Grays On Trays

Is that website an advertisement masquerading as someone’s honest opinion? Read carefully and you may avoid any confusion.

Recently I’ve received some new offers to place new advertisements on this site. “Great!,” I thought. “Some extra income would be handy.”

But my enthusiasm lasts as long as it takes to read the “offer.” That’s because the other party suggests “editing this page” by (cough) helpfully adding some language. It’s bad enough that the result is that I say something good about party X without telling you that I was paid to so so. But it’s made worse (if that’s possible) by the fact that the language usually includes a link to another website filled with spammy badness. (Who knows? The other site may even have a virus.)

So I write back something like this: “Thank you for your interest in advertising. I’d be happy to talk further with you about this, but I want you to know that if I take any money from you, I will make it clear that the text or link I include is an advertisement. In other words, there will be a disclosure. Are you still interested?”

In this latest round of “partnership opportunities,” however, nobody has come  back with a solid pay-for-advertising offer. I suspect that’s because it’s so much easier to try to slip in some advertising into someone else’s site.

Nothing against advertising. It’s necessary and in some cases even useful and informative. But I want to know what is editorial copy and what is advertising. I believe the distinction makes for a more credible publication. You probably do, too.

The most unusual benefit of riding or skiing at Heavenly Mountain Resort may be the views you get even before take your first run of the day.

(Photo credit: Heavenly Mountain Resort)

What you see in the background is Lake Tahoe, one of the great alpine lakes in the world. It’s about 22 miles long and 12 miles wide. It’s in class with the Turnagain Arm (Alyeska, Alaska) and Lake Superior (Lutsen, Minnesota). It will often, though not always, be visible to you as you start your descents.

The natural beauty of the lake contrasts with the neon of the casinos in nearby Stateline, Nevada. But if you stay there, you have a short walk to the gondola. The Embassy Suites, in California, is even closer. Once you’re on the gondola, be sure to stop at the mid-way station to soak in a view before starting your day.

Once your ride on the gondola ends, you’ll have plenty of choices, since the mountain sprawls out for over 4,800 skiable acres, more than just about any resort out there. (Mammoth, Vail, and Powder Mountain are bigger). For the most difficult terrain, pass through the gates at Mott and Killebrew canyons, as well as nearby Milky Way Bowl. If you like intermediate cruisers, the runs serviced by the Dipper Express are good; you can also make your way over to the Comet Express, if lines at the Dipper are too long for your taste.

(Did I mention there are lake views? Photo credit: Heavenly Mountain Resort)

Beginner’s runs are few and scattered across both the Nevada and California sides, so if you’re a novice, your choices may be limited. (Complete newbies should head straight for the California Lodge.)

There are of course several lodges on the mountain. The Tamarack Lodge, near the top of the gondola, is the most recent. From 3:30 until 5:30, the place hosts “Unbuckle” an apres-ski/ride party with DJs, music, and dancers known as “Heavenly Angels.”

(Photo credit: Chris Stamey, via Heavenly Mountain Resort)

Nearby terrain serves as a ski school for children, as well as the site of a tubing area. You may even meet “Ripperoo,” the resort’s official mascot.

Snowboarders, take note

Most ski areas have spots that are difficult for snowboarders, and Heavenly is no exception. For example, the Sky Express lift takes you to 10,040 feet, which is roughly in the middle of the mountain, on an east-to-west basis. From the top, Skyline trail takes you over to the Nevada side. Be warned, however: For quite a ways, it is relatively flat, meaning that you may need to unbuckle and walk for a while. You may also have the same problem, though on a smaller scale, if you head over to the Nevada side from the top of the Big Easy lift, which serves a short beginner’s slope near top of the gondola.

Getting home

One odd thing about Heavenly is that you can’t ski or ride down to the base–at least if you want to stay in bounds and on the good side of the management. You have two other choices. The first is to download, which is to say, take the gondola back down at the end of the day. The second is to ski or ride down to one of the several non-gondola bases and then wait for a shuttle bus. The bus works just fine, but you may find yourself stuck with nothing to do for 20 or 25 minutes to do. For example, the Stagecoach parking lot features a repair shop and … nothing else.

Want to go skiing or snowboarding, be within walking distance of a major ski area, and pay a modest price? Try a casino in South Lake Tahoe.

