Week 3 is coming up. GO!

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Thursday, February 22, 2024, 10 pm

Week 3 is this weekend, February 24/25. Both days look like the weather will be pretty much as good as it gets in winter. Let's get some kids leveled up. Pretty easy call, GO! ______________________________________________________________

Guilty as charged. I am behind on getting something out to you. Going to blame it on kids. Story is way down below. High School kids got in the way on Tuesday putting me to work, and behind, lots. Worth it. I love kids.

Bad news. We got blown out on Presidents Day/ Bring a Friend Day. Closed. Worse road conditions yet this season, at least at 4 am. Winds at 60+, snowing sideways. Sorry, Sky Tavern was no place for a living soul that day. Maybe we can make this up later in the season?

Good news. We got snow, feet of snow. The coverage is fantastic. The grooming crew has done magic again. They rock so you can roll. This is going to be a weekend for the memory books and

SUNSCREEN, WATER, CAMERAS.

FAIR WARNING: ALL OF RENO WILL BE SKIING THIS WEEKEND. MT. ROSE TRAFFIC WILL BE HEAVY. THINK BAY BRIDGE TRAFFIC, TRYING TO GET TO MY KID'S HOUSE IN RED ROCK AFTER WORK FOR DINNER, TRAFFIC. GET UP HERE EARLY, NO EARLIER THAN THAT! ROSE BLAMED US FOR STOPPING THE HIGHWAY. I DON'T THINK SO. KEEP UP THE GOOD PARKING!

( Drew, parking lot boss, is down but not out. You will see.)

Week 3, when kids may be at the level that the Sky Ridge Chairlift starts getting used. Instructors check them out on using the chair and they never go back to Rocco and Webster. The mountain is calling.

We need to talk about chairlifts, and then you get to talk to your kids. Chairlifts may look scary but they are not, but there are some important safety rules.

1. Pratice on the Pratice chair on Rocco. Snowboarders have a disadvantage, practice, please.
2. Kids not taller than the Chris Mountain sign ride with an adult.
3. Be ready. When Major Mike or one of his soldiers, tells you to get out to the line, get out to the line.
4. Poles in one hand, on and off the lift. Poles in both hands cause a few issues, falls, lift stops, and tips crossing crashes. One hand!
5. No backpacks on your back. They get stuck to the chair, and then you ride all the way back down with your head hanging low. Or Ski Patrol rescues you.
6. BACK TO BACK, BOTTOM TO BOTTOM. Sit all the way back and sit still.
7. Lower the bar. The bar is not there to rest your head on either.
8. No Horseplay. Please, no messing around. This is how almost all accidents happen.
9. When you get off, clear the unload area. Ski Patrol has enough to do without adding in crowd control.
10. Adults riding with kids. This may seem wrong, but kids to the outside of the chairs. They tend to hang on to the armrests while you are in the middle.

Lots more about riding chairlifts on the skytavern.org safety page here, all produced by Ski California. There are videos with cute dogs to watch, so take a look with the kids. Chairlift safety is not difficult but really important. Teach it to your kids and any others you have a voice with. This is important, please.

Another short video from Scott and Kate about Week 2. Click that smiling face below for 20 seconds of fun. They need more work. Someone hire them. I babysat Scott.

And then one more short video that makes all of us proud. Getting a Red Coat, and becoming a Ski Patroller takes years of work, studying, testing, dedication, and good old-fashioned grit. Kylie is our latest graduate, but not the only one this season is my prediction. Click that Red Coat to see the ceremony. Yep, I teared up. Do every time a Red Coat is earned. Red Coat capitalized on purpose.

Certified Instructors. The Moms and Dads are in the traffic cone orange coats.

They are here to help the kids. If a lesson is just not sticking, find one of these committed instructors to help. Just ask them to look at your child.

Keep in mind this one is somewhat personal. Skip the story if you want.

All four of my kids have"game" of their own on snow, but Harold was different athletically. No ball and stick sports for him, Karate and ski racing. We are poor because he raced up to a FIS level. The things we do for our kids.

Senior year at Galena High, he was right up there at all the high school races,no wins overall but one of his runs helped them win the State Championship. Somehow that trophy ended up in my kitchen later that night. It went to school the next day, maybe.

Point is, as a Dad I learned not all kids will get to score the winning touchdown or bat in the winning run. Some will ski. Skiing is a fringe sport that should matter more to the Truckee Meadows. We should build UNR racers and Olympians. We should have hometown kids winning medals and getting a bit of glory. We live in an area that is so special and unique and has snow and mountains. We have ski areas the Midwest would drag home if Tony Stark figured out how. Kids, and snow go together. We need to make sure of that.

I have wanted NIAA Alpine Ski Racing at Sky Tavern since the day Harold stopped competing. High School racing mattered to me because of what it did for him. He didn't win medals all the time but he won going forward. He hiked the hill when he forgot something, a glove or poles. He was challenged, he was coached, learned, and listened. He grew as a person. He won in my eyes even when he DNF'd. I want other kids to have the same chance. Ski racing may be a sport of losing, but it is a sport of growing. It needs a home and that home is now Sky Tavern.

2024 Sky Tavern pulled off the NIAA Alpine season. First time we had a chance, first time we did it. Pictures below. To say I was touched at the awards ceremony on the deck is an understatement. Thank you to the hundreds that made this happen.

Very sincerely,

Bill

RGJ's Jason Pinto's photos. here.

General Manager, Mike O, got a late birthday present from the Sky Tavern Board of Directors. They found the donations to do a big refit of the Sky Ridge chairlift this summer with the major check found in the mailbox today. Mike gets to toss out the 1960s technology up there in the motor room and replace it with a real modern computer. Fifty relays replaced by an iPad. Six-figure cost, but my grandkids need this so they can rip powder. Much more reliable, and efficient, which makes Mike sleep better at night.

The memories of all those pies the kids tossed at him keep him up too. Good work kids! Some of you have an arm.

Thanks, BoD! Mike was on the phone already, list of needed parts in hand. May not seem like a big deal, but trust me, it is.

The lunch special this weekend is enchiladas. Unloading the food delivery this week was a little different and very festive!

Board Meetings the 3rd Wednesday of the month at Greg's Garage/Carquest Training Rooms. 6th Street.