Outdoors
Really ...REALLY... we're still talking Olympic Bid ...ugh
Editor's note: Portions of the following column originally ran spring of 2008 (yes, we've been around that long). Now that the US is trying to 'play nice' once more with the IOC after the Chicago bid was roundly rebuffed in favor of a city famous for a giant Jesus statue, trannys in headdresses and Leo DiCaprio making out with a winged Claire Danes while the Cardigans play in the background ...there is more talk of the Winter Games' return to the Basin. To that we say: ugh.
Oh, and PS — why not start small Tahoe? See if we can maybe hold onto an XTERRA or a Dew Tour stop. How 'bout bringing 35,000 people out to a World Cup freestyle event like Deer Valley did the second weekend in January? In other words, you've got to hit for average in the minors before you get called up to the Bigs.
Let's start with the punchline:
The Winter Olympics in the Tahoe Basin is never going to happen.
Not in 2018. Not in 2022. Not ever. To repeat: The chances of a five-ring circus and the re-birth of Tahoe as an Olympic destination are zero. Nada. None. Nilch. Why?! Three reasons:
1) Money — there is none. Unless Steve Wynn, David Duffield, Spock, Mike Love and Larry Ellison want to collectively cut a check for $6 billion, there is no money in California/Nevada's coffers (combined the states currently have a almost a $25 billion deficit) to host a games here.
The rationale that the money (effort-leader Nevada Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki estimates games here would cost the region $1.5 billion — way low) would be recouped through licensing, ticket sales and TV agreements is unfounded (everyone's heard NBC's projected to be $200 mil. in the hole or one-eighth of Conan's platinum parachute on the '10 games).
No Olympics (not even '08's hugely successful Bejing games) has recovered more than 1/10th of its upfront costs through pre-sale of licensing and TV rights.
2) Venue(s) — there aren't any. The winter games may have grown in stature but the mountains around the basin have not. Where would you hold a Super-G? (You need about 3,270m with a gradient of 31). Would it be an off-piste Super G on Mt. Tallac?
How bout the arenas? No, Mackay Stadium is NOT a good place to hold a winter games... Downtown Reno? Really?! — good place for ribs and Costco runs, bad place for the luge.
The ice rinks? The housing element? The training facility? The bobsled run? The ski jump? The Nordic facility?
What kind of transit system is in place to schlep a half-million people around the basin expeditiously over a two-week period? A two-laner up Mt. Rose? A stretch of 80 in constant disrepair?
Where are the trains? The buses? The light rail? The ferries?
Reno/Tahoe International would have to build (ready) two new wings and eight new runways to be (ready) half the size of SLT/Vancouver airport capacity. And, unless the lake drains itself, there is nary a central locale with which to create an Olympic Village; and no, the Nugget/downtown Sparks is not the answer. Here's what SLC built to get its games in '02:
• The Utah Olympic Oval (Kearns)
• Five ice sheets (Provo, Ogden, Logan, and two in Salt Lake City)
• Soldier Hollow (about a half hour from Park City)
• The Utah Olympic Park
Construction of these ran up a tab for US taxpayers of about $1.3 billion. Adjust that for inflation 20 years later and you're looking at just under $4 billion. $4 billion in taxpayer money to build brand-new winter game venues with used-once venues (plus the US Center for Excellence for winter athletes) only 6 hours away by car?!
3) SLC and Vancouver ... not to mention other existing in-tact venues: After the SLC games were deemed a fiscal win for Utah, officials immediately threw their names in the hat for a second go-around. After all, the reputation, infrastructure and legislative support is already in place.
Unfortunately for Utah part deux, SLC had to get in line behind Vancouver. The IOC has since acknowledged hosting the Olympics (especially winter games — traditionally a smaller draw) is such a tremendous fiscal (and physical) undertaking that the goal is to winnow down the number of qualifying cities two three or four.
A Lake Placid redux is also on the IOC short list — as is Torino, Lillehammer, Nagano and Innsbruck. An argument could be made that erstwhile host Squaw could be up there if nostalgia was the only criteria. But literally none of the Olympic venues this side of the torch exist in Olympic Valley.
The only man with the political clout and background to get it done in the West (Romney) already has weathered the scandal storm for Utah (payouts to the IOC which originally soured the committees' relationship with the US).
To watch Krolicki grandstanding (again) about how the Basin is Olympic-worthy is almost as frightening as his pseudo-stalkerish 'blog' about Sarah Palin during the '08 GOP convention — but that's a different story.
He might as well be saying he's found a cure for cancer, only he needs more money, more time to research before he announces what it is.
Back in 2008, we said Tahoe getting an Olympic 'bid' (our direct quote: 'by late-2009 — Tahoe won't even have filled out the necessary paperwork — guaranteed' hardy har) wasn't going to happen, but the notion was seemingly harmless.
