February 2010 Archives

 

Want to improve your skiing and boarding? Bear Mountain and Snow Summit now offer  Go with a Pro, a fast-paced 1-hour clinic designed for intermediate to advanced skiers and riders.

"Our Go with a Pro program pairs our best instructors with our intermediate to advanced skiers and riders to provide the nudge they need to go from good to great," said Chris Riddle, Director of Marketing for Big Bear Mountain Resorts. "Even the most avid skier or rider can improve their skills. This program is designed to provide tactical and real-time tips from our top professional instructors."

For just $20, each 1-hour clinic is led by a top instructor and offered daily at 1:45 p.m. at the Adult Ski and Snowboard line-up areas at Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. For more information, log on to www.bigbearmountainresorts.com or call 909.866.5841.

"Our instructors are some of the best in the country," said Wally Weber, Director of Snowsports for Big Bear Mountain Resorts. "The Go with a Pro clinic helps experienced skiers and boarders take their skills to the next level and learn some new tricks to hone their skills."

To receive updates on the latest conditions and terrain information, text* "SNOW" to 52406 or call 800-BEAR-MTN or 888-SUMMIT-1. *Message and data rates may apply.

The King of the Hill Celebrity Boarderxross at Mountain High Ski Resort in Wrightwood has been postponed until Sunday. It was originally scheduled for Saturday.

Celebrities and bands will compete on a downhill intermediate course. Contestants will win Tyrant Custom Snowboard, Mt. High season passes, and lots of gear.

The event benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Celebrities and bands will perform throughout the day.

Stay for the King of the Hill after party at the Bull Wheel. All the way from Amsterdam, the band Chemistry will turn Mt. High in to a European dance party.

Photos by Marlene Greer, Correspondent

By Marlene Greer Correspondent
Heavenly is huge.
The ski area, sitting at the southern edge of Lake Tahoe, straddles two states, spreads over an impressive 4,800 acres, and rises 3,500 feet from its multiple base areas to the top of its highest peak.
It's so large that it is divided into two parts - the Nevada side and the California side - and is scattered with so many runs going in so many directions with traverses in between, that it can appear a bit overwhelming to first time visitors.
That's the way my daughter and I felt when we stepped off the gondola and landed at Adventure Peak, the heart of Heavenly at 9,136 feet.
Adventure Peak has a bar, restaurant, sledding and tubing hill and provides access to both sides of the resort. And because it's at the center of the ski area, it's packed with people.
Once you exit the gondola, a large billboard displays what lifts are open and points left for the Nevada side and right for the California side. We couldn't see a lift off to the right, just a trail that you can either pole through on skis or walk carrying your skis, so we headed to the Tamarack lift and the resort's Nevada side - and never left. We spent the entire day skiing half of the resort. That's how big this place is.
And that's how much variety it offers.
 
