Winter is here and there’s more snow on the way! We received five to six inches of wet snow at the shop Friday night into Saturday, with greater totals up high. Weather forecasters are calling for another major snow storm to hit the Lake Tahoe Basin later this afternoon leaving behind significant snowfall amounts. After a lackluster start to the ski season, it appears that mother nature knows she’s got some catching up to do. Here’s what the NOAA Weather Service is saying:

“GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…SOUTH LAKE TAHOE…TRUCKEE…
INCLINE VILLAGE
837 AM PST SUN JAN 22 2012

…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS
AFTERNOON TO 4 PM PST MONDAY…

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM
THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 PM PST MONDAY.

* TIMING: SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE SIERRA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON
THEN INCREASE OVERNIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 1
AM AND 10 AM MONDAY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 15 TO 30 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET…WITH 8
TO 16 INCHES BELOW 7000 FEET.

* WINDS: GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH SIERRA
RIDGE GUSTS UP TO 90 MPH TONIGHT AND MONDAY.

* IMPACTS: DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS WITH VISIBILITY NEAR ZERO
AT TIMES DUE TO HEAVY SNOW. CHAIN RESTRICTIONS AND LONG TRAVEL
DELAYS ON INTERSTATE 80 AND HIGHWAYS 50…88…89 AND 431.”

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This time lapse of heavy surf on Lake Tahoe was taken on the evening of January 15th at Incline Beach and may be indicative of a change of our mild weather pattern.  There was a dusting of snow last night and it was the first precipitation we have seen in quite some time.  Weather forecasters seem to be in agreement that Lake Tahoe will finally see it’s first significant snowfall of the winter by this weekend.  We’re not in the clear until we see snow on the ground though, so keep doing your snow dance and a ski sacrifice to Ullr surely won’t hurt.

In anticipation of snowfall, we have put our mountain bikes back into storage and will be packing up the bike shop.  We will likely resume our winter hours in the near future.  Until then we are open from 8 am to 6 pm daily.
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Village Ski Loft appears on ESPN.com

Village Ski Loft recently made a background appearance on ESPN.com. Although we were not mentioned, a video shot in our backshop was used in an article about a product called “Quiver Killer” binding inserts. The article was written by Greg Fitzsimmons, a contributor to ESPN.com. Village Ski Loft is a Quiver Killer dealer and is equipped to install this cool product that allows you to swap bindings between skis or multiple bindings on a single ski. To learn more about Quiver Killers or to see us in the article visit ESPN.com/.

Village Ski Loft offers overnight ski tuning and binding mounting by experienced technicians.Tweet

This winter has certainly been a dud as far as snowfall is concerned.  But here in Lake Tahoe, we’re pretty lucky that when the skiing and snowboarding isn’t what we’re used to, we can jump on our bikes and hit the trail.  This video was shot today (Tuesday, January 3rd 2012), and shows that the Marlette Flume Trail and Chimney Beach Downhill are in darn good shape considering the date on the calendar.  If you’re interested in sampling the singletrack goods for yourself and left your bike behind, call us 775.831.3537 to inquire about mountain bike rentals.  We’re building bikes from our demo fleet daily and open from 8 am to 6 pm, seven days a week.
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If the lack of snow has got you feeling down or you’re looking for a fun alternative to skiing and riding, hit the links. Established this fall, the Incline Village Disc Golf Course is the cure for your winter blues. Located in the woods adjacent to the IVGID Recreation Center and Tennis Courts, you’ll find 18 holes of fun to stretch your legs on. So, call a couple of friends, pack a few cold ones, and enjoy an afternoon of disc golf on the beautiful North Shore of Lake Tahoe. All you need is discs and a few hours to enjoy this sport. Village Ski Loft is a proud sponsor of hole #10 and stocks disc golf supplies year-round.
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North Lake Tahoe's Best Speciality Ski & Snowboard Shop

Saturday, December 17th

Beginning Saturday, December 17th we will be open from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, seven days a week.

Saturday, December 24th

We will close at about 5:00 pm on Christmas Eve.

Sunday, December 25th

VILLAGE SKI LOFT WILL BE CLOSED ON CHRISTMAS DAY.

