cash. Boreal is primed with $2,000 cash to be handed out both days of the competition at the public park. Judges include Robbie Sell from FUEL TV and the Boreal park crew.

This year’s JPI.5 event also includes a Team Video Challenge. Registration is sold out, but come out and watch the private video session on Saturday from 5- 9p.m. An additional $2,000 will be awarded the team with the best video, and $500 cash to the most viewed video.

Boreal’s lift will operate from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Lift tickets for ages 5-12 will be $15, while ages 13 and older are $30. The park will include 6-10 features. Season pass holders are welcome.

Resort services will be available including food, beverages, rentals, and limited availability on lessons and retail. Gated access to the mountain, valid lift tickets and passes permitted in the gated area only. Poaching is not cool, nor tolerated. Educate yourself on helmet use. Helmets recommended. Lift tickets subject to sell out.

After opening weekend, Boreal’s early season operation is tentatively weekends only (Friday-Sunday) until further notice, or as conditions permit. Stay tuned for details at VisitRenoTahoe.com’s resort site.

Click here for video of Boreal snowmaking from earlier this week.

A strong storm is blowing through the Sierra Nevada right now and snow levels are dropping, which should translate into to a good dose of powder for pre-spring conditions. Before you pack the skis into the car and head for the hill, bookmark these great mobile Web sites to keep up with ski and driving conditions:

NVski.mobi: Created by the state of Nevada, this useful site offers updated resort reports with information like accumulation totals, weather conditions and base depth information. When the snow is coming down, conditions are always changing. Keep an eye on your favorite resorts with the searchable features.

NVroads.mobi: Although crews are on top of road clearing in and around the Sierra Nevada, conditions can change with big snow flurries. Nevada Department of Transportation alerts are channeled through this site to provide updates on slowdowns, chain and snow tire controls and other traffic news instantly, so drivers know what to expect around the bend.

These mobile sites work great with the iPhone Safari browser, but they are also compatible with any Web-enabled portable device. For tutorial information, check out the embedded video by the Nevada Commission on Tourism below:

Even Colorado snow junkies need to try something new every once in awhile, and United Airlines is making it easy with added direct flights between Denver and Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

Through March 27, United is running an extra non-stop flight between the two ski meccas on Fridays and Mondays, making getting here – and getting home – as easy as checking the skis and hopping a quick flight. With the addition, United operates four non-stop flights per day between Reno and Denver on a 146-seat Airbus 320.

And for weekend warriors looking to get the most out of their ski getaway, our 18 ski and board resorts won’t disappoint. With several feet of new snow over the last two weeks, base totals are huge. Also, check out online ski-and-stay packages to make your weekend economical and easy.

The world’s best snow sports athletes brought their high-flying antics to Northstar-at-Tahoe last weekend for the Toyota Championship, the final stop of the Winter Dew Tour. The event featured men’s and women’s slopestyle and half-pipe events in snowboarding and skiing disciplines, with local athletes making a strong showing … and we got some pictures. Check out the slideshow below and log on to the Alli Sports Web site to view results:

Need a perfect way to cap off your second day at the Winter Dew Tour at Northstar-at-Tahoe this week? Common and Tweak Bird will be playing live at the Village at Northstar on Friday, Feb. 20 from 5-7 p.m.

COMMON

An easy trap to fall into when talking about rapper and producer Common is to get started with how impressively prolific this elder emcee is. Now, anybody who makes this point is certainly right, but it seems most anybody we talk about Common inevitably interrupts us, “So I had to did, what I had to did, Cause I had to get duh-ough….!” Yep, that’s a proper butchering of Common’s “The Food”, a Kanye West collaboration from his excellent 2005 Be, which earned the Southsider a ton of cross-over appeal — no small thanks to “Chapelle’s Show.” And while we’ll never get tired of the loping tale of good people doing not so great things for honorable reasons, Common has been quick to make new tracks. In 2007, he released Finding Forever, and at Northstar we’ll catch new material from his late-2008 album, Universal Mind Control.

TWEAK BIRD

Brothers Ashton and Caleb (last name Bird) are purveyors of a heavy, almost psychedelic brand of rock and roll. These two Carbondale, Illinois, natives moved to Los Angeles a couple years ago and have created a niche for themselves as turgid rockers. Late last year they released the Reservations EP [Volcom], after releasing a couple seven-inches to critical acclaim.

For more information on the Winter Dew Tour and the Toyota Championship at Northstar-at-Tahoe, visit their site online.

(Courtesy of Winter Dew Tour)

A week of intense storms over the Sierra Nevada has brought epic powder days to Reno-Tahoe area ski and board resorts, a gift from Mother Nature that has built a deep snowpack and the potential of a lengthy spring ski season.

Reno-Tahoe has some great package deals going for lodging and lift tickets. Shop online

Base totals as reported by Tahoe resorts Tuesday morning:

• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: 66 inches
• Diamond Peak: 61 inches
• Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort: 62 inches
• Alpine Meadows: 150 inches
• Homewood Mountain Resort: 58 inches
• Squaw Valley USA: 78 inches
• Sugar Bowl: 62 inches
• Boreal: 135 inches
• Heavenly Lake Tahoe: 64 inches
• Kirkwood: 146 inches

For updated snow conditions, check out our resorts page online.

Diamond Peak Ski Resort, located high above Incline Village on Tahoe’s sunny North Shore, is inviting couples to “Take your love to a higher level” this Valentine’s day.

For $285 – two people, all inclusive – lovers young and “mature” will be treated to an incredible five-course dinner paired with fine wines at the fabulous Snowflake Lodge at the top of the Lakeview Chair. There may be no better sunset view in all of Tahoe (and maybe the world).

Diamond Peak is located at 1210 Ski Way in Incline Village, Nev., just 45 minutes from Reno. To make reservations go online or call 775-832-1177.

U.S. Snowboarding’s Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, Calif.) and Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, VT) swept the third-place podium spot Saturday during a World Cup snowboardcross competition in Austria …

(Read the story at First Tracks)

Diamond Peak ski resort is bringing skiing to the masses during Learn to Ski and Ride Week, offering a lift ticket, lesson and rental combo for first-timers for only $29. This season’s Learn to Ski and Ride Week will be held on Jan. 12-16, 2009.

Diamond Peak is a great place to learn with its wide, easy to navigate slopes and top-of-the-line ski and snowboard instructors. With panoramic vistas and uncrowded slopes, it’s the perfect mountain for families and beginners, all located a short 45-minute drive from downtown Reno.

The first-time beginner package usually costs $81 for a 1 hour, 45-minute lesson, rental equipment and a lift ticket. This package is only available for kids ages 7 and up.
Diamond Peak is located on 1210 Ski Way in Incline Village, Nevada. For more information and current conditions, click here or call 775-832-1177.



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