To be sure though, there is money involved. The Reno/Tahoe 'bid' is a virulent campaign to shift the spotlight away from the real issues faced by the state and region on the back of nostalgia from Squaw's 1960 games. The '05 Nevada Legislature apportioned $125,000 a year to bring the Olympics here. That's a half million dollars (and counting) for something that just isn't gonna happen.
First Friday at Brickelltown is back... just in time for fall
9/02/10, 8:18 am, By Alanna Hughes
- 4 p.m. Friday in Brickelltown
- Bring your cruiser bike (cheaper/better peeps than Burning Man)
Ski Porn season kicks off at Squaw Sept. 18 with Standard premiere
8/31/10, 9:22 pm, By S. Cowley
- North Shore-based snowboard heavies preimere 'The Storming' Saturday, Sept. 18
- Monster'll be there too...
Sorry Burning Man - it's all about the Ski Loft Tent Sale
8/30/10, 7:52 pm, Staff Report
- 8 a.m. Friday
- Bring all your pennies... (what's left of 'em)
Bonktown - Ticker 290x90
- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Basin Bargain Basement - The bargain of bargains
8/29/10, 8:59 pm, By A. Pridgen
- $105k for starter condo in KB
- Yes, we toured a similar unit in '06 for more than $300k ...actually, maybe it WAS this unit
Bomber pre-season ski sales from local manufacturers
8/25/10, 7:50 am, Staff Report
- From Praxis Powderboards to Moment Rubys ...to a surprise entry
- It's time to buy local... buy new
Skiing is no more
8/22/10, 11:47 am, Staff Report
- RIP Skiing Magazine
- ...Are you next, SKI?
Date set for 7th annual Downtown Truckee Wine Walk And Shop
8/22/10, 9:25 am, Switchback PR
- Filling up that fall calendar yet?!
- Well, here's where to start
Bonktown - Ticker 290x90
- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Squaw to host SATELite Festival in September
8/22/10, 7:28 am, By A. Richmond
- New outdoor(ish) event pronounced 'satellite' ...not 'Sate-lite' like we orig. thought
- ...Not 100 percent sure what it is — but ncludes wine, so we'll be there
Tahoe Mountain Sports gets you warm for Ski Loft tent sale
8/20/10, 6:44 pm, By Lis Korb
- First come tent sales... then ski porn premiers
- Then (gulp) snow... are you ready?!
Legendary Incline bear featured in WSJ
8/18/10, 8:31 pm, Staff Report
- Free BUBBA
- That's right - It's our fault... not the bear's... but is that what the Journal thinks?!
Trail Building Backcountry Camps
8/17/10, 8:49 pm, TRTA
- Get on those trails
- ...and get your build on Saturday and Sunday (and again Labor Day weekend)
Bonktown - Ticker 290x90
- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Win an iPad from IVGID
8/15/10, 7:03 pm, Staff Report
- Golf, ski, beach, compute
- repeat
Squaw creates new top marketing position... sale rumors spark again
8/10/10, 8:18 pm, Staff Report
- Wait, Squaw CREATED a position...
- Ok, something's definitely going down... (25-year industry vet Scott Clarkson tapped as VP of Marketing and Sales)
Jim's trip ...halfway... round The Rim
8/07/10, 1:16 pm, By. A. Pridgen
- Hammerel raises triple his goal amt. to benefit the TRT
- ...and tears up his knee
Volunteer trail-building workdays with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association
8/05/10, 7:45 am, TRTA
- You heard about Jim Hammerel's mission to speed-traverse the TRT
- Now you can pitch in too
Bonktown - Ticker 290x90
- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Goodbye Norm
8/03/10, 8:08 pm, By A. Pridgen
- The Godfather of Incline, Norm Rosenberg, passes - he was 92
- Incline's left-leaning champion leaves legacy ...starting with the library
Test drive a Tesla... before it's too late
8/01/10, 9:30 pm, By A. Pridgen
- Tesla, the Palo Alto-based electric car company has gone through more than $300 million VC $
- ...but still hasn't tapped into Uncle Sam's reserves for the Model S - go check it out at the Hyatt
Sugar Bowl dining room and Belt Room Bar open for business
7/30/10, 10:22 am, By John Monson
- Good grub, great views
- And nothing beats Belt Room post PCT
Ultimate Frisbee - ultimate course
7/27/10, 8:56 pm, By A. Richmond
- Squaw opens disc golf course
- Signature hole (no. 4) has 1080' downhill... wow
Bonktown - Ticker 290x90
- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Squaw's MTB park open for first time since '03
7/23/10, 7:22 pm, By Amelia Richmond
- 2k feet of single-track
- 'K, we're in
Remembering Kenny Guinn
7/22/10, 10:08 pm, Staff Report
- The man who created the Milennium Scholarship and SNPLMA passed away Thursday
- Guinn, who oversaw Nevada during its most prosperous years, was 73
Lokal boy makes good - former PlumpJack star Edge shines in Sonoma
7/20/10, 6:23 pm, By A. Pridgen
- Rick Edge takes saucy edge down to downtown Sonoma
- Lokal is the (new) place to be and PlumpJack alum makes it so
Tahoe skier visits were estimated to be up 17 percent last winter
7/19/10, 8:40 am, Staff Report
- Numbers of skiers on the hill increased - but overall spending stayed modest
- Cheap passes the plan again for 2010-'11
Bonktown - Ticker 290x90
- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Cushing steps down from Squaw post ...rumors of sale sparked
7/13/10, 6:06 pm, Staff Report
- Former Intrawest exec takes over
- ...Rumor mill turning overtime: is Cushing family getting ready to bounce?