For me, the casino is a bug, not a feature, but your mileage may vary. When you stay at a casino, you have to put up with a few things, including two obvious facts: The rooms aren’t necessarily built for creature comforts, and the hotel design is meant to encourage you to wander through the gaming floor.

In my case, I stayed at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe, a short distance (0.4 miles, according to Google Maps) from Heavenly ski area. It is the oldest casino of those still running today, and offers several restaurants, a fitness center, meeting rooms, and the Improve Comedy Club. If you’re so inclined, it also has a wedding chapel. In conjunction with nearby Harrah’s (same ownership), it has concerts. (This season: George Thorogood & the Destroyers; Paul Revere & the Raiders; Blue Oyster Cult; Chickenfoot; and others.) Nearby MontBleu also has concerts. While I was there, the group 311 (I have to confess: I have no idea who they are) was playing.

Dude, where’s my coffee maker?

At least for me, the primary purpose of a hotel is to sleep when I’m not on the snow. So how was Harvey’s on that score? The room itself was adequate but it left a lot to be desired. The carpeting was very much worn down, to the point where I felt uncomfortable walking in bare feet.

Much of what I noticed about the room, however, was what it lacked, such as a variety of easily accessible electrical outlets. I could get to the set behind the headboard, but another, behind a very heavy dresser, was out of reach. There was no desk, so I put my computer and iPhone on the vanity that was part of a make-up area just outside both the water closet and the bath/shower room. Though there was a small refrigerator (not polluted by a mini-bar, hooray!), there was no coffee maker to be found. Many hotels that have on-site restaurants have in-room coffee makers, so I don’t know why Harvey’s doesn’t have them. Finally, you could tell that this wasn’t a ski-area room by the fact that there were no pegs on the walls. I kept looking for a place to rest my snowboard and helmet.

My standard room was in the Lake Tower; from looking at the virtual tour on the website, I’d suggest you try getting a room in the Mountain Tower, as the rooms there appear to be brighter. (My room had quite “heavy” furniture and decor.)

What went right

Now, there was a lot right about the hotel. The king-sized bed was fine, with four nicely sized pillows. The flat-screen TV was nice, though the remote control was a bit balky. Housekeeping did their job well, and there was a decent view of Lake Tahoe from the window. Check-in and check-out was fine, and the staff was effective and professional in replacing a room key after I accidentally locked myself out. Oh, and the elevators were adequate, too–useful when you’re staying on the ninth floor. If you have young teenagers, set them loose on the arcade, which is one level below the lobby.

If you’re looking for something more affordable than, say, Aspen’s Hotel Jerome, a casino might work for you. Right now, Harvey’s is advertising, on its website, the following: $69 buys a room and $25 in food credit. (Note, however, that you can’t guarantee a non-smoking room, and you can’t use the meal credit at on-site restaurants that are not owned by Harrah’s.)  You can also get a 5 percent discount off a full-price adult lift ticket at Heavenly, Northstar, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Kirkwood, or Squaw Valley.  Nearby casinos, such as MontBlue, also offer deals and reasonably priced accommodations. But if you’re looking for an even better deal, you can probably find it. Look to Liftopia for tickets, or try the Motel 6 a few miles down the road for lodging. (Be sure to check on bus routes from the Tahoe Transportation District, though.)

How is Harvey’s like a grocery store?

One place that Harvey’s excels is its location: It’s three blocks from the Heavenly Mountain gondola. (Snowboarders definitely have an advantage over skiers in the walking department.) But remember how, when you go to the grocery store in search of a gallon of milk, you have to walk through everything else to get there? Harvey’s is like that: If you’re walking back to your room from the Heavenly gondola, you’ll find that the sleeping rooms are as far away as they possible can be while still being on the property. Go the casino floor, and you’ll run the gantlet of lights and sounds coming from the machines. As an alternative, you can bypass the first entrance you get to and keep going on the sidewalk until you hit a driveway on the left. Walk downhill until you find the valet entrance, and you’re almost at the Lake Tower elevators.

Summing up

Even party animals have to catch some sleep sometime. If you like the nightlife, you might do well at one of Stateline’s casinos. But if you’re not, don’t let the “wild scene” of Tahoe scare you off. There are other options–though neon signs may not be your preferred apres-ski/ride sights.

