Northstar-at-Tahoe

How Are You Ringing In The New Year?

Our annual Fire and Ice New Year’s Eve Party will be kicking off today around 2pm and will continue until 2010!  Over 14 inches has fallen on The Summit the last few days and more is in the forecast through Friday night.  We’ve seen the snow fall in 2 to 4 inches increments; making for a nice layer of dust on top of that well manicured corduroy, immaculate ski conditions!  Come on out this morning and get your legs burning and heart pumping before the night of indulgence comes your way.  I understand if you are not able to take some turns because of party planning, cleaning house for guests, or just getting ready to kick off the New Year right!  The best way to get rid of that hangover (if that is your thing) is a day of skiing and riding at Northstar Resort.  Season Pass restrictions lift tomorrow! You can’t go wrong celebrating the New Year here at Northstar® Resort! 

 
 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday Season and hopefully I see you on the hill the next couple of days!

Have A Great New Year!

Chris

I Love This Stuff!!!

Since I got here at 5am this morning it has been snowing, free refills all day!  The holidays are here, we have all kinds of events and activities in The Village and all the way up the hill.  I checked out the live music yesterday provided by the, “Truckee Band,” it was a kick up the feet, warm the hands on the fire place, and just enjoy the music kind of a scene.  We have live music in The Village every weekend, weather and conditions permitting of course.

 

I recommend checking out the 10 tips for enjoying the Holiday Season; it is a good outline for planning your day at Northstar® Resort.  My personal suggestion when heading back to The Village at Northstar is to take The Woods down to the base of The Big Springs Gondola, there is rarely heavy skier traffic and it is a fun trail.  From there, get those boots out of your bindings, drop off your board at the Free Overnight Ski and Board Storage, and grab a drink from the new bar, and warm up by the fireplaces.  I hope you get a chance to enjoy some fine Holiday Skiing!

Happy Holidays!

Chris 

Prisitine Holiday Skiing!

A plethora of terrain, smiles all around, and pristine snow conditions make for a great day at Northstar® Resort.  We are expecting a nice dusting of snow later this afternoon, with 1 to 3 inches expected to dust the crust.  After that, scattered snow showers are in the forecast for the entire week!  We are not expecting to see as much accumulation as the earlier storm this month, but just enough to keep the snow exceptionally good.  I’m talking soft lines of groomers as far as the eye can see, and waking up to a nice coat of that wonderful white stuff all week!  Get ready for the cool air to follow the storm, with the high temperatures reaching only the 20’s and 30’s.  Jacket worthy days! 

 
 

Have you been to our annual Fire and Ice New Year’s Eve Party?  If you up here for the holidays or looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve, then come up to The Village at Northstar and celebrate the New Year with us.  The schedule of events kicks off at 2pm and the fun doesn’t stop until after midnight!  You got to check out the fire dancers, live music all day, and all the festivities.  If you looking for something to do the next few days, we are hosting the first Moonlight Snowshoe Tour on December 28th and 29th.  You need to make reservations in advance; these tours are very popular and tend to sell out quick.  It really is fun for the whole family with sled rentals for kids, even your four legged friend can come on a leash. 

I’ll keep you updated on the storm activity; hopefully this one keeps on building precipitation and delivers to a good helping of snow to the North Shore.

Happy Holidays!

Chris

Spread The Holiday Cheer!!

I can’t say it enough; the conditions are maintaining near-perfect consistency!  The snow is staying plenty fast and very carveable, great for all ability levels.  Come join us today in The Village at Northstar for some Holiday Festivities, Santa will be at Mine from 12:00 to 2:30, in case your Christmas wishes need to be heard.  This is the time of year to remember we have 3 ways to access Mid-Mountain including; Big Springs Gondola, Village Express, and the Highlands Gondola.

We opened a new tuning location at Mid-Mountain this year, specializing in hot wax and Iron waxing.  Drop off your board or skis, grab some lunch, and head back over to the Demo Yurt for your freshly waxed gear.  The Terrain Park Crew has been making snow day and night on Pipeline, they are really working hard to get the Superpipe open.  We don’t have a specified date for the Superpipe, but with Mother Nature’s help, the 20 plus foot walls could be carveable here soon.  I’ll let you know as soon as I hear the good word!

Have you been to Thank God It’s Thursday in The Village at Northstar?  There are dining and drink specials, along with ice skating, live music and more.  Check back, I’m heading up the hill, hopefully you are already there!