My daughter and I are intermediate skiers who generally hit the slopes only once a year on our annual mother-daughter ski weekend. We don't come to a mountain to blast off rock edges into deep bowls or snake our way through a mile of dense trees.
Heavenly has that type of expert skiing, and lots of it, but we prefer mostly groomed runs with a side trail among the trees or maybe a dip into a few moguls.
That's what we loved about Heavenly. It has so many intermediate groomers.
On nearly every run, you can choose to veer off on a comfortably wide tree trail, into a couple dips and jumps, or just cruise through some off-piste terrain.
We were told by one avid local skier that Heavenly has the most intense tree skiing around Lake Tahoe. But we found that Heavenly also makes tree skiing accessible to intermediate skiers.
Another thing we loved about Heavenly (and so it seems did everyone else) was the views. With deep blue Lake Tahoe on one side and the Carson Valley in Nevada on the other, skiers and boarders couldn't help but stop and snap pictures at every opportunity.
If you're standing there admiring the lake, don't be surprised if you're handed a camera from a foreign visitor and asked to take a photo or two for the family album.
Heavenly is definitely a tourists' mountain. On the slopes and on the chairlifts, you'll meet people from all over the world.
My daughter and I met two women from Poland, a father and daughter from England, and the patriarch of an extended family from Japan, who spoke enough English to inform us this was the clan's second trip to Heavenly.
It's also a destination for ski clubs from across the nation. We met people from clubs in Nashville, Grand Rapids and Dallas.
They were staying at one of the three casino hotels in South Lake Tahoe and skiing Heavenly along with Kirkwood, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Squaw Valley, three of the lake area's other popular resorts.
With all these tourists, you might think Californians would bypass Heavenly and hit the slopes of Tahoe's lesser known ski resorts.
But not so for friends Garth and Mike from Walnut Creek who ski Heavenly every weekend during the season. Their reasons for returning to Heavenly: Snow quality, superior tree skiing, vastness and the cheap price of a season pass.
Vacaville residents Monica and 8-year-old daughter Hailey come up with the family once a month to ski.
"It's close to home, and the kids love it," Monica said.
Heavenly's proximity to Sacramento and San Francisco makes it a popular choice for Californians. But popular also means crowded, especially on weekends, with the biggest crush between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
All this popularity can be felt on the slopes, where you find yourself weaving between downed skiers and worrying about the person coming up behind you. There are long lift lines, but Heavenly's many high-speed lifts move people quickly. It's best if you can ski Heavenly during the week.
It's also best if you are a good skier. Only a small portion on one edge of this vast resort is suitable for the beginner, which is not enough to experience Heavenly. There are better choices around Tahoe for beginning skiers.
Heavenly offers easy access for day trippers and for those staying at one of the numerous hotels or casinos in South Lake Tahoe.
Parking and lifts are available on the Nevada side at Stagecoach and Boulder lodges and on the California side at California Lodge.
For those staying in South Lake Tahoe, the easiest access to Heavenly is to take the gondola from Heavenly Village.
The gondola is walking distance, even carrying skis, from most hotels and is free with the purchase of a lift ticket. Or you can hop on the free Heavenly ski shuttle which drops skiers at Heavenly's base areas.
Marlene Greer is a La Verne freelance writer. She can be reached at mmgwrite@aol.com

Women's Edventures offers ski and snowboard clinics for women of all abilities. The next two will be held on Feb. 25, 26, and Feb. 27, 28 at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit.

The clinics are taught by PSIA and AASI Certified Women Instructors. The two-day clinics include a two-day lift ticket, five hours of instruction each day, video analysis and a personal improvement strategy.

Breakfast, lunch and snacks are also provided, as well as a goodie bag and raffle.

The cost is $269 per person. For more information call: (714) 469-6748

The $25,000 Cholula Triple Air returns to Mountain High this Saturday, Feb. 20.  The Triple Air is the resort's largest one-day snowboarding competition and participants come from as far away as Utah and Colorado to battle for the enormous prize purse. 

Cholula Hot Sauce, Monster Energy, Powder And Sun Ride Shop, and Jarritos Soda have pooled $25,000 in cash and prizes, and the top rider takes home $10,000.

The Cholula Triple Air Show is a modified big air contest.  Not one but three enormous jumps stand between the rider and the podium, and competitors are judged on their amplitude, execution, and technical difficulty.

First held in snowboarding's method-grabbing heyday of 1998, the Triple Air has been bringing top-name riders to the region for 12 years and past participants include Shaun White, Chaz Guldemond, Kevin Pearce, and Keegan Valaika.

 "The Triple Air is where we shine.  It's our largest event of the season and this year it will be at the East Resort so it is easily accessible to all spectators," said John McColly, Director of Marketing,

 Registration takes place from 7 am to 9 am in the Angeles Crest Café (East Resort), and the event begins promptly at 10 m.  Entry fees are $150 for Open Mens Snowboarding, $125 for Open Women's Snowboarding, and $125 for the Open Skiing division. 

Cash prizes are paid out to 16^th place in the men's division, 6^th place in the women's, 6^th place in skiers, and there is a special $1,000 cash prize for best trick. 

All competitors receive a free breakfast, souvenir bib, and lunch compliments of Wahoo's Fish Tacos.  Immediately after the event, a huge party rocks the Snowshoe Saloon with DJs, raffles, and guest hosts, the Monster Energy Girls.

Is there anything better than a day of skiing? Yes, if that day includes hitting the slopes with an Olympic athlete along with overnight accommodations at Canada's #1 rated hotel.