From March 5-9, I visited the Lake Tahoe region as one of several representatives of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA), Midwest chapter. It’s always informative to visit different parts of the country, to learn about different aspects of the resort industry and meet all sorts of professionals. Here’s a brief write-up that I posted on the chapter’s Facebook page:

Professional Development

We heard about some plans for the South Lake Tahoe area. Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki briefed us on plans to submit a bid for the region to host the Winter Olympics in 2022. Mike Bradford, CEO of the Lakeside Inn and Casino, laid out ongoing efforts to reshape the South Lake Tahoe area in light of declining gambling revenues. Carl Hasty, the district manager of the Tahoe Transportation District, gave a separate presentation that focused on reworking Highway 50 as it goes through town, to divert most traffic to a perimeter road.

At the Wednesday breakfast meeting, Milena Regos, principal of Out & About Marketing, led us through a discussion of the value and practice of social media for journalists and businesses.

On Thursday morning, our three national chapters (ESWA, NASJA Midwest, NASJA West) held meetings to discuss their futures. Those meetings were followed by the national business meeting.

Thursday afternoon featured a Marketplace Tradeshow, at which we could meet representatives from a number of resorts, hard-goods companies, and other players in the skiing/riding industry. These included Ski Vermont, Brian Head ski area, Liftopia, Ski Butlers, and Seirus gloves and outerwear.

At our annual awards dinner (Thursday), we honored the best in craft, for feature writing, blogs, photography, and other categories.

Great food and drink

At the Taste of Tahoe South Welcome Dinner at the Edgewood Tahoe (Monday), we sampled some of the South Shore’s restaurants, including Latin Soul, Freshies, Red Hut Cafe, Capisce?, and Cakes by Grace. We also heard from a representative of the Sacramentao International Airport, which recently completed a $1 billion makeover of one of its two terminals. Some meeting-goers finished up the meeting with a pub crawl.

On Tuesday night, we held dinner at the Beacon Bar and Grill, at Camp Richardson Historic Resort & Marina. Though the weather did not permit us to engage in the local tradition of cocktail snowshoe races, we enjoyed some great food and drink. After the dinner, some people attended a concert put on by the band 311.

Wednesday night’s dinner was on the Tahoe Queen for a 90-minute trip on Lake Tahoe. Outstanding views of moonlight on the mountain ranges, reflecting off the lake, were a bonus! People wishing to extend the evening’s festivities went to a show at the Improve at Harvey’s.

On Thursday night, we held the award dinner at Harvey’s, one of the host hotels.

On-Mountain Skiing, Riding, and Learning

Naturally, we spent some time skiing and riding. On Tuesday, we went to Sierra-at-Tahoe, where we explored an innovative partnership between Burton, Lucas Films, and the resort, to introduce young children to snowboarding. On that day, we also held our NASTAR race, in which meeting participants skied and rode on a modified GS course. The highlight of the day, though, may have been the abundant new powder.

On Wednesday, we went to Kirkwood, where some of us enjoyed the steeps from the Cornice Lift–which the management kindlly operated when conditions permitted, even though there was only one hour or so left in the day.

Our final full day of skiing and riding, Friday, found us at Heavenly resort, where we had a bluebird day. We witnessed a rescue dog’s training exercise, and got to see “the beast” (the world’s largest snow groomer) up close.

The American Midwest isn’t usually thought of as a hotbed of snowboarding or downhill skiing, but it has made its contributions to both, even at the highest levels.

When it comes to competition, skiers and riders have to leave the region, but their humble beginnings can take them to the top of the podium. For example, Lindsey Vonn, the reigning champion of downhill racing on the World Cup, started started skiing in Minnesota. Another Minnesota native, Steve Fischer, was for a while considered the top rival to Shaun White. Louie Vito, like Fischer, has been part of competitive snowboarding. He learned to ride outside Columbus, Ohio, before moving to Vermont to hone his snowboarding skills–and finish middle school.

Winter X games 12, which finishes today, features some of the world’s best athletes on the snow. It’s likely, given the history of Vonn, Fischer, and Vito, that some of the X games contenders who now claim Aspen, Breckenridge, Mammoth Lakes or Park City as their hometown learned how to ski or ride on a humble hill in the Midwest.

Two competitors in this year’s games still claim a hometown in the Midwest, and they’re both skiers, competing in slopestyle. Ashley Battersby, of Chicago, finished fifth in the women’s final. ESPN notes that she “got her start as an inline skater back in Chicago.” Nick Goeper, of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, started skiing at Perfect North Slopes, which is about as far south as Cincinnati. He took silver in slopestyle.

