Last week I was at a chamber event chatting with a local guy who owns a boot fitting shop, we began chatting about how golf and skiing shared some similarities, but have some huge differences. His similarities stemmed from the fact that he would fix and install custom footbeds in both golf shoes and ski boots. Success in each sport can come easier if the fundamental issues are fixed, i.e. alignment, posture, pronation, etc.
As we further discussed the value of a good footbed he went on to say that the difference between the two lies in the fact that if you go out to play golf and at the end of the 18th hole you are +20, your swing was off and your stance was wrong, and the guy you were playing with was +5 you got beat and don't particularly feel great about it. If you and the same guy are skiing down a trail, sure one of you may make better turns or get down the hill a touch quicker but you're both going to have fun, you're both going to get back on the lift and do the run again and again. I guess the difference is with golf there is a hard number at the end of the day to rate yourself on, with skiing it's all about having fun!
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Each year, during the summer, the local South Lake Tahoe brewery, puts different parties on every weekend. Our brewery here is named Tallac, after the giant peak looming over our town, and they have a great location at the "Y", an area where two different highways intersect in our town. These parties are great and there is usually a pretty good turnout for the festivities. Last night, a couple local bands and DJs where all there to let loose and celebrate the end of the summer. It was actually the last of the summer session parties that are held at the brewery. This usually invokes a somewhat sad feeling but not for us up here, because we know that that only means the changing of the seasons is right around the corner and the snow should begin falling soon. Tallac Brewery is our only local beer brewer on the South Shore and its great to see them bringing the local community together to mingle and celebrate the end of summer. The actual festivities began around two in the afternoon. People slowly began arriving, but as soon as the sun dropped, the party was packed. Everyone drinking libations and blowing off the steam of the work week. These parties are essential for the locals, especially when their ski rentals and snowboard rentals are tucked away in their closets. We all know that as soon as these parties end, Fall begins to rear her head, and the white frozen stuff will soon begin to coat our town. This is how we "REALLY" take care of our stresses in Tahoe. Once the magnificent Heavenly Ski Resort opens, all the local snow hounds will be getting in their turns and carving up a storm. Even at the party last night, all people could talk about was what new kind of ski rentals the would be skiing on and how much snow they think is going to fall. I'm not one to speculate, but joints are acting up and my knees hurt, so bring on the snow!
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I love the optimism in a ski town this time of year! Everything becomes a sign of a good winter and ski season approaching, and approaching quickly. You hear everything, the most common being "My (insert body part here) aches more than usual, must be a bunch of snow coming!", "The tree in my front yard turned a yellowish red instead of the usual reddish yellow, must be a ton of snow coming!", "My dog has been sleeping on the other side of the bed lately, he must know were in for a ton of snow!" You've heard them before, and true or not they are exciting to hear and latch on to. So what is your favorite way to tell whether it's going to be a good snow year or not? -Riley
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As summer officially comes to a close after labor day, most ski towns will go into what we locals like to call "mud season". This is the time of year that buffers the two busy seasons: summer and winter. Locals, in particular, love this time of year because all the tourists are gone and town becomes quite normal for two months or so. They also call it "mud season" because it is usually accompanied by serious amounts of precipitation.
In the Spring, the wet conditions from melting snow and rain keep many locals from enjoying their skitown. However, the fall mud season is quite different. During this time, locals have access to the best mountain bike conditions of the season and can't still enjoy warm weather until daylight savings occurs.
As daylight savings approaches on Sept. 22, locals will scramble to enjoy their last bit of the outdoors before the clocks are set back. Personally, I love daylight savings. It signifies the approach of ski season in Lake Tahoe and other North American resort towns. Summer business will shut down and ski rental shops will start preparing for the busy El Nino winter ahead of us. As many area shops wrap up their labor day sales, many potential lcustomers will start booking their trips for next winter. Also, competition heats up as many area ski and snowboard shops will start selling their services to the local community.
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Countless ski rental shops fail to sanitize and dry their ski boots, thus resulting in stinky ski boots. While this may be a constant in the ski rental industry, there are a handful of shops that actually care about the boots they are renting out.
These elite ski rental companies have a trick. They constantly update their ski boot inventory yearly to maintain a clean slection of boots. Not only do these outfitters have "non-stinky" boots, but the boots are often brand new. And they personally guarantee the perfect fit.
Often, you can even rent your ski package and then purchase the boots that you were using. This is a great way to save money while getting a great a boots that you know work for you. Because, ideally, every skier should have their own boots anyway. This way they know they will have a great boot and they get rent the latest equipment for a bigger discount.
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