Lake Tahoe, gem of the Sierra, with its endless outdoor activities, magnificent blue waters, and majestic mountains, how could one ever want to leave? South Lake Tahoe is busier than ever this season, big bands, like Rascal Flatts, Elton John, Stevie Nicks, and Bob Dylan are all scheduled to be dropping by the Harvey's Summer Stage within the next couple of weeks. The South Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament just ended, and as usual, was a huge success. Celebrities like Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Oscar De la Hoya, John Elway, Jason Kidd, & Bode Miller, all showed up to pledge their support to a great cause and have a little fun on the lake. I'm sure they didn't bring their ski and snowboard rentals this time, but they'll be back for some fresh powder turns on Heavenly Ski Resort soon enough. Lake Tahoe itself is seeing alot of action. I was out on the water a few days ago and there was tons of traffic, all rentals too. It's great to see all the families and revelers cutting loose on Lake Tahoe and enjoying it for its purest nature. South Lake Tahoe's hiking and biking trails have been extraordinarily congested due to the resurgent popularity mountain-biking has incurred in the past couple of years. To say the lease, Lake Tahoe is the place to be. So much to do, and so much to share with family and friends, Lake Tahoe could be the best place on Earth.
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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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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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It seems that every year about this time I begin to dream about the snow falling and all the great lines I intend to carve when Heavenly Ski Resort opens in the Fall. This season, I am interested in all the new ski and snowboard rentals that will be available to experience on the hill. Most people are beach-side burning themselves to a crisp this time of year, but my brain is thinking of cloudy skies, pounding snow, and thundering avalanche cannons. In South Lake Tahoe, the Heavenly Ski Basin receives some of the heaviest snow fall that I have witnessed in North America. This is just one of the many reasons we are blessed to ski in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains. With so many major cities around the area, Heavenly Ski Resort is very accessible for families to make a quick trip up and enjoy all of the winter festivities. Families can be assured that they will have an amazing trip and make memories that will last a lifetime. There really is nothing like experiencing the snow and all its glory with your loved ones. One of these days, I might be content with sunny afternoons and bathing suits, but, at this time in my life, all I want is to be on the Heavenly Gondola with some brand new ski rentals, fresh wax, and feet of snow. So for now, I'll just have to deal with my Fall Fever and keep dreaming of snow falling and pray for an early winter season in Lake Tahoe.
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Every year about this time in the Sierras, fire becomes a major concern for the community. This summer we have been experiencing an awful lot of moisture for our area. In my five years of living in South Lake Tahoe, I have never witnessed so much precipitation in the month of July. Unfortunately, this has created a false sense of safety among the great folks here in Tahoe. These storms can actually be more of a nightmare than a dream for the people living up here in the Sierra-Nevada Mountains. One would think that we are receiving ample moisture, therefore fire danger should be relatively low. Resultantly, it allows for multiple lightning strikes to rock the Tahoe Basin and leave us vulnerable for environmental hardships. We also have a lot of dry sage and brush which is indigenous to the region and is extremely flammable. For example, just last week, a lightning strike sparked a small fire right outside the Lake Tahoe Community College and a second strike hit Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort. Luckily, our local South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service were extremely alert and quick to respond to the emergency. They were able to quench the flames and save us from dealing with a huge disaster. Sometimes we don't realize how close we come to devastation, and that there are people out there behind the scenes who are constantly saving the day. These folks don't ask for a pat on the back or any celebration, they just go to work everyday, serve the people of Tahoe, and are the true heroes of our community. On the other hand, a lot of us winter enthusiasts only view the crazy weather as a sign for great things to come this upcoming ski and snowboarding season in Tahoe. We have all heard that this is a "La Nina" year and the precipitation we are experiencing this summer only supports that notion. Hopefully, this will allow us an early opening for Heavenly Mountain and brings us an unlimited amount of snow-pack this season. Still the threat of fire looms while we wait for our ski and snowboard rentals to come out of the garage and onto the hill. Just remember, the next time you bump into your local firefighters, don't forget to tell them, "Thanks for protecting our community and keeping us safe at home."
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