The only AAA Five-Diamond hotel in Canada, the Four Seasons Resort Whistler brings the Olympic legacy within reach of visitors after the games with a "Ski with an Olympian" package. It includes three night's accommodation, a treatment in The Spa, and a day of skiing with one of the best winter athletes in the world.

The package is offered in partnership with Best of Both Golf & Ski, a luxury outfitter specializing in British Columbia travel experiences, Ski with an Olympian is available as a package as well as an add-on activity through the Concierge.

For more information or to reserve this package, guests should call Four Seasons Resort Whistler's reservations department at 888-935-2460 or visit our website.

Come out to Mountain High tonight for Jib City Nights presented by VANS.  The crew will be barbecuing free food and serving up free beverages.

Best yet, they'll be giving away a bunch of free VANS schwag during their Best Trick competition. 

Jib City Nights begins at 5 p.m. so grab a night ticket for just $30.

By Marlene Greer, Correspondent

Improving your skiing is all about taking a new skill and being able to use it on a smooth groomed run or a steep pitch. Especially if you're zigzagging through trees or bounding through a gully.
And Lake Tahoe's Kirkwood Ski Resort has what it takes to get skiers and snowboarders moving across the mountain.
"What is brilliant about Kirkwood is the natural terrain of the mountain allows that natural progression to take place," said Nick Brittain, a college student from New Zealand who is spending his summer break teaching at Kirkwood's Learning Center.
The beginners' terrain is a mix of wide groomed slopes of varying pitch, a set of funny bunny rollers, and little gullies with treacherous names like Ditch of Doom and Ditch of Gloom.
"We start at the magic carpet," Brittain explained. "Our first aim is to move from the carpet to the chair lift, then from less gradient to higher gradient to off-piste. We build their confidence. What we love is involving different terrains and seeing skill level improve. Kids absolutely love those terrain variations."
So do his adult students.
"We take aggressive and fun-loving adults through the same progression as the kids," the Kiwi said. "If we did nothing but groomers, it would get boring."
For a couple intermediate skiers out for the first time this season, Brittain started with easy groomed runs to get a feel for our abilities. Then, with comfort and confidence restored, he led us down a short, but steep advanced level groomed pitch.
"This is how we build confidence; we take a blue (intermediate level) run into a portion of the black," he explained.
Then it was on to some easy tree trails and a deep gully. Brittain showed us how to use the gully's high sides to slow down and turn rather than plow straight through or use quick hockey stops. This skill is needed on the steep terrain at the mountaintop, where plowing doesn't work.
Kirkwood is known for The Wall, a long ridgeline at 9,400 feet, where expert skiers blast off into Wagon Wheel Bowl, and Thunder Saddle, a collection of difficult gullies. The ski resort is what one local resident calls an "aficionados mountain."
"It has open ridgeline skiing, above treeline skiing, lots of tree skiing, secret stashes, and one-man and two-man chutes," said Mike Frye, a former Kirkwood ski instructor. "Their brand is off-piste. It's big mountain skiing. To get the most out of the mountain, you need to be a good skier."
Kirkwood is one of the lesser known ski resorts around Lake Tahoe. It's located about 35 miles south of the lake off Highway 88.
The Kirkwood shuttle costs $15, less with a lift ticket. The bus picks up skiers at major South Lake Tahoe hotels beginning at 7:30 a.m. and arrives at the mountain at 9 a.m. The shuttle leaves Kirkwood at 4:30 p.m.
Kirkwood may be a little out of the way, but it's a favorite among locals. "Fewer people, more snow and steeper terrain," one admirer said.
That's definitely Kirkwood. I skied there on a Thursday and there were no lift lines. No dodging around people stopped on the slope in front of you. There was just the three of us on some runs in the morning.
Kirkwood has 15 lifts, including a high-speed quad for its beginning area. Two new lifts opened last year. Seven lifts at the bottom provide many points of entry for skiers.
The mountain has two base areas - Mountain Village and Timber Creek. The beginners' area at Timber Creek is separate from the rest of the mountain and has its own lift. There's no through traffic. Parents see this as safer for their kids, Brittain said.
Though known for its expert terrain, Kirkwood is great for intermediate skiers, with 50 percent of its terrain designated as blue runs. But much of that terrain, and most of the mountain, isn't groomed.
"Our customers prefer it that way," said Tim Cohee, senior vice president Kirkwood-Mountain Springs. Kirkwood skiers, he says, are the more adventurous type.
"If your kid jumps on a trampoline and skateboards, those are the people we get here," Cohee said.
That doesn't describe me or my mountain ski lesson buddy for the day. We preferred the cushy groomers and stopped frequently to take in the gorgeous mountain vistas.
But before we ended our lesson and mountain tour, we couldn't resist trying the Ditch of Doom and the Ditch of Gloom.
Now that's progress.
Marlene Greer is a La Verne freelance writer. She can be reached at mmgwrite@aol.com

