Blog

Winter storm warning? More like a winter storm welcome - Tahoe's storm door is open. Come into Start Haus in Truckee and get your gear dialed. Tahoe is welcoming our first winter storm of 2018, broken up in 3 storm fronts expected through Thursday, January 25. Overnight snow Thursday to Friday morning brought 10 inches of new snow above 6,500 feet and 2-5 inches at lake level. Squaw Valley and Sugar Bowl reported 10” of snow on the upper mountain through this morning. With afternoon storms, we could get another 1-3 inches by the time this storm front passes through tonight and we’re watching the storm coming in next week which could dump 1-2 feet of snow.

It will be clear by the weekend and cold air will help keep the snow in prime condition. High temperatures on Saturday, January 20 are expected to be only in the 30s at the base and 20s on the upper mountain. Another storm is forecast to move through Sunday night into the day on Monday with low snow levels, potentially adding another 2-4

Skiers have been enjoying a 30" base at Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows, Sugar Bowl and Mt. Rose (36") since Thanksgiving, and Northstar and Boreal have been cranking out more. After the initial powder honeymoon, the cold lows have kept the slopes in great shape with very fun, almost like spring-like skiing with sunny skies and mid-50s days. The dawn patrol expert groomers in their snow cats practice their art, turning out meticulously groomed runs. While powder hounds eagerly check the forecast, these "packed powder" conditions are what groomer lovers relish.

Whether you're a racer or like to carve down the hill at lightning speeds, Start Haus in Truckee carries the top race and carving skis for maximum fun on the groomers. Three of our highest rated front side carvers are Head Worldcup Rebels i.Speed, Head i.Supershape Rally and Kastle MX74 skis.

Head World Cup Rebels i.Speed

The i.Speed is one of the fastest race skis available, armed with the stiffness and heft for expert-level carving.

As ski technology and accessibility keep getting better, we're going faster down more diverse terrain on better equipment than ever. But aggressive skiers are also using and protecting their brains: In 2017 U.S. ski resorts reported that 80% of their skiers and riders wear helmets. Start Haus in Truckee can help you stay safe on the slopes with our wide selection of racing and recreational ski helmets, including Sweet Protection from Norway - a dominant force in the European market for years that is becoming more known in the U.S.

Sweet Protection offers distinct design and attitude, with high quality materials and advanced manufacturing methods, including MIPS technology now available in their Igniter, Blaster, and Trooper models. Sweet Protection helmets are constructed with interconnected layers of protection, enabling them to create helmets with low volume, light weight and world class impact protection. Along with their distinct style, Sweet Protection helmets are lauded as the most

Want a light ski but need hard-charging stability? Come into Start Haus in Truckee and check out Head's Kore 105. The Kore 105 is an impressively light all mountain high performance ski. New for 2018, the Kore is getting rave reviews across the industry, including a rare unanimous top ranking among testers to nab POWDER Magazine’s Ski of the Year for 2018 and dubbed by POWDER editors as “the perfect ski.”

The Kore 105 is versatile to its core. Its Tip-Tail Rocker offers perfect buoyancy in the finest powder. The Kore delivers quick edge-to- edge transfer on open groomers, an incredibly smooth ride in all different snow conditions and turn shapes, and excellent stability for charging straight down the fall line. And the Kore's light weight makes the ski accessible for skiers ranging from intermediate to expert levels.

The Kore achieves its light weight of ~1845 g per ski and stability with a construction of super-light Karuba wood combined with Graphene, Koroyd, and carbon fiber. The Kore

Ski helmets are lighter and safer than they were just a few years ago. Bolstered with better equipment and increased access, skiers continue to push their limits with speeds and terrain. Fortunately, helmet engineers have come up with more ways to protect skier's brains. Start Haus in Truckee carries a wide selection of the best helmets on the market for vacation skiers to racers. Smith helmets, known for their light weight, style, and fit are a leader for their integrative helmet-goggle systems that provide exceptional performance, ventilation and comfort.

Smith's new helmet designs focus on four types of impact: low speed, high speed, rotational, and multiple-impact. And their helmets and goggles are designed to work and look better together. The AirEvac ventilation system in their helmets allows Smith goggles and helmets to function as one system, venting warm moist air away from the goggles, through the helmet climate control system and ultimately away from the head.

All of our Smith

Product Highlight: Nordica – Enforcer 100 Skis

Are you looking for an all mountain ski that cuts through snow like butter in varying conditions? Check out the Enforcer by Nordica at Start Haus in Truckee. Back this year after selling out quickly the past two years, the Enforcer delivers exceptional stability and power along with a smooth ride, solidifying its reputation as the go-to ski for those who embrace the entire mountain.

Proclaimed by Nordica as “the most versatile and advanced line of skis we’ve ever made,” the Enforcer raked in awards its first year off the line and continues on as the all mountain hard charging defending champion, earning Skiing Magazine’s Ski of the Year last year as well as Freeskier’s Editor’s Pick.