Talk to you soon,

Chris

Groomers, Bumps, Or Terrain Parks?

We are fully open, offering something for everyone!  The mountain is in pristine shape!  We have skiing and riding for all ability levels, and tons of activities for the whole family from The Village at Northstar all the way to The Summit.  The snow is staying consistent all around, making for some really great skiing.  Forecasts are calling for another storm to head in Monday and linger through Tuesday; unfortunately this one is not going to be as big as the last.  Although, another foot on top of our 40 plus inch base will make the tree skiing and riding very inviting!  If you are coming up during the holidays, there are 3 ways to get to Mid-Mountain including; The Big Springs Gondola, Highlands Gondola, and Village Express.  If you already have your tickets or Season Passes, I recommend taking Highlands Gondola or Village Express.  Also if you are skiing into The Village, check out the drink specials next to the Overnight Ski and Board Storage.  You can get yourself a sixteen ounce beer for a measly $3.  A killer deal!

The 3rd annual Snowshoe Social and Race Series just kicked off up at the Cross Country Center.  The event really looks like a ton of fun, especially if you are into snowshoeing and beautiful mountain views.  If you are reading this and trying to decide whether a Season Pass is right for you, then come on up and purchase a lift ticket.  You can turn in your lift ticket at the end of the day for credit towards your season pass, kind of one of those “try before you buy,” deals.  Holiday Festivities kicks off today as well; there will be live music, guest appearances from Santa, shopping deals, and more.  I took one lap through The Stash and Pinball this morning with Leah; we caught a little video of me testing a few features.  I hope you get a chance to check out the great snow conditions! 

 

Sunny Skies and Cool Days....

Sunblock worthy days are forecasted through the weekend!  A good wax, a nose chalked full of block, and lots of those unstoppable smiles is all you really need to have yourself one of those, “Good Days,” here at Northstar® Resort.  The high and low temperatures are staying relatively optimal for great snow consistency all round.  This last snowfall was such a blessing, especially for the Terrain Park Crew, allowing them to work night and day to get a full run down Pinball!  And yes, it is a sweet park line!  They have also started building on Moonshine; you can expect their efforts to be relentless until all is open.  We have so much to offer here, all ability levels can easily find something to suit their needs.  Not to mention everything happening in The Village at Northstar, like our final Noel Night, starting around 5pm tonight.  If you want free skate rentals, just bring a can of food or multiple cans of food to donate.  This tradition really does get everyone in the Holiday Spirit, and in general is a great atmosphere for all!

 

I got some footage today; just not enough to get a video together yet, check back tomorrow for updates.

Thanks,

Chris

Is This For Real????

Over 45 inches fell on Northstar within the past few days and it is still dropping that wonderful whiteness everywhere!  Our season snowfall total has now breached the 100” mark and it is only Mid-December.  I love this stuff!  Tomorrow will be, “the blue bird day of the year,” so far of course.  You can expect the entire mountain scene to be one of those picture perfect days!  You got to head over to Lookout Mountain and check out the Sugar Pine Glade, it was too much fun today!  They weren’t able to get the far side of Lookout open today, but tomorrow will most likely be a whole different story.  There should be plenty of freshies over that way, if you dip into the trees over there, remember it is expert tree skiing. 

We are expecting another weather system to arrive Tuesday and Wednesday; I really hope it never stops!  Tomorrow is the day for your, “get out of work excuse,” ah heck, just see if the boss will come rip some turns with you.

Talk to you soon,

Chris

2,3, Maybe 4 Feet

15” of freshies is what we woke up to here at Northstar this morning, and this is merely the beginning!  The biggest part of this system is going to really hit us later this afternoon with accumulation totals potentially reaching 3 to 4 feet by tomorrow, and then lingering storm activity through the week.  Aaahhh, what a wonderful start to this season!

This storm is warmer than the storm we saw last week blanket the region, it is carrying more precipitation, so you can expect some heavier powder.  We will have an incredible base by tomorrow if everything pans out, you’ll find me in some of the gladed tree areas of Lookout Mountain.  Did I say Lookout?  Yep, Lookout Mountain officially opened today, and it is only December 12, 2009!  Have you checked out our Interactive Trail Map?  You can upload your Northstar videos to the map and share them with anyone who has access to the internet.  This is a really cool feature; I uploaded some first person videos last season you can check out.  I really want to see your video! 