Mountain High Ski Resort now offers a Senior Ski / Snowboard Program with STARS Clinics every Wednesday through March.

This program is designed for more experienced skiers and snowboarders 50 years of age and older with skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced. 

The program was created for seniors interested in the new movement patterns associated with shaped skis, and/or improving their skiing/snowboard techniques.

The program includes a two-hour clinics for only $20. The STARS clinics are run by Senior Certified Instructors. Senior skiers will leave with new skills, new friends and new confidence.

Seniors begin with a continental breakfast at Angeles Crest Cafe at the East Resort from 9 to 10 a.m. The lesson follows from 10 a.m. to noon.

Lift tickets are $10, over 70 is free. Shaped ski rentals are available for $15. A minimum of three students are needed for the class.

For more information, call the Winter Sports School at (760) 316-7861 or email Bill Teague at bill_teague@mthigh.com for a reservation.

Sugar Bowl is now open at Mountain High Ski Resort in Wrightwood. Boarders will find 80 new acres to the West of Inferno Ridge with wide open powder fields. The area provides a fun way to access Easy Street and the back of the Bullwheel Bar & Grill.

Skiers will find the entrance to this new area a quarter of the way down Inferno Ridge on the left, roughly across from the top of O2.  The resort says several paths have been groomed so feel free to follow them or make your own tracks. 

Watch out, however, the bottom of Sugar Bowl is marked by a service road that winds back into the resort.  If snowboarders drop below the road, there is no problem.  They'll end up on Highway 2 for a nice little hike back.

Mountain High notes that Sugar Bowl offers a great alternative to traditional trails. It's expected to remain open for the rest of the season thanks the deep snow pack.

Looking up into the mountains ringing the San Gabriel Valley, the peaks are capped with snow. Hard to believe it's 80 down here, but frosty up there. Very pretty.

Makes me think about our closest ski resort, Mt. Baldy. The little resort offers all levels of skiing and boarding, with more than two dozen trails over three mountains. It covers more than 800 acres with 2,100 feet of vertical.

The resort is reporting all lifts and runs in operation. The runs are machine groomed with pack powder base of three to five feet.

From wide open slopes to glade skiing, Mt. Baldy offers groomed runs as well as bowls and moguls. It has been developing its own terrain park.

Mt. Baldy is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

It's fairly easy to get to, follow Mt. Baldy Road for 7 miles to the Village and another 3 miles up to ski resort. The road ends at the ski area parking lot, where parking is free for skiers.

The ticket office and rest rooms are the only facilities at the parking lot. Skiers have to ride the first chair to the main part of the ski area, where they will find the rental equipment, lessons, rest rooms, restaurant, basket check, first aid and tubing park

Remember to fill your gas tank before driving up, there are no gas stations in Mt Baldy.

(Photo by Jeff Hehlen, Courtesy of Sierra at Tahoe Ski Resort)

By Richard Irwin, Staff Writer

El Nino means snow, and lots of it, for local skiers. We're talking snowfall measured in feet rather than inches.
If Big Bear received more than three feet of the pure white stuff in one weekend, just think what the mountains in the northern part of the state are getting.
And as it turns out, parts of the Sierra Nevada range did indeed get more than seven feet of snow just a couple weeks ago.
So it was with some trepidation that we took a weeklong ski vacation to Lake Tahoe. Call it luck, or call it great planning, but there were tons of snow at the ski resorts ringing this beautiful alpine lake.
Indeed, Lake Tahoe offers many different ski options within a short drive of each other. From the biggies like Heavenly and Squaw Valley to smaller areas such as Northstar and Sierra at Tahoe, there's lots of skiable terrain to enjoy.
I like to start small and work my way up. It gives me the chance to me to brush up on my ski techniques as well as build my stamina.
Sierra at Tahoe is a great place to strap on the boards. It offers lots of tree skiing as well as wide-open slopes.

