Previous Trip Detail

Reno - Lake Tahoe

Saturday, February 20 to Saturday, February 27, 2010

The Highlights:

• Miles of great ski runs at 4 different Tahoe area resorts
• Celebrated the engagement of Ben and Allyson!
• Won (and lost) and had a great time on the Casino floor
• Took on the adventure of the numerous restaurants available, including a few outstanding buffets
• Enjoyed the stories of thrills and spills; a ‘cliff adventure’, a close encounter with a monster tree, and the perils of Sierra Cement

27 Skiers and boarders (and one snowshoeing non-skier), enjoyed our trip to Reno and North Lake Tahoe.  We had folks from a number of regional ski groups, and a couple of snow-lovers from Florida.  Many of our travelers had years of skiing and boarding experience, along with a few beginners.  We boarded and skied 5 days at 4 outstanding Lake Tahoe area resorts: Squaw Valley (2 days), Northstar at Tahoe, Alpine Meadows and Mount Rose.  Accommodations were very comfortable with double-occupancy rooms in the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno.  Shopping and restaurant choices were convenient and great; a good mix to match your mood, with the opportunity to try something new.  Local night life was fantastic, with a varied selection of lounges, drinks, and atmosphere.  And we all enjoyed the indoor thunderstorm in the casino!

Saturday, February 20:  We arrived in Reno, welcomed to the city on the tail end of an unusually large snow storm.  A few of us explored a little before settling in.

Sunday, February 21: After a bit of a long adventure with the ski bus, we arrived at Squaw Valley.  We experienced mountain weather which was challenging with flat light and visibility poor at times.  Squaw’s tram and cable car brings you to the middle of the mountains and the upper lifts.  Each has a 2000 foot vertical rise, and large lodge, skating rink, pool and other amenities, a nice facility from the Olympics. We enjoyed a nice mix of runs, allowing all skill levels to enjoy the mountain. 

Sunday evening, the Silver Legacy hosted a Welcome Reception on in their tropically-themed “Rum Bullions Island Bar”, with drinks and excellent appetizers.  Candi, our Silver Legacy representative made everyone feel quite welcome.

Monday, February 22:  This was our day at Northstar at Tahoe and the boarding and skiing was great!  Good weather, good snow, and moderate temperatures with clear skies.  We even broke out the sunscreen!  We made friends with the owner of an Irish Pub in Spokane, WA; he joined us for a couple days skiing and we have an open invitation to come out to Spokane for a drink. 

Our snow shoeing member got one of her workouts there at Northstar, which has trails specifically for snowshoeing.  There were many great picture opportunities, including the top of the Comstock lift with a view of Lake Tahoe in the distance.  Many of us enjoyed a drink at the base, with our feet propped up on the outdoor fireplaces.  Northstar’s slopes were great fun; snow was good and this resort was the favorite of many on the trip, some returning on the Wednesday day off to take in some more of that mountain.

Tuesday, February 23:  Mt. Rose. We had a tough weather day, the snow was good but the winds were gusting hard at the top of the lifts.  Mt. Rose is a local favorite for skiing and boarding, it was enjoyable; but the incoming storm just made it a tough day.

Tuesday night:  The hot tub was not going to accommodate the whole group at once, so we opted for an Après ski  happy hour at an upscale lounge in the casino.  Later was Karaoke Nite at Rum Bullions and Juree Hit Us With Her Best Shot—she made us proud in that raucous, crowded, noisy bar, holding her own in full-contact-no-holds-barred Karaoke.  Then many of us went on to some gambling fun.  Of course, some gambling was going on every night, whether it was Texas Hold’em, or Blackjack or Poker or Roulette, or the other games and slots.  A few of us tried our hand at the Texas Hold’em tournament and few others turned into pumpkins at the Blackjack table.  Andy seems to be the Hold’em ironman; he was still at the table when the others stumbled off to bed at 4:30AM!

Wednesday, February 24:  A day for other adventures, including sightseeing, shopping, and relaxing.  And Ben proposed to Allyson at the Harrah’s Car museum, in front of a John Wayne 53 Vette and Porsche speedster!  Both are car nuts so this seemed most appropriate.  Ben debated; he was going to pop the question on the mountain, but Harrah’s was more relaxed without the fumbling for the ring and all that in the snow. 
A few of us enjoyed other adventures, with some snowmobiling and an extra boarding or ski day at Heavenly or Northstar.

Thursday, February 25:  Our second day at Squaw Valley was much better, with blue skies, and a tremendous view of Lake Tahoe.  It was happy snow for everyone with advanced skiers/boarders doing the Headwall, Chicken bowl, and Siberia Bowl.  And our beginner was now making nice turns, encouraged by her “fan(s)” and helped by Corrine’s patient guidance.  Thanks, Corrine!  You’ve converted another!

Thursday night we again got together for Après ski happy hour.  A couple of us took the suggestion to try the Eldorado Casino’s night club- Roxy’s (indoor walks connect the Legacy to two other casino’s).  At Roxy’s a talented pair of gentlemen entertained, one playing piano and the other playing sax.  They covered Old Standards, Jazz, Pop, Motown and other favorites (rumor was the sax player had played with major Motown group).  The music was mellow with a beat, making it way easy to stay way late.

Friday, February 26:  Alpine Meadows was the biggest weather challenge of the trip.  Before noon, the upper lifts were closed because of winds gusting to 100 MPH.  After a while the bulk of group was gathered in the lodge, enjoying drinks all around, and the consensus was to go home early.

Friday night we all celebrated our great week.  A few us returned to Roxy’s - our DSBC dance enthusiasts on the trip heard about the music and wanted to experience the fun.  It was good music, with dancing and, once again, it was way too easy to stay there way late.

Over the course of the week we all enjoyed time with friends (old and new), exploring new food, learning new casino games, and sharing the perilous stories from the mountain. 

Darlene had an encounter with a ledge, uh, cliff; which she laughingly admits gets larger with each telling!  Our new skier, Allyson, took a bad spill, but seems to have recovered nicely to tackle the mountain once again.  Caitlin attacked the mountain with her knee and impressed us all with the resulting goose-egg and her great attitude – hope the knee is behaving for you now!  Curt had an encounter with a monster tree – hope your back and knee are feeling better!  Juree thought she tweaked her knee on day one and continued to snowboard; turns out she tore her ACL.  A little surgery and all will be well once again. 

Vicki and Juree introduced Tina to her first sushi adventure – we all walked away very satisfied!  Lovell, Rick, Andy, Curt (and others) spent some quality time on the casino floor enjoying the table and card games; including a tournament or two, with lots of laughter, luck and smiles.

Saturday, February 27: Return to Ohio-- Everyone leaving that morning was on time and ready for the shuttle to the airport, helping each other out and making our departure easy.

Thanks to everyone!  We sincerely appreciate all who were on this trip; great folks, great attitudes, and quite enjoyable in many ways!  And we have the pictures to prove it!

Respectfully Submitted,
Merritt Wichner
Juree James