It has been an interesting winter in Tahoe to say the least! Hardly any snow at all in December, January and February made for a difficult start to winter. Not only for businesses but for all of us personally as winter snow sports are a major part of our winter lifestyles. Finally, March arrived and while we were all hoping for a “Miracle March” I can happily say that it certainly has been fantastic so far! Resorts are all reporting close to 150″ which is equal to the TOTAL snowfall for the previous 3 months! So, with a nice base on the slopes, some amazing powder days behind us and spring on the way I wanted to take a moment to let you know about the great spring season ahead. It’s anyone’s guess what the weather will do but we do know there are some great events, spring skiing into May, and of course fabulous deals on our vacation rentals!!

Spring Events

3/29 – Brewmaster Dinner at Northstar

3/30-4/1 – SnowBash at Squaw Valley

3/31 – Snowbomb Lil’ Air #2 at Homewood

4/7 – New Belgium’s Scavenger Hunt

4/7 – Eggstravaganza in Tahoe City

4/14 – Retro Ski Day at Squaw Valley

4/15 – Billy Dutton Uphill

4/21 – North Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Celebration

5/25 – Opening Day at the Lake!

Ski Area Closing Dates

Northstar -  4/15

Squaw Valley – 4/29

Alpine Meadows – daily through 4/29, then Fri-Sun through 5/13

Homewood – 4/22*

Mt. Rose – 5/6*

Boreal – 4/15*

Sugar Bowl – 4/29*

*expected dates, not yet announced by resort

]]> http://www.tluxp.com/1174/happy-holidays/feed/ 0 http://www.tluxp.com/1163/enjoy-the-splendor-of-the-holidays-in-tahoe/ http://www.tluxp.com/1163/enjoy-the-splendor-of-the-holidays-in-tahoe/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:38:05 +0000 Jessica http://www.tluxp.com/?p=1163  Lift Status:

Squaw: OPEN!

Lifts: Red Dog and Squaw Creek

(photo taken Dec 9th on the top of Squaw Creek)

Northstar-At-Tahoe: OPEN!

Lifts: Backside Express, Comstock Express, Vista Express, Arrow Express, Tahoe Zephyr Express, The Big Easy, Ursa Major, Little Dipper, Pegasus, Big Springs Express, Highlands Gondola   

Alpine Meadows: OPEN!

Lifts: Meadow Chair, Roundhouse 

Sugar Bowl: December 17th

(snow making in progress)

Homewood: December 18th

(snow making in progress)

Winter Wonderland:

Ski season is off to a great start with the help of mother nature and man-made efforts. Here are five more off-the-slope activities that are just more fun in Tahoe!

1. Ice Skating: With ice skating rinks at Squaw Valley, Northstar, and Truckee grab the family and some hot chocolate and go skate with the sierras as a backdrop!

2. Exploring the Backcountry: Take the snowshoes and explore some of our favorite hiking trails in the winter setting. Spectacular hiking at higher elevations!

3. Holiday Festivities at the Resorts: There is no shortage of events this time of year, from Caroler Concerts, to Ugly Christmas Sweater parties, being in the mountains makes any Holiday party that much better!

4. Eat, Drink, and be Merry~ Tahoe Style: From gourmet to casual, any holiday treat tastes better at 6500′!

5. Shopping: Santa just declared Tahoe as the top holiday shopping destination of 2011!

5526 North Lake.  Asking price was $10.5M.  1.3 acre parcel on Flick Point in Agate Bay.  Scheduled to close at the end of January. Click image for more info.

8458 Valhalla Dr in Martis Camp.  Asking price was $9.395M.   Martis Camp is the high-end DMB/Highlands Group golf course development that is tied in to the Northstar ski area.  Martis Camp has started to play in the field of upper value lakefront and is getting a lot of attention. Click image for more info.

I predict the upper end will continue to see strong action through the first quarter of 2012.

Pumpkin Mousse Tart

Chocolate Almond Crust:

• 3/4 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted lightly
• 20 thin chocolate wafer cookies
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Mousse filling:

• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 extra-large egg yolks
• 1 package (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 1 ripe banana, finely mashed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For the decoration:

• 1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a food processor, pulse almonds until ground. Add chocolate wafer cookies and grind fine. Add butter, sugar, almond extract, and salt and pulse until combined well. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up side. Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool. Crust may be made 3 days ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

For the filling, heat the half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them, then pour the egg-pumpkin mixture back into the double boiler and stir well. Heat the mixture over the simmering water for another 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. You don’t want the eggs to scramble. Remove from the heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, banana, and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to cool.

Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture and pour it into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

For the decoration, whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream decoratively on the tart. Serve chilled.