Note that this list will not include any athletes who hail from the Midwest but who have moved out of region for training other other purposes.

Update: Looks like Vito is in the games after all!

If you’ve had the same kind of board for your snowboarding life, it may be time to buy a different board. If you’ve always had a flexible snowboard that’s easy to turn, buy a stiff one. If you’ve got a stiff board, buy a board with noodle-like properties. In either case, use your new board to explore different types of terrain.

At least that’s the conclusion I’m coming to after my second summer with a mountain bike, which is demonstrating the value of different rides for different types of terrain.

My 1985 Motobecane Super Mirage is an old-school road bike. It’s got 10 speeds, drop (curled) handlebars, shift-levers on the stem, two sets of brake handles (including “suicide levers”), and rim brakes. The tires, which should be inflated to 90-100 psi, are a mere 1.25 inches wide. Everything about the bike encourages the cyclist to ride in the classic hunched-over position.

Last year I purchased a mountain bike, a 2010 Gary Fisher Piranha. It’s got 27 speeds, flat handlebars, handle-bar mounted brake and gear levers, and hydraulic disk brakes. The tires, which should be inflated to 55-65 psi, are 2.25 inches wide. Everything about the bike encourages the cyclist to ride in a sitting-up position. The bike, by the way, also has a shock absorber in the front.

The differences between the two bikes represents more than the passage of time. They also reflect differences in design and intended use. While you can certainly ride the mountain bike on a paved road, its wide tires and lower psi will impede your progress. These two qualities, which provide stability on an off-road trail, also increase the rolling resistance. This means that on a paved road, you’ll have to work extra hard to get anywhere. (The same logic explains why your car gets lower gas mileage if the tires are under-inflated: the engine must do more work than it otherwise would.)

The road bike, which excels on the road, can indeed be taken to an off-road trail. Compared with the mountain bike on the same terrain, however, you’ll have a more uncomfortable ride (you’ll feel every bump). You will also have less control. Worse yet, the tree roots, rocks, logs, and drops on the off-road trail may damage the wheel or other components of the bike.

In other words, different terrain, different rides.

To a certain degree, the same logic holds for snowboards. A board that is extremely flexible may be good for hitting objects in a terrain park (jibbing), but it’s not so good for making large, sweeping turns at high speed down the mountain. A big-mountain board, meanwhile, will be so stiff that it will be hard to use in a terrain park.

Now, it’s important to not overlook the importance of learning good technique. But if you’re having trouble getting your board to do what you want, perhaps you’re using the wrong board. Extremely skilled riders can get away with a mismatch and still look good. Shaun White could outperform 99 percent of all snowboarders in the halfpipe, regardless of the kind of board he uses, while Jeremy Jones could scream down an Alaskan glacier while riding a park board. But I’m not White or Jones, and chances are, neither are you.

So before the season begins, consider the terrain you’re going to ride, and then ask whether it’s time to buy another board. Stiffness is just one quality that sets one board apart from another, so ask at your local shop.

Getting a second (or third) board will cost you some money. But it may be one of the best things that has happened to your snowboarding experience.

Start with a new snowboard. Add in bindings, boots, a helmet, goggles, and other supplies, and getting into snowboarding can easily require a commitment of $1,000–and that’s before lift tickets.

My summertime diversion of choice has been golfing, which, like lift-served snowboarding, requires laying out cash for access. I’ve been saving money this summer by leaving the clubs in the garage. That’s just as well, since my game has been stuck in the sub-basement ever since I started.

While some snowboarders enjoy a round of golf, many more, I suspect, take up road cycling or mountain biking. Riding a bike keeps your legs working, and can be a good aerobic activity. Both activities can also help you push yourself, as, for example, you navigate obstacles on a mountain bike trail or deal with a steep, winding descent on a road bike.

But is biking any cheaper than snowboarding or golfing? Not necessarily, at least in my experience. True, there is no fee for riding on the “open road,” beyond what you’ve paid in gas and other taxes, but you may need to pay a fee to park at a state park, or use a mountain-bike trail on private lands.

The biggest expense, though, is equipment. My wife received a bike-store gift card for $500 last year when we bought a new Subaru, and we used that money towards a new mountain bike for me. I could have bought a low-end mountain bike, but decided to upgrade to a Gary Fisher Pirana. Even the previous year’s model cost about $650, which meant that my new hobby cost me $150.