Right now we have 14 lifts turning and 48 trails open, with more opening throughout the day!  Stay up to date with the trail and lift status.  I hope your reading this on your phone while strapping on those boots and getting ready to take first tracks on Lookout!  If work or something else is keeping you from heading up this way today, you still can get your freshies tomorrow and the next day.  I need to head up for some fresh turns, I’ll let you know how it is out there.

Talk to you soon,

Chris

A Dark Cloud Moves Into Tahoe!!!!!

Some are saying snow, some are saying no.  You can expect to start seeing the snow fly tomorrow, and then the biggest punch of precipitation should make its way into our region late Friday night through Saturday.  In all, we will be experiencing significant snowfall Friday and Saturday.  This one could easily be the biggest early season storm we have seen in a long long time!  Predictions are still vague in regards to accumulation totals throughout next week.   We are definitely going to see one very white Christmas here at Northstar; hopefully you are planning on coming out tonight to join us for Noel Nights.  I always recommend checking out the Road Conditions, if you are skeptical the reports are not up to the minute, a good backup is the California Highway Cams.

I included some video of the new Highlands Gondola along with a slide show of pictures from the last storm.  The Ritz Carlton is nothing short of amazing!  You got to check it out for yourself.  If this next system hits us like it is supposed to, I would be confident to say the entire mountain will be open by Christmas!  Don’t forget about our Learn more on the North Shore this weekend, $25 will get you a 2 and ½ hour less, rental equipment, and a lift ticket for beginner terrain.  We already have 59 inches of snow and it is only December 10, 2009!  How much are we going to get this season?

Hope You Get Some Powder Turns!

Chris

Early Blue Bird Powder Days!

Over 3 feet of fresh, light powder fell on Northstar from the last storm and another weather system is hot on its heels.  The snow conditions and mountain itself was nothing short of, “Magical” yesterday.  Today is supposed to be another clear and sunny blue bird powder day, then increasing clouds will form and the snow will be flying again.  You can expect the heaviest precipitation this weekend!  The storm originally was projected to be warmer than now forecasted, which means the snow totals will rise as the temperature drops.  We could potentially be riding the trees at Lookout Mountain here very soon, I’m talking before Christmas! 

 

Do you believe the winter forecasting by the Farmer’s Almanac?  I am expecting to see record breaking snowfall this season; I know some of you are with me, especially looking at your season snowfall guesses.  What is your guess?  The Ritz Carlton just opened today and our new lift the Highlands Gondola is turning as well!  What and where is the Highlands Gondola?  If you are a Northstar Patron then you probably know about our ski to your car run called, “Homerun.”  Heres you tip; start your day early by parking in Lot B or as close as you can get to the Highlands Gondola.  Make sure you have your Season Pass or pre-printed tickets ready; from there you have a short walk to start your day.  And yes, you can ski right back down to your car when you’re finished.  I strongly recommend getting there as early as possible, because you won’t be the only one trying to get that prime parking spot.

I’m going to head on up the hill; I’ll have some more scenic view for you here by the end of the day.

Hope you get in a few turns,

Chris

Ready, Set, Go........

Tap you feet, shake it to the beat, here comes a powder streak!  Bone chilling temperatures have made their way in the Tahoe Region, followed by a weather system expected to drop multiple feet of snow by Friday!  You’ll notice the skies becoming increasingly cloudy today, and then like a knockout punch, snow will start falling rapidly  this afternoon and through tomorrow.  You can anticipate 2 to 3 feet by Monday night, with another storm right on it’s heals expected to show it’s face on Wednesday.  Check out the weather conditions for the latest and most up to date information.

 

 

Today was our opening day last season with only 3 lifts turning 4 trails, check out the difference in Mother Nature’s attitude so far this year.  A world of difference!  As of right now, we are open "top to bottom and front to back," with 10 lifts turning and 15 trails.  On top of that, the Terrain Park is already at Base Camp(which is Pinball), and the trail coverage between this season and last is like, “Night and Day!”  If this weather rolls in like predicted, I foresee Lookout Mountain opening very soon.  I’ve worked here for 6 years and have not seen Lookout open before Christmas, this season I would bet we are skiing over there by December 20^th, maybe earlier. 

What are your season snowfall total predictions?  I guessed 470 inches, our annual average is only 350 inches.  Last season we reached the 401 mark.  I plan on giving a lift ticket for next season to the person who guesses the closest on closing day.  What is your prediction?

Freshies Are Near!

Chris