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Another huge turnout at our Free Fun Paddleboard Race last Friday Night at Donner Lake's West End Beach, thanks to everybody who came out, and we'll see you all this Friday!

If you haven't heard, Start Haus is getting into bikes, with plans to be a full service shop in 2015 and 3G Cruisers available now. Charlie, a Start Haus sales & bootfitter, is one of the shop's avid riders, and he rips:

You can keep up with him and the rest of the Start Haus team on Strava.

We've announced our first brand, Giant Bicycles, and we're asking for your help in answering a quick, 5-question survey about what you're looking for in a bike shop here.

Start Haus is excited to get into the bike shop business in 2015 - we've been working hard and pedaling hard - doing our homework and hitting the trails - all to insure we bring the same level of expertise, service and selection you've come to expect from us in the winter.

You can read more about our plan here, and find out about our first brand partnership, Giant Bicycles, here.

But we need your help too - the Start Haus has always been a customer driven business, and we'd like your input. Please take a few moments to fill out our short 5 question survey here - we really appreciate it.

In this week's video, stand up paddlboard expert Jared shows us how to get started on your board, making standing up and getting off easier:

Practicing this technique will help you feel more stable and confident while paddlboarding. Questions? Call us, email us at online@starthaus.com or drop by the shop.

In case you missed the big news, the Start Haus is going to be a bike shop in 2015 - read more here. Our promise to you is to bring the same quality equipment, expert knowledge and world-class service that you've come to expect from us in the winter.

To that end, we knew our first bike brand was an important decision, and after studying numerous lines extensively, the choice was clear - Giant Bicycles and Liv Women's Bicycles. A number of our employees already ride Giant and rave about them, and their technology, componentry and pricing makes them a no-brainer.

As important to us as the quality of the equipment from a manufacturer is their support - working with us as a shop and you as a customer, standing behind their products and making things right, and Giant has already proven that quality with the Start Haus.

Our world-class ski tuning shop has moved into a new location right next to the retail shop, with the cutting edge tools and equipment - not to mention our award-winning technicians, to give you the best ski tune available.

You know the Start Haus for skis. Our goal each winter is to make skiing better by giving you the expert knowledge, the perfect tune, the custom boot fit that means each day on the hill is your best day.

Starting in 2015, the Start Haus is excited to enter into a new venture, bringing that same passion and expertise to the cycling world. We pledge to provide the same world-class service, the same World Cup caliber tuning and the same passion that's made us your ski shop in the winter to bikes.

The Start Haus staff on their bikes.

It's really a no-brainer - our staff is already passionate about the sport, their free time spent on the trails of Truckee, Tahoe and beyond, their names on the Strava leader boards, and their fingers covered in bike grease any chance they get.

You know the Start Haus for skiing, but we're getting pretty serious about summer fun around here. You've seen our stand up paddleboards and summer clothing, but we decided to add something else to the mix: 3G Cruiser Bikes.

These cool cruisers are the epitome of summer - comfortable, practical and stylish, perfect for cruising around town, to the beach or to a barbecue.

Here's James building one of the New 3G Santa Cruz Cruisers up at the shop:

James and Allison took a pair out to Donner Lake and had a blast. Swing by the shop or check them out online today.

We're serious about summer fun at the Start Haus, with stand up paddle boards, cruisers, cool summer clothing and accessories. Take a virtual look around the shop with these photos and video, and you'll see just how serious about summer we are:

Check out our summer clothing here.

The Free Fun Friday Night Paddleboard Race Series started off with a bang on Friday night, thanks to everybody who came out, and we'll see you at Donner Lake's West End Beach this Friday for another afternoon of fun on the water!

One of the biggest events at the Start Haus, the Labor Day Weekend Consignment Sale, comes back this year August 29 through September 1, bigger and better than ever.

Along with the best selection of used gear under one tent, we have special sale items in store available, making this year's selection of gear the best ever - including special closeouts from our top ski and clothing brands.

It's the perfect way to make some money or get some credit off old gear toward new gear, and a great way to save big on used gear from your fellow skiers in the Truckee Tahoe area. We aren't accepting boots, mid & base layers, goggles, gloves or helmets.

If you've got stuff to sell, we accept skis, ski bindings (new in-box please) and speedsuits (clean please) in good condition, starting August 1. Our staff will help you price your items to move. When it sells, you get your choice of 60 percent of the sale in cash, or 80 percent in store credit.

Here's what it looks like the first day setting up:

Sale hours

I’d say “they'rrre baaaack” ... except of course, these frontside biased all mountain skis never really left. What did happen though, is that the trend of wider and ever wider skis gradually pushed this category of skis onto the back burner for a while.

Then, a not so funny thing happened. Out west, we’ve had three years in a row with unusually long periods of firm to downright hard snow. For sure, there were pockets and patches of weather here and there but we were all skiing on the snow rather than in it much if not most of the time.

So skiers were coming into the Start Haus looking for something better than their powder skis for prevailing conditions. And the skiers that really don’t ski off the groomers all that much anyway were starting to look at narrower skis than they might have just a year or two ago.