Start Haus Ski News

Welcome back to our weekly Tahoe Ski News blog, where we tell you about ski conditions, racing, events, wax calls and ski deals every Friday.

Don’t forget to send your race, ski event or results to website@starthaus.com. with the headline: Tahoe Ski News to get them listed here each week.

With the cold storm that blew through on Wednesday the skiing is fantastic - almost all resorts are open, many top to bottom, and our team has been out getting fresh tracks in boot-deep powder at Northstar, Alpine Meadows, Sugar Bowl and Squaw.

Phil getting the goods at Alpine Meadows this week.

More cold snow is on the way this weekend, so conditions should be fantastic, especially for this early in the season - get out and get some!

It should stay snowy for the foreseeable future too, according to The Tahoe Daily Snow report, which shows wave after wave of storms coming at us - forecaster BA predicts 4-5 feet of new snow by Christmas!

For the ski racers - this weekend's racing at Boreal/Auburn Ski Club with Far West Skiing have been postponed - go to www.fwskiing.us for more details. Far West Skiing Masters' racing has been moved from Squaw Valley to Alpine Meadows as well.

In other ski events, holidays at Squaw kicks off this weekend with Santa on the Slopes, festivities in the Village and more. On Sunday Sugar Bowl is hosting a Backcountry Ball from 3-6 at the Judah Lodge with Start Haus Sponsored pro skier Daron Rahlves. Holiday festivities and live music is getting started at Northstar and Homewood has opened for the season! The Santa Ski Crawl at Mt. Rose kicks off the famous Santa Pub Crawl Saturday. All you park people, look for the 9th Annual Pre-Jib event at Boreal Saturday.

Our latest featured ski sale is the 2012 Dynastar Exclusive Legend Eden women's ski for only $300 - a great all mountain ski for ladies who value both hard snow carving and off-piste ability.

It’s important to shop early this season – especially for race ski equipment – supplies will be very limited this season thanks to last year’s slow season and the European economy. Some manufacturers are already sold out with no stock more available.

Don't forget about “Find Phil on the Hill.” We’ll post what Phil will be wearing and where he’s skiing on our Facebook page, and the first 2 people to find him will get prizes!

In online news, we're now on the fantastic online forum Epicski.com - swing by, check out our profile and get educated!

Get to know the Start Haus

In this segment we'll be telling you about the Start Haus staff throughout the winter so you can get to know the team and their wide range of expertise. This week we'll start off with the man who started it all:

Jim Schaffner

The owner of the Start Haus, Jim Schaffner is a former nationally ranked amateur and professional ski racer, world cup serviceman, Manager for Salomon North America Racing and Promotions Department, and consultant for several ski manufacturer's race departments. Jim still holds close ties to the racing community, which is why so many Tahoe area pros come to see him when they need skis tuned or boots fit. A certified Pedorthist and instructor with America's Best Bootfitters, custom boot fitting and alignment is one of his specialties. He's not only one of the best in Tahoe, he's one of the best in the world. You can learn from Jim in his DVD, World Cup Ski Tuning, or stop by the shop and say hi.