Outdoors

Squaw looking white on Tuesday.

12/16/09, 9:36 am, By David Bunker

The Winter of our Discontent?

By David Bunker -

In between serving me up two handrolls and a couple Budweisers, the bartender at Mamasake in Squaw Valley started wavering between optimism and reality.

Tuesday was a day for optimism. Bitter cold, bits of blower pow left over, lap after lap on Red Dog.

Weather forecasters are calling for two, maybe three more storms in the next week or so. Squaw Valley and the rest of Tahoe resorts looked primed for a healthy stampede of tourists this holiday season. EL NINO. And, for Squaw, ridiculously low pass prices that are sure to pump skiers into the village restaurants.

But optimism, by definition, is a delicate attitude based more on the promises of the future rather than the realities of the present.

And, on Tuesday, while optimism prevailed at least as long as the remaining soft stashes of snow off of Red Dog, reality did not simply vanish.

Reality for the Mamasake bartender is working five jobs nearly around the clock to try to keep up with his mounting mortgage.

Reality is wondering when his house is going to regain the value it had at the time of purchase.

Reality is slogging through the tail end of a sluggish shoulder season while hoping for a big winter.

Perhaps never since Squaw Valley was staring at hosting the 1960 Olympics on an imaginary snow base has so much been riding on a single season of winter weather.

A look around local communities at the businesses that have already closed up shop tells you that even more are hanging in the balance, hoping a few El Nino blizzards will turn things around.

The implosion of the real estate market and the construction business has left even more people financially dependent on snow, and it's a gut-wrenching position to be in — where the hopes of individuals, businesses and an entire regional economy rest heavily on something as fickle as Pacific low pressure.

The roulette wheel of winter storms is spinning, and like deadbeat gamblers we go all in, watch the ball drop and bounce, and hold our breath.

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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)

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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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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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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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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