Amie H
Angel Diva
My original plan was explained here. That was cancelled by the tour operator, so I re-booked myself. Through the magic of airline miles and casino-hotel comps, it ended up being less expensive than my original itinerary, and I had to take 1 less day off from work.
My hope was to ski Sun-Tues. That did not transpire because of a storm that rolled through. Thankfully in that pre-planning thread, @Pequenita and @mustski warned me that Sunday driving in the mountains would not be great conditions for safety and/or traffic.
I watched the storm roll in from the 21st floor of my hotel. It was very dramatic!
I was in a large resort complex, so I had plenty to do: shopping, casino, dining, VIP lounge (mimosas!!), workout room, etc.
Monday I drove to Mt Rose and the road wasn't the worst...looked fairly snow-covered on the way down, though.
Had a blast skiing with @mustski who showed me some of the new trails they have put in for this season as well as their new Lakeview Express chair. We also went to the top via Northwest Express chair. We stayed on the frontside; as some of you may know, after my accident a few years ago, I don't push my luck with challenging terrain anymore.
Here's some vid of us skiing the newly-opened terrain on in fantastic conditions: soft snow, warm sun, beautiful sky:
Took a lunch break with @mustski and her hubby, and she treated me to an awesome sour beer they had on tap! Great conversation, awesome refreshments, and then we parted ways. I continued skiing an hour+ before heading back to Reno and the comfort of the hotel hot tub (midweek in winter NO ONE is there, it's great!) Luckily the sun melted away most of the snow on the road. Had an awesome dinner at Anthony's Chophouse at Nugget Casino in Sparks. I then played a bit at Nugget and down the road at Western Village (alas - no jackpots!) then back to Silver Legacy to rest up for the next day's adventure.
Tuesday I headed to Homewood Mountain Resort on the western side of the lake. Paid parking - but I wasn't mad because it was so convenient. Lift ticket, with "dynamic pricing" was $145 online after tax. A bit high, but whatever, I was there.
Took the Madden (?) Triple chair up and for my first run, took Homeward Bound down to Ellis chair.
Ellis chair to a very scenic run on Rainbow Ridge, then tried out a few longer blue runs until settling in to a loop of blue/green trails (mostly Shortcut to Overlook) that I must have done like 10 times because I enjoyed them, and it felt really familiar.
Stopped midday for some wine and cheese that I stowed in my backpack. Then used a rather raunchy, ramshackle bathroom near the "Big Blue Bar" (an inflatable tent of a bar, with chairs outside facing the lake.) The bathrooms are located there, and at the main lodge and south lodge. As others have noted, not much in the way of facilities, but it was a great day of skiing uncrowded trails in great conditions.
Ended at the south parking lot and took the free shuttle back to my car, then drove back to Reno to pack and relax. My flights home were smooth and relaxing - actually the flight from Reno to Phoenix is so scenic, I was glad I had a window seat.
Because I have some real estate and family stuff I need to work on for the next month or so (selling a condo, preliminary wedding planning for my daughter, more dr. appointments for my mother-in-law) I'm not sure if I will have any time to take anymore destination ski trips. Hopefully I can squeeze in time to visit some south and central WI spots before Spring.
My hope was to ski Sun-Tues. That did not transpire because of a storm that rolled through. Thankfully in that pre-planning thread, @Pequenita and @mustski warned me that Sunday driving in the mountains would not be great conditions for safety and/or traffic.
I watched the storm roll in from the 21st floor of my hotel. It was very dramatic!
I was in a large resort complex, so I had plenty to do: shopping, casino, dining, VIP lounge (mimosas!!), workout room, etc.
Monday I drove to Mt Rose and the road wasn't the worst...looked fairly snow-covered on the way down, though.
Had a blast skiing with @mustski who showed me some of the new trails they have put in for this season as well as their new Lakeview Express chair. We also went to the top via Northwest Express chair. We stayed on the frontside; as some of you may know, after my accident a few years ago, I don't push my luck with challenging terrain anymore.
Here's some vid of us skiing the newly-opened terrain on in fantastic conditions: soft snow, warm sun, beautiful sky:
Took a lunch break with @mustski and her hubby, and she treated me to an awesome sour beer they had on tap! Great conversation, awesome refreshments, and then we parted ways. I continued skiing an hour+ before heading back to Reno and the comfort of the hotel hot tub (midweek in winter NO ONE is there, it's great!) Luckily the sun melted away most of the snow on the road. Had an awesome dinner at Anthony's Chophouse at Nugget Casino in Sparks. I then played a bit at Nugget and down the road at Western Village (alas - no jackpots!) then back to Silver Legacy to rest up for the next day's adventure.
Tuesday I headed to Homewood Mountain Resort on the western side of the lake. Paid parking - but I wasn't mad because it was so convenient. Lift ticket, with "dynamic pricing" was $145 online after tax. A bit high, but whatever, I was there.
Took the Madden (?) Triple chair up and for my first run, took Homeward Bound down to Ellis chair.
Ellis chair to a very scenic run on Rainbow Ridge, then tried out a few longer blue runs until settling in to a loop of blue/green trails (mostly Shortcut to Overlook) that I must have done like 10 times because I enjoyed them, and it felt really familiar.
Stopped midday for some wine and cheese that I stowed in my backpack. Then used a rather raunchy, ramshackle bathroom near the "Big Blue Bar" (an inflatable tent of a bar, with chairs outside facing the lake.) The bathrooms are located there, and at the main lodge and south lodge. As others have noted, not much in the way of facilities, but it was a great day of skiing uncrowded trails in great conditions.
Ended at the south parking lot and took the free shuttle back to my car, then drove back to Reno to pack and relax. My flights home were smooth and relaxing - actually the flight from Reno to Phoenix is so scenic, I was glad I had a window seat.
Because I have some real estate and family stuff I need to work on for the next month or so (selling a condo, preliminary wedding planning for my daughter, more dr. appointments for my mother-in-law) I'm not sure if I will have any time to take anymore destination ski trips. Hopefully I can squeeze in time to visit some south and central WI spots before Spring.
