Subscribe to our e-newsletter to get the latest Tahoe Deals on lift tickets, lodging/hotels, ski and stay package deals, events, entertainment, etc. delivered once a week during the snow season. Once subscribed, you will be automatically entered to win one of five Kirkwood lift tickets to be given away to five lucky winners(announced in our newsletter). The delivery of our upcoming e-newsletter is scheduled on Monday February 27, 2012.

Subscribe to our newsletter if you’d like the latest news regarding Tahoe Promotional Deals; deals listed in the newsletter will released before posting to our Tahoe Deals page at:

http://www.snowpals.org/deals/

When you read our newsletter, if you see your partial email (ie. skiteddy@*****.com), you have won a lift ticket; to claim your lift ticket, contact us within 7 days. In every newsletter, thanks to Kirkwood, we are giving away five Kirkwood Mountain Resort lift tickets (that’s $79 per lift ticket X 5 = $395 value). Yippee! Share this page with family and friends.



To unsubscribe: we’re sorry to see you go – simply click here to unsubscribe from our newsletter.

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SnowPals is committed to maintaining the privacy of personal information that you provide to us when using snowpals.org. We do not give out your email or personal information without your consent. You reserved the right to unsubscribe from our newsletter at anytime.

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BUY DISCOUNTED KIRKWOOD E-TICKETS

For 2011-2012 snow season, we’ve selected Kirkwood Mountain Resort as Snowpals’ preferred Tahoe resort. As a result of our partnership with Kirkwood, you’ll be able to buy promotional discounted Kirkwood Lift Tickets. Get your e-Tickets for just $64 each! It’s a savings of $15 off the resort’s window ticket pricing — and one of the best deals available on every day, all day, unrestricted tickets for Tahoe’s best skiing and riding! Take advantage of this discount offer and purchase your e-Tickets now, using this login:

Club Name: snowpals
Password: kirkwood

Purchase Your Tickets Here
Print-at-home e-Tickets must be exchanged at the resort
for lift tickets. Present at any Kirkwood Ticket window!

Weekly Kirkwood lift tickets giveaway: buy discounted Kirkwood e-tickets from us and we’ll entered you into our weekly lift tickets giveaway. Every week we will give away two Kirkwood lift tickets to two lucky people chosen from the pool of people who have bought e-tickets from us. Winners’ names will be posted here starting on Monday 2/27/12 and every seven days thereafter for the duration of the snow season.

Kirkwood leads the way with 32 inches of snowfall over a 24 hour period followed by Sierra at Tahoe and Alpine Meadows both with 24 inches.

Check out live webcams for:

• Sierra at Tahoe
• Kirkwood
• Alpine Meadows
• other Tahoe area ski resorts

Planning a trip? Check out our tips on winter driving, and Caltrans road conditions and chains requirement.

The latest videos from -

Sierra at Tahoe:

Kirkwood Mountain Resort:

Alpine Meadows:

Snowfall totals report summary by tahoeweatherdiscussion.com – see the latest snow totals.

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• Consider ride sharing to Tahoe to reduce your carbon footprint, save money and expand your social circle in the process: http://www.snowpals.org/rideshare/
• Enjoy a full day of skiing or riding and let a professional driver transport you to your favorite Tahoe resort – use ‘snowpals12′ to get $6-$40 off Bay Area Ski Bus trips and ski & ride travel destinations.

For 2012, Snowpals selected Sports Basement as our meetup venue for Tahoe Ride sharing. Get entered into our weekly raffle prize giveaway provided by Sports Basement by liking our page at http://www.facebook.com/snowpals.sportsbasement.tahoerideshare to help us get the word out. We’ll select a winner from the pool of people who like our page starting on Monday 2/13/12 and every seven days thereafter for the duration of the snow season. Just like our page and check back every Monday to see if you have won a prize.

Want to meet people to ski and ride with? Attend our launch parties at Sports Basement:

Feb 1 South Bay Mixer | Feb 4 East Bay Mixer | Feb 25 SF Mixer

For most, the VholdR Contour GPS HD Action Camcorder is the best of the best: you can test drive it before committing to buying one. To rent it,  contact us.