Designed for advanced to expert skiers, this ski shines blasting downhill making big GS turns and darting through trees. The Enforcer provides easy turn initiation, flotation, and maneuverability. Its rocker-camber-rocker profile and carbon-Titanium layers provide

Need a new pair of ski gloves? Choosing the right pair boosts your comfort, dexterity and confidence, keeping you out shredding even on the coldest days. Start Haus in Truckee carries a spectrum of choices, including top rated Hestra Alpine and Freestyle gloves, offering durability and flexibility for skiers who put high demands on their equipment. Hestra has been making gloves since 1936 and they are used and tested by the Swedish and Norwegian National Ski Teams.

Why go with a high-end glove? Even a 9-year-old can tell the difference. I thought my husband was crazy buying our daughter a pair of Hestra gloves her second year of ski racing. They were at least twice what I thought we should spend for something I was sure she would lose by her third race. The increased warmth, comfort and flexibility of the gloves were more than worth the cost. Those gloves were like armor to her. She didn't complain about cold hands the entire season and she carefully tucked them inside her fluorescent pink,

Join us for our winter tuning clinic series!  We'll cover an array of topics to help you keep those skis sharp and fast.  Check out the schedule below:

November 25th-  Intro to Race Tuning

December 23rd- Wax and Maintenance

January 13th- Advanced Tuning

February 17th- Tuning for Spring Conditions

Protect Yourself on the Slopes: POC SPIN Helmets, Clarity Lenses & POC Layer at Start Haus

Can you believe that ski helmets have only been widely used for less than a decade? Ski helmets were first required for downhill ski racing right here in Tahoe at the 1960 Olympics at Squaw Valley U.S.A., following the death of Canadian downhiller John Semmelink at Garmisch in 1959. Then it took more than three decades and the deaths of Michael Kennedy, Sonny Bono and Natalia Richardson from head trauma before ski helmets started becoming mainstream on the slopes in 2010. Ski helmets have evolved incredibly in design and protection since their start in leather then repurposed moto sports helmets. POC has emerged as a leader in the field for innovation and safety for gravity sports. Start Haus in Truckee, California carries POC SPIN helmets, Clarity goggles and POC Layer with innovative technology that deliver a distinct edge in safety, winning top SIA awards for 2017-2018.

SPIN

S.P.I.N. Tech may sound

Winter is approaching fast; Tahoe resorts start opening later this month. Are you ready? One of the best ways to start your season off right is a fresh tune and wax at Start Haus. How do you know if you need a tune? Take a look at your skis. If they have worn bases and nicked edges, you will notice the difference on the snow.

Well-tuned skis are more fun and easier to ski. Dull edges make turns harder to initiate and to keep on track. Rough bases can feel sluggish and make even a great ski feel lethargic. If your skis aren’t running smoothly on funky early season snow or your edges aren’t biting on those man-made icy patches, you’re more likely to throw in the towel and go into the lodge for drinks.

Ski bases dry out all summer long. You didn’t put storage wax on at the end of last season like we told you to, did you? If your bases are getting discolored, white or chalky looking, they’re drying out. Dried out bases also shrink, affecting the tune of your ski too. It’s not the end of the

Product Highlight: Kästle FX95 HP

We’re excited to bring boutique brand Kästle (pronounced “kes-lee”) skis back to Start Haus. Kästle skis have been a leader in the market since 1924, reinvented 11 years ago by a group of professional ski racers, engineers and designers with a desire to build the best skis with the best materials possible.           .

With rave reviews across the industry, the Kästle FX95 HP earned a coveted Gear of the Year Award in 2016 for “Best Alpine Ski” from Outside Magazine, earning a perfect score of 5 for carving and 5 overall - praised as “the most adaptable all-mountain ski.”

An all mountain freeride ski for all terrain performance, the FX95 HP combines ski-ability with extra float. Designed for intermediate skiers to pros, this low camber, dual rise rocker features a camber tip and two titanal sheets for extra stability at high speeds, providing great power at mid-turn. The FX95 HP is the perfect ski to take you through variable terrain on the mountain and

At Start Haus, our boot fitters work year-round because our clients race all over the world, but you don’t have to be a pro to benefit from expert boot fitting. Now is the time to drag your boots out from storage and make sure they haven’t become a mouse’s home (this actually happens) and decide if your old boots and liners are up for another epic season.

If you love skiing, you know that properly fitting boots is one of the best indicators of whether you’ll have a great day on the mountain. Not only does a good and properly fitting boot increase your performance, it ensures that you can shred all day without foot pain. Too often people buy ski boots at big national sports stores or at a sales shop with seasonal workers and end up with a size too big because they buy what feels good off the shelf, not accounting for proper molding of the liners or customizations of the shell. If your boots are too big, your foot will shift, putting painful pressure