Even better, beginning skiers (or skiers just beginning to ski this season) can ride all the way to the top of the mountain for an easy cruise back to the bottom. In fact, the Sugar and Spice is a two-and-a-half-mile run down the hill. The well-groomed green offers beginners a chance to practice all the techniques they learn in a ski lesson.
Located just 12 miles west of South Lake Tahoe, Sierra at Tahoe catches the winter storms as they come in off the Pacific and hit the 10,000 foot peaks around the lake.
The resort averages 480 inches of snow every year, but during an El Nino it's much, much more. The last El Nino winters in 2005-06 and 1997-98 dumped more than 650 inches of snow.
Sierra grooms all its beginners' runs every night, so youngsters or young-at-heart but old-in-the-legs have smooth, carvable surfaces to enjoy every morning.
In fact, Sierra tries to groom 70 percent of the trails every night, including two black diamond trails.
Soon my ski buddies were scattered all over the mountain. Some liked to ski through the old-growth Red Fir, while others dropped into the steep and deep in Jack's Bowl and Avalanche Bowl.
Didn't get there myself, but I understand the new experts only Huckleberry Canyon offers lots of cornice drops, rock chutes and gladed runs.
Sierra at Tahoe boasts 2,000 acres with a vertical of 2,212 feet. The resort tops out at 8,852 feet, starting at a base elevation of 7,300 feet.
The resort offers 46 trails, with 25 percent marked easy, 50 percent more difficult and the remaining quarter most difficult.
Servicing the slopes are three express quads, a triple chairlift, five doubles and three surface lifts.
The laid-back resort has six terrain parks scattered around the mountain. It also has a 17-foot Zaugg Superpipe, the only one on the south shore. A full-time crew keeps the rail lines fresh and the take-offs and landings manicured.
After a great day on the slopes, skiers can enjoy the new 1,800-square-foot deck at the Baja Bar and Grill in West Bowl. Kick back in the Adirondack chairs with a Mexican lunch and a cold beer.
If you're staying in South Lake Tahoe, the resort's shuttle offers daily service from three hubs. Lift and lodging packages are available through www.SierraAtTahoe.com.
Lift tickets are $69 for adults, 23 years old and up, $59 for young adults, 13-22, and $17 for children 5-12 years old.
So while the rest of Los Angeles may be grumbling about El Nino and all the rain, area skiers will be grinning from ear to ear as they make their way down the powdery slopes.

Mountain High Ski Resort in Wrightwood reports 12 to 16 Inches of fresh snow, with lots of trails with untouched powder. Light, scattered snow showers expected throughout the day. All roads open with chains or 4WD required.

El Nino has been good to Big Bear bringing 8 to 10 inches of powder last night.  Bear Mountain's Web site notes that the tree runs will be amazing today. Snow Summit is also looking forward to another great day of skiing.

All roads into Big Bear are open with chains required on all vehicles except 4WD and AWD with snow tires on: Hwy 330/18 the front way through Running Springs, Hwy 38 from Redlands and Hwy 18 from the High Desert through Lucerne Valley.

All vehicles must always carry chains in the mountains in the winter months. Although it may take a little extra time getting here, the conditions are well worth the drive.

Slide Peak is now open at Snow Valley in Running Springs. When mother nature dumps lots of snow in our mountains, this backcountry area comes to life. Lift 9 also accesses a lot of backcountry terrain hidden from the base of the resort.

The snow just keeps on falling in the San Bernardino Mountains. Snow Valley got a dusting to 1/2" of new snow overnight and several more inches of snow are in the forecast today.

Because of low visibility and potentially heavy snow, Slide Peak & the backcountry (lifts 9 & 11) will be on Weather Hold today. But it should be in great shape for the rest of the week.