WINTER STARTS NOW!
Winter Starts NOW!
By: Curtis Fong – The Guy From Tahoe
December 1, 2017:
For over 25 years, I have had the pleasure and privilege of helping to “kick off winter” at Lake Tahoe by emceeing the annual Warren Miller Movie premier… This year, I continue to enjoy this honor.
Robbie Huntoon, former Warren Miller athlete and videographer, brings the annual movie to Lake Tahoe’s North & South Shores, plus in recent years, recommended me to emcee the Reno premier that is hosted by the Reno Gazette Journal… So, I have been emceeing 5 events annually to kick off winter…
Robbie Huntoon at Reno premier / Errol Kerr, Jeff Engerbretson, Robbie Huntoon
The Annual Warren Miller Movie, in my opinion, IS the “Official Kick Off to Winter” and movie viewers start getting excited about them making slow motion powder turns down overflowing powder.
This year’s 68th production is titled, “Line of Descent” and the movie is chock full of beautiful destinations with incredible athletes, bombing unbelievable lines down big mountains…
The movie is narrated by Olympic Gold medalist, Jonny Moseley and “Line of Descent” features a segment produced at Squaw with local athletes, Errol Kerr and JT Holms carving it up at Squaw-Alpine with a fun segment skiing with Jonny and his sons.
Amie Engerbretson, also from Squaw and one of most beautiful big lines female skier, is also featured with friends, McKenna Peterson and Lexi duPont. The 3 Blondes continue to have fun and ski lines of descent at Val D’Isere, the legendary resort in the French Alps.
Amie Engerbretson Errol Kerr
At both the Reno premier and Squaw premier, Amie & Errol joined me to help fire up the crowd and to sign posters for their fans. Jonny Moseley also attended the Squaw premier and came up at the break to talk about the Squaw segment…
The Annual Warren Miller Premier on the South Shore will be at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, December 1 & 2 and you don’t want to miss it! This year’s South Shore premier is sponsored by Sierra-at-Tahoe. You can pick up tickets in advance at Tahoe Sports Ltd and Tahoe Ski Bum will also be there… Time to get the local South Shore Tribe together and join in the fun!
With the Warren Miller Movie premiers, kicking off winter, I was also able to make opening day at Heavenly Mountain Resort. There was the longest line at the Gondola as there was a delay in getting the Tamarack Express, de-iced and running the morning of Friday, November 17. The line of hundreds, die-hard skiers & riders, descended the plaza and down and around the sidewalk of the parking garage of the Heavenly Village and when the Gondola started loading… the decibel level of Hoops & Hollers went up big time… I socialized with Mike Allen, Director of Ski School and Bob Haas, professional instructor, as the line progressed and waited for everyone to load, before heading up…
Heavenly’s opening day with Mike Allen & Bob Haas
It was exciting to be on the Gondola and being able to make early season turns and I was anxious of the lines that were ahead of me at Tamarack Express. When I got there, yes there was a long line, but opening day is a social event for me, not a hardcore skiing day and most all others were thankful to be making turns on the mountain and kicking off winter. Conditions were surprising good with great coverage on the one run that was open… and, yes there were a few yahoo’s up there skiing & riding faster than what was safe, considering the number of people on the run, but all in all a great day to kick of Winter.
Since then, Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone and with a recent storm at the end of that weekend, Mt Rose Ski Tahoe is open top to bottom; Kirkwood is open top to bottom with both Chairs #6 & #10; Squaw has both Siberia & Shirley Lake open and Mammoth Mountain is open top to bottom with over 80 trails accessible…
Keep doing your snow dance and continue to pray of snow. Winter Starts NOW!
Ski you on the Slopes!