Andy Mink
Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
Moderator
SkiTalk Tester
SkiTalk Supporter
Finally! After driving by Sky Tavern for the last 37 years I finally had the opportunity to pop on the skis and take some runs. Usually Sky Tavern is only open to kids and their volunteers but today was a "donation" day. $20 got you on the lift.
Started in 1948 and located just below Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe on State Route 431/Mt. Rose Highway, Sky Tavern has been a mainstay in the Reno/Tahoe area for over 70 years. Over 100,000 kids have taken part in the instruction provided by volunteers during those years. Once a part of the City of Reno, Sky Tavern has been a 501(c)(3) since 1991 with volunteers operating and maintaining the facility year-round under a lease agreement with Reno. Both my wife and oldest son learned to ski at Sky Tavern, though not at the same time. That would just be weird. Along with thousands of kids over the years names such as Tamara McKinney and David Wise got their start at Sky Tavern. For the whole history please see the Sky Tavern history webpage. For general information go here.
Things I learned today: The volunteers at Sky Tavern do a phenomenal job teaching, maintaining, patrolling, cooking, cleaning, operating equipment, and just running a damn fine program.
Also, the tech shirts from the Big Sky gathering don't care if the snow is sticky under your skis. When you find yourself on your back the shirt just goes and goes while picking up speed. Do get your feet around to slow your slide. The corollary to this is beware snow snakes on easy groomers!
The ticket, while not gold, did get me in to some nice runs.
The lodge is nicely appointed with a cafeteria staffed by volunteers, a big lounge room with fireplace, adaptive ski area, tuning area (it smells like wax when you walk in), a nice deck, and a team room.
The fireplace in the room with a view.
The team room. At least that's what I'm guessing it is.
The rudimentary trail map. There is an Olsen Lift, as noted, but the tape came off where it goes. There is actually quite a bit on the backside of the hill that isn't visible from Mt. Rose Highway. The volunteer patrollers I spoke with said there are some pretty good black diamond chutes and trees.
Every year Sky Tavern has a big ski sale/swap meet. This is where the skis that are just too old or don't sell go.
The panorama from the deck.
Heading up the lift. The snow *looked* good but it didn't *sound* good as some of the kids were scratching their way down through the trees.
Breaking out of the trees gives a good look at one of the face runs and a bit of nicely groomed track.
The main run off the lift was super nice today. Soft without being mushy.
From the top you get a good view of the Chutes at Mt. Rose.
Nice, soft, sun cooked snow.
A little bit groomed, a little bit not. This is the other main lift that wasn't running today.
It's not a huge pitch but it does have a nice slope to it. The whole area was larger than I thought and had some pretty good steeper terrain, although it's not a huge vertical.
One last look at the lift with the Chutes of Mt. Rose peeking out from behind.
Started in 1948 and located just below Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe on State Route 431/Mt. Rose Highway, Sky Tavern has been a mainstay in the Reno/Tahoe area for over 70 years. Over 100,000 kids have taken part in the instruction provided by volunteers during those years. Once a part of the City of Reno, Sky Tavern has been a 501(c)(3) since 1991 with volunteers operating and maintaining the facility year-round under a lease agreement with Reno. Both my wife and oldest son learned to ski at Sky Tavern, though not at the same time. That would just be weird. Along with thousands of kids over the years names such as Tamara McKinney and David Wise got their start at Sky Tavern. For the whole history please see the Sky Tavern history webpage. For general information go here.
Things I learned today: The volunteers at Sky Tavern do a phenomenal job teaching, maintaining, patrolling, cooking, cleaning, operating equipment, and just running a damn fine program.
Also, the tech shirts from the Big Sky gathering don't care if the snow is sticky under your skis. When you find yourself on your back the shirt just goes and goes while picking up speed. Do get your feet around to slow your slide. The corollary to this is beware snow snakes on easy groomers!
The ticket, while not gold, did get me in to some nice runs.
The lodge is nicely appointed with a cafeteria staffed by volunteers, a big lounge room with fireplace, adaptive ski area, tuning area (it smells like wax when you walk in), a nice deck, and a team room.
The fireplace in the room with a view.
The team room. At least that's what I'm guessing it is.
The rudimentary trail map. There is an Olsen Lift, as noted, but the tape came off where it goes. There is actually quite a bit on the backside of the hill that isn't visible from Mt. Rose Highway. The volunteer patrollers I spoke with said there are some pretty good black diamond chutes and trees.
Every year Sky Tavern has a big ski sale/swap meet. This is where the skis that are just too old or don't sell go.
The panorama from the deck.
Heading up the lift. The snow *looked* good but it didn't *sound* good as some of the kids were scratching their way down through the trees.
Breaking out of the trees gives a good look at one of the face runs and a bit of nicely groomed track.
The main run off the lift was super nice today. Soft without being mushy.
From the top you get a good view of the Chutes at Mt. Rose.
Nice, soft, sun cooked snow.
A little bit groomed, a little bit not. This is the other main lift that wasn't running today.
It's not a huge pitch but it does have a nice slope to it. The whole area was larger than I thought and had some pretty good steeper terrain, although it's not a huge vertical.
One last look at the lift with the Chutes of Mt. Rose peeking out from behind.
