Homewood

It was a great season for competitive skiing and snowboarding events here at Homewood and none was more fun than the First Annual Mini Slopestyle jump competition. It was a stunningly beautiful day at the mid-mountain terrain park when 4 – 12 year olds threw down some impressive tricks on the jumps and rails.

We saw some great moves by the littlest shredders in Tahoe. There was big air (for them), some slick switch moves, and some crashes. Everyone with a big smile, which was everyone, was a winner and got a Mini Slopestyle sweatshirt and certificate.

This was such a fun event for everyone involved. The parents lived it, we enjoyed playing with the kids for the day and the kids had a blast! Pretty soon these kids will be ripping it of the huge kickers in the big kid comps, but we love watching them learn here at Homewood.

On February 28th and March 1st 2009 Homewood was treated to an awesome show of mogul mashing skill and aerial daring for the 2009 Farwest Moguls Championships. We built a STEEP and challenging course down The Face right above the North Lodge, and competitors age 13 and up shredded the course with amazing views of the lake.

It was awesome to see so many youngsters out tearing it up. All our neighbors were here too with teams and competitors coming from Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Mt. Rose and Heavenly. Thanks for coming out! There’s nothing better than great snow, great views and GREAT SKIERS!

Thanks to Chase Duhon of Reno for rocking the helmet cam on a killer run down the course!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

This photo is visual proof as to why everyone should try Homewood.  The snow, the views, the terrain… well, the picture (taken February 27) really says it all:

Here are a few reasons to call Dial-A-Ride for a free ride to/from your house to/from Homewood Mountain Resort.

Reason Number 1: One less thing to worry about.
Sometimes taking one thing out of the equation makes all the difference…Do the kids have their gloves, hats goggles/glasses, jackets, snowboard/skis, boots, poles, water, sunscreen, chap stick, etc.  You have enough to worry about.  Leave the driving to us.

Reason Number 2: One Word.  “Beer.”
What’s the first thing you think about after a perfect day of skiing?  Beer!  Go to the bar and have a few beers.  And don’t worry about driving yourself home.  It makes the beer taste that much better, trust me.

Reason Number 3: The car is stuck in the driveway.
Worry about the car latter.  Ski/board while you can.  My van will make it, where your car might not.

Have fun and be safe!

~Brooke

This is the event where the best chili cooks in the world compete for top prize of a pizza and ice cream party for their department.  We had a great turn out for the chili cook off and with 12 entries the competition was heated.

Judges for the fiery chili was the legendary snowmaker Terry Weltmer, The food and Beverage super human, Chris Patrick and culinary genius,  Jeff Coburn of the Ticket Department.  It must have been tough to pick a winner since all of the chili was awesome!

1st place and holder of the trophy and bragging rights for the 2008|2009 season went to Victoria Gustafson of IT.  And 2nd place went to John Noble also of IT (maybe they know a good recipe website).  Coming in 3rd place, Ryan Smith of Food and Beverage fame.  People’s Choice and honorable mention went to chili guru Ryan Seelye of Vehicle Maintenance who was trying to win back to back cook offs.

Music was provided by Remmel Wilson who had the whole place going off the hook, check him out if you ever get a chance!

Special thanks to everyone who helped with the set up and clean up!

I can’t even begin to tell you how amazingly DEEP the powder was today!  My first run off Quail, the snow floated so high up to my waist, I began to giggle.  Yes, I know I’m on tele’s but I had not even begun to dip a knee yet!  That’s how you know this is going to be the most talked about day ever!!  And the best part…the National Weather Service is calling for more!

So, if you wanted actual proof as to how deep it really was, try and find the snowboard!

And as always here at Homewood, we put a smile on your face.

If you are like me, you probably never call in sick.  However, if those weather men and women are right, you may feel a cough coming on.

What ever you are doing to make it snow, keep it up!

~Bob

“Hopping from pillow to pillow”

With snow in the forecast, you’ll want to know the best places to grab pow stashes in the Tahoe Basin. Homewood is a good start, but we’re not telling you where they are. You have to sniff them out for yourself. See if you can spot them in this video.

“I don’t know if there are words to describe what skiing powder is like. You kinda just got to do it…”

One of the nice things about Homewood is that you can lay down your first tracks and they’ll still be there for you to admire on your way up the lift. Then link them up and make your own powder 8’s! There’s plenty to go around…

Experience it first hand: check out our $29 Dollar Lift Ticket Days.

Dial-A-Ride is a FREE shuttle to and from Homewood Mountain Resort straight to your door, anywhere on the West Shore.