The gist of it:

Rental fee: $10 per day or $15 for two days

Fully Refundable Rental Deposit: $299 via PayPal(accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and debit cards)

Rental Pick-Up Location: Cupertino, CA. Exact pick-up address will be provided once rental payment have been received. Other Bay Area locations to be arranged. Drop-off service available: a minimal drop-off fee may be assessed to cover delivery expense; contact us for details.

What’s included in the rental:

• ContourGPS Camcorder / Camera
• Upgraded 15 GB SD Card
• Waterproof Case: locks out moisture while still allowing fully featured operation and is waterproof up to 60 meters(196.8 feet)
• Rotating Flat Surface Mounts (2)
• Goggle Mount
• Rechargeable Battery
• USB Cable

Watch youtube reviews of the Contour GPS HD Video Camera:

- by RevZilla

- by pointofviewcameras

Watch a youtube video of snow sports highlights:

- by Contour GPS HD

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Photos submitted by Snowpals:

Squaw Valley USA on Thursday January 19, 2012 photo submitted by Kate N of San Francisco, CA:

Share your Tahoe Ski & Ride Photo(s).

We’re putting together a Tahoe photo contest; if you’d like to contribute prize(s) to our contest, please contact us.

• Consider ride sharing to Tahoe to reduce your carbon footprint, save money and expand your social circle in the process: http://www.snowpals.org/rideshare/
• Enjoy a full day of skiing or riding and let a professional driver transport you to your favorite Tahoe resort – use ‘snowpals12′ to get $6-$40 off Bay Area Ski Bus trips and ski & ride travel destinations.

If you missed our previous two Tahoe Rideshare mixers: 2/1 South Bay or 2/4 East Bay, we still have 1 remaining mixer in SF on SAT 2/25, 3pm to 5pm – RSVP required if you like to participate:

RSVP required. Participants must be on the guest list; RSVP at

http://new.evite.com/services/links/5ZPLHT6V7R

*If your RSVP have changed: please update before the event to reflect; those who are ‘no shows’ will be black listed from future events. Considerable time and expense goes into  these events, hence, we request courtesy.

Participants will get 20% off discount Sports Basement purchases and even with shop services: ski/snowboard shop repairs, tune-ups, etc.

RECAP: Congrats to our event raffle winners at our Sunnyvale & Walnut Creek mixers – we gave away some cool prizes:

+ Two lift tickets to any Tahoe ski resort winners choose
+ Two – $50 Sports Basement gift cards
+ Two – $25 Sports Basement gift cards
+ 10 Hot Ski & Snowboard Waxes
+ One night’s lodging at a ski lodge in North Lake Tahoe, Kings Beach, CA
+ * CONGRATS TO ROB M. for winning our grand prize giveaway. Rob, please contact us within 7 days(by 11:59 PM PST on 2/13/12) to claim your prize package. Grand prize package of two nights stay for two people at Clair Tappan, Sierra Club’s mountain lodge in North Lake Tahoe(close to Sugar Bowl) which includes three daily hearty, home-cooked, nutritious meals with your stay(prize package’s value: $260).

For 2012, SP is excited to announce Sports Basement as Snowpals’ designated
meetup venue for rideshares. Help us get the word out by “liking’ our facebook page and get entered into our weekly giveaway:

http://www.facebook.com/snowpals.sportsbasement.tahoerideshare?sk=wall

Sports Basement will select a winner starting 2/13/12 and every 7 days
thereafter for the snow season from the pool of people who ‘like’ our page.

The winner will have 6 days to claim his/her prize.

View event details and RSVP:

Feb 1 South Bay Mixer | Feb 4 East Bay Mixer | Feb 25 SF Mixer

This is a work in progress. We add more deals and places as we discover them. Members are encouraged to send in recommendations. Team SP will personally check them out and if we agree that they are, indeed, great recommendations, we’ll add them to this list.

Java Hut – We’ve been coming here for more years than we care to admit. Excellent java, good pastries, not a whole lot of seats, but we’re usually in a rush to get on the slopes. 8268 North Lake Blvd., Kings Beach, CA, 530-546-0602. Java Hut Review | Google 360 Degree Street View
“A memorable dining experience awaits you as you enter the Christy Hill Restaurant in the center of Tahoe City. The restaurant sits just 100 feet above the shoreline of Lake Tahoe on an elevated embankment offering diners a panoramic vista. The intimate setting offers guests a view that is only upstaged by the cuisine.” Great value gourmet eats and happy hour specials – a great way to relax apres ski. Christy