Our location at Diamond Peak Ski Resort will be open on Christmas Day from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.  If you need to return rental equipment, it must be done at our Diamond Peak location BEFORE 4 PM.

Monday, December 26th

Hours may change to 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, but it is highly dependent on snow and weather conditions.  We will make that determintaion later, so please check back often.

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Village Ski Loft is full of holiday gift ideas for the entire family. From stocking stuffers to full ski and snowboard set ups, we have North Lake Tahoe’s best selection of fun winter toys and gear. We are also a full service repair shop for skis, boards, and boots open seven days a week to better serve you. And if you’re just joining us for the holidays we’re Incline Village’s best rental and demo shop for skis, snowboards, nordic, and snowshoes.

When it dumps in Tahoe, the Black Diamond Deploy 3 Shovel is key for digging out.

The Art of Flight should be in every shredders stocking this year.

Give the gift of warm, comfortable ski boots with Intuition Liners. Call today for an appointment 775.831.3537.

Tap the tree with the Lib Tech T Rice Pro

Oakley Frogskins make a great stocking stuffer. Come check out our array of colors today.

Show everyone how rad you got in Tahoe this ski season with Contour Roam 1080 wearable camera.

Why not give a loved one Skiing Magazine's "Ski of the Year"? The Blizzard Cochise is sure to please.

Give the warmth of a Patagoina Down Sweater this winter, it's perfect for a day in the Chutes or on your way to apres ski in the Timbers.

Is it a powder ski that carves? Or a carving ski for pow? It's both... The Salomon BBR is in stock now at Village Ski Loft

Village Ski Loft is North Lake Tahoe’s best Specialty Ski and Snowboard Shop. We have all the right gear and a friendly, knowledgeable staff to help you or your family choose the right gear. Our staff is made up of passionate skiers and riders that are on the hill daily using the goods we sell.

We also back all of our gear with world class tuning and custom boot fitting. Our tuners can repair just about anything or help you get the most performance out of your skis or board. Our boot fitting staff is on duty seven days a week to customize your boots for the ultimate blend of comfort and performance.

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Diamond Peak has announced they will be opening on Saturday, December 10th 2011. This is a week earlier than originally anticipated. Thanks to cold temperatures and a hard working snowmaking crew for making this possible. Diamond Peak will boast top to bottom skiing servicing all levels of ability.

For details on Diamond Peak, straight from the source, follow the link below to their website.
http://www.diamondpeak.com/

It was also released today, the Mt. Rose will open on Friday, December 9th 2011 with top to bottom skiing on the Northwest Magnum Chair. Lake Tahoe’s highest base elevation will surely keep the conditions excellent for skiing and riding on Kit Carson bowl and other runs.

For details on Mt. Rose, straight from the source, follow the link below to their website.
http://www.mtrose.com/

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There’s a lot to talk about in ski and snowboard technology this season and most of it revolves around rocker. Rightfully so, rocker is the biggest evolution in winter sports products since the advent of the snowboard and the modern shaped ski.  Rocker began as a way to make it easier to ski or ride in powder, but the technolgy limited performance on hard pack and groomers.  Skis like the Volant Spatula and K2 Pontoon (thank you to Shane McConkey) led the charge into the rocker revolution,  turning average skiers into experts when it came to skiing deep snow.  The problem was that these skis handled poorly on firm or groomed conditions.

C2 POWER BANANA – C2BTX: from Lib Tech on Vimeo.

Fast forward to today; Rocker is no longer just for powder hounds.  Over 90% of our ski and snowboard wall has some sort of rocker.  The continuous revision of design has led to products that ski easier, are more versatile, and more fun.  Rocker can be used to make beginner equipment less “catchy” or difficult to control.  Rocker allows you to put less pressure on your back foot to get your board to plane up in pow, reducing fatigue.  Rocker takes a 120 millimeter waist powder ski and makes it easier to turn.  The benefits of rocker are seemingly endless.

So on your next trip into Village Ski Loft (or your local shop), ask a skier or boarder how rocker can help you have more fun on the hill.  How do we know?  Becuase we’ve tried it and it works!

Flip-Core from Frank Shine on Vimeo.

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