Our Dial-A-Ride vans have all-wheel drive and studded tires.  We’ll pick you up in all weather!

If you have more than 7 people, it is best to call the day before to make arrangements for a bigger vehicle.

Your driver will be me, Brooke Barbata.  Ask me about which runs are best, where to go for dinner or anything else you might want to know about Tahoe.

Temporarily, Dial-A-Ride will be closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  With your phone calls, and a little more snow, we will be back and running 7 days a week.  I’ll keep you all up to date.

See you on the slopes!
Brooke
(530)525.2922

The Homewood Mountain Resort Tearrain Park is now open!  Shredwood Forest is  offering a plethora of features, skiers and riders of all ages were tearing it up this weekend.  Preston and his park crew have been working their tails off building new features and getting the smooth transitions of rail to jump dialed!  Check out the list of features:

25ft Flat Kink Down Rail
35ft Jump
25ft Jump
2 15ft Jumps
20ft Jump
3 ride on Flat-Rails 10-20ft
30ft C Box
3 Kid Jumps
35ft Battleship Box

The Old Homewood Express provides quick laps by getting you to the top fast!  So get out there and hit it.  Look for more coming soon from these talented park builders!

A Tahoe phenomenon occurs on any given sunny weekend around noon at Homewood. “It’s ready, I can smell it,” yells a woman toward her husband. He’s standing in the Quail Chair lift line. Upon hearing her news, he clicks out of his skis, throws them in a nearby snow bank - clearly and abruptly abandoning his plan to keep skiing.

“Run ahead of us and grab a table,” he tells his wife in a tone of combined excitement and panic. Unzipped ski jacket flailing, he is now three steps ahead of their four kids and attempting to dignify his ski boot clad half run/half walk.  His C3PO robot-speed-walk is his only hope of beating the salivating mob closing in on him, all headed toward the South Lodge deck.

What is going on?

As a vegetarian, I’ll admit to driving blind on the art of grilled meats; however, bearing witness to the Pavlovian response of approximately 200 guests downwind of the South Lodge, it’s apparent that people are not only trained; they are addicted to Homewood’s barbecue.

There are three plates available for lunch at Homewood’s South Lodge barbecue: sirloin, half of a chicken, or a combo plate of the two aforementioned. All three options are served with a garden salad and homemade garlic bread. Sounds simple enough. Hardly.

The Steak:
Homewood prides itself on three steak gospels: 1) Stop calling it “steak”. This is choice sirloin. 2) Only use six-month aged choice sirloin. 3) Never, never add barbecue sauce. “It’s all in the spice rub,” said Chris Patrick, Homewood’s chef. It wasn’t what he said, but how he said it: he actually stopped tending the huge mounds of roast beast, removed his sunglasses, and whispered this. And he was serious. Homewood’s special spice rub, slow-cook technique, and aged sirloin produce a dish analogous to epicurean nirvana.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Amber Kijanka, Homewood’s event manager. “It literally falls apart so easily that you don’t even need a knife,” she added in an increasingly distant tone, undoubtedly wishing for lunch.

The Chicken:
Contrary to one’s first inkling, this is not a basic, boring bird devoid of character. The fowl burdened with a vanilla rep undergoes a glorious, flavorful transformation at Homewood’s weekend barbecue. “It’s a two-step process,” Chris Patrick explains with the joyous intensity of John Madden at the Super Bowl. “We grill the chicken first; then we steam it - not baste it - in beer,” he said. Of course. Beer. It makes the world turn. “This creates a nice, browned, crispy skin that covers a juicy, flavorful meat.

The Grill:
The grill itself is something to behold. At first glance, one might mistake it for medieval artillery. It’s huge. And at Homewood, propane and charcoal are publicly eschewed. “We only use a wood-fired barbecue,” said Ken Minkoff, Homewood’s Food & Beverage Manager/Barbecue Aficionado said with one hand on his hip, and the other thumbing toward the enormous pile of oak firewood behind him. “There’s just no other way,” he concluded quite definitively.

Eat at the Homewood Barbecue:
“Everyone must try Homewood’s barbecue. It’s unlike any lunch at the lake, and it is phenomenal,” said Kent Hoopingarner, Homewood’s General Manager. The South Lodge Barbecue fires up for lunch every Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, weather permitting. Skis and snowboards are optional; an appetite is mandatory.

• Grilled sirloin, garlic bread and salad - $12.
• 1/2 grilled chicken, garlic bread and salad - $12.
• Combo plate: sirloin, 1/2 grilled chicken, garlic bread and salad - $14.