Many reviews of the bike panned the grips, so I bought a pair of riding gloves. Another $25. Still, $175 is about half the price of what I’d pay for a cheap set of golf clubs. Even so, I was going on the cheap by not buying bike shorts or biking shoes, and using a helmet that had been sitting around for a while.

This season brought more expenses. It started with getting a tune-up on a 25-year old road bike that I had left neglected for years. The shop recommended a new chain and a complete breakdown/reconstruction, so that was $300. A mishap with an old bike carrier resulted in a bent wheel, and another $50 for a new wheel. So that’s $350 on an old bike. (I should have thought to buy a new model. Oh well.) The incident with the bike carrier convinced me to buy a newer, sturdier model, the Saris Bones 3, for about $150. With the new carrier, I’ve been able to transport my road bike to a trail head that has led to some great urban rides.

This season, the trail I like to take my mountain bike on has gotten overgrown with brush, so I thought it was a good time to finally buy a hydration pack/back pack that would store water and some pruning shears. I opted for a more expensive model, the Camelback Mule, and at retail that came in at $90.

Subtotal so far: $765. And now I’m looking at $25 for another pair of gloves and maybe $75 for a new helmet, after I left both at a trail head the other day. (Truth be told, a 10-year old helmet should be replaced anyway.) So that’s $865. Add in some more money for a modest tune-up to my wife’s bicycle for those times we casually ride short distances from home, and the total is about $1,000–about the cost of getting geared-up for snowboarding.

The golf course I’ve given up, meanwhile, charges greens fees of $15 for a 9-hold round, which is my default outing. That means I could have spent the same amount for 66 rounds of golf–something that would take 4-5 years to do.

The moral of the story, which might be a case of “do as I say, not as I do,” might be this: Plan ahead, and go cheap if you can.

While you might find snowboarding sites in a few places yet, if you look hard, most of the country has firmly moved into summertime mode. That’s not necessarily a great thing, however. Here are some less-than-pleasant facts about summer:

1. Pollen and seasonal allergies infect sinuses and make life miserable
2. Oppressive humidity drains your energy
3. Lawns require mowing every week
4. Dandelions, crabgrass, and other weeds grow like, well, weeds
5. Going outside requires either donning greasy sunscreen or accepting a sunburn (pick one)
6. Hail, wind damage, and tornadoes threaten
7. Steering wheels and other parts of your car catch on fire
8. Birds start chirping outside your window … at 4am.

What else am I missing? There are a few nice things about summer–15 hours of daylight are better than 8–but it’s easy to overrate it.

Around here, we’ve had what seems to be an insufferably long mud season this year. The last day of snowboarding locally was April 9. Even though the snow lingered for weeks after that (and may in fact still remain in spots), the lifts stopped turning when ski area managers decided that the costs of being in business were higher than the revenues they would collect.

Hiking isn’t that great of an option, either. First, we’re not talking about epic terrain anyway, so it’s hardly worth the effort. Second, the places that still have snow are private property, not public lands, so they are no doubt closed for snow sports. That leaves cold-weather golf, cold-weather road biking, and waiting.

Since the end of the lift-served season, we’ve been teased (or is it tormented?) by tiny dribbles and drabs of snow. On three different days we had snowfall that stuck, at least overnight, and even two days ago we had tiny snowflakes in the air. And this being spring, we’ve had lots of rain, too. The rain and snow have kept the ground suitable for cross-country mountain-bike riding, my new summer sport of choice. Watching and waiting has been a frustrating experience, a bit like pre-season conditions at ski areas, when we know that there’s snow on the ground but not enough for snowboarding.

Whether its snowboarding or mountain biking, sporting enthusiasts must endure a transitional time. What do you do when you’ve put the snowboard (or skis) up for the season?

Today marks the end of that awful in-between time, by the way: My favorite mountain-bike trail has opened, two or three weeks later than usual.

Snowboarding depends business–to create products, to distribute products, and even to cultivate interest in the sport. TransWorld Business has a review of data on sales during the 2010-2011 season.

Here are a few highlights:

• Most sales occur at specialty shops.
• Sales slumped in the West and Midwest but grew in the South and Northeast. Perhaps this suggests a “stay close to home” reaction to the Great Recession?
• Among youth, skiing is picking up interest at the expense of snowboarding. Twin tips–an adaptation from snowboarding–is likely the reason.

Even so, says TW Business, margins are up.