TRPA's Asian clam bake
7/11/10, 9:19 pm, By Jeff Cowen
- $1.4 million effort to eradicate invasive species from the lake...
- And it involves (no joke) laying a rubber mat on the lake's floor... hi-tech
Kids' zip line at Squaw ...Boo ya
7/08/10, 5:12 pm, By A. Richmond
- KT zip line
- What about for the grown-ups?!
Just like that ...red flags are up
7/06/10, 6:22 pm, Staff Report
- Three-year anniversary of Angora looms ever-present
- Thunderstorms Wednesday/Thursday portend danger
Bonktown - Ticker 290x90
- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Nevada County approves PR firm's contract the same week it OKs budget cuts
6/30/10, 9:19 pm, Staff Report
- Wait a minute - you're saying Tahoe will spend more than a million dollars this year on, sloganeering...
- Meantime, budget cuts include child care, welfare-to-work and MediCal programs ...nice
Truckee's Lautner drops a PCT hiking book
6/28/10, 8:55 pm, Staff Report
- 32 eco-friendly trips on the Sierra stretch of the PCT ...with GPS coordinates
- Two thumbs up - pick it up...
Lake Tahoe Based Russian-American Partnership turns 20
6/24/10, 11:27 am, By TBI
- Tahoe-Baikal Institute celebrates two decades of watershed protection and cultural exchange
- Political and economic ups and downs notwithstanding
Tour de Nez photo gallery
6/22/10, 8:20 pm
- The weekend that was from Reno to Northstar
- And lots of Nash
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- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Rebuild the Rim Trail every summer Saturday
6/11/10, 9:07 pm, TRTA
- Start summer right by giving your most precious gift
- ...Your time
TRPA tries to clarify
6/01/10, 8:30 pm, By Dennis Oliver
- So, what, if anything, does this have to do with Boulder Bay?!
- ...More importantly how 'bout that casino (strip club?) corridor...
Opinion ...TRPA ensures Tahoe times they area a-changin'
5/22/10, 8:35 pm, By Ann Nichols
- Density to increase under proposed TRPA regional plan
- But, will they build it (or will they come?)
TAUs on the table from TRPA
5/14/10, 10:08 pm, Staff Report
- If you don't understand the headline
- ...Go the the May 26 meeting and you'll see puh-lenty
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- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Cal Neva now in TRPA doghouse
5/09/10, 6:49 pm, Staff Report
- TRPA will handle foreclosed property with kid gloves over more than a decade of flunking its eco report card
- Time to blow everything up but the casino floor, Sinatra Showroom, the lakefront cabins and the Indian Room
Celebrate National Trails Day with the Tahoe Rim Trail
5/06/10, 5:33 pm, TRTA
- Build a trail
- ...Get a free lunch
Save Martis Valley - one click at a time
5/04/10, 7:13 pm, By Renee Deinken
- Well, it's not like Martis Valley is in any danger of getting developed by broke-ass East/West
- ...But still good to preserve; Check out the new site
LTVA spends almost a mil. on slogan ending in preposition
5/02/10, 8:21 pm, By A. Pridgen
- That's right, your new slogan to lure Affliction-wearing d-bags to Stateline's new strip club
- ...'Get your vacation on' (ohh noo). Inside: Our five (free) slogan suggestions ...Holla
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- Bonktown Roadie Gear
Cost of doing nothing too high for Tahoe
4/29/10, 8:22 pm, By Joanne Marchetta
- If you can make it through TRPA director's tome...
- We'll have resident feedback for you Friday
No downhill slide for Diamond Peak
4/09/10, 7:00 am, Staff Report
- While others founder
- ...DP in the black and breaking ground on new $4 million admin/ticket/locker/child ski center building
Foreclosed Cal Neva casino goes dark ...for good
3/24/10, 10:32 pm, By A. Pridgen
- One year after 'no-sale' at a foreclosure auction and interim management team shuts down Nevada's most legendary casino
- ...Sad, sad day... Casino doors to shut March 31 - rest of Basin gaming on life support
And yes ...the KB roundabouts were originally scheduled to be complete this summer
1/27/10, 9:35 pm, Staff Report
- Tahoe Regional Planning Agency board votes unanimously (again) to approve three-lane/roundabouts in KB
- ...Yes, you've heard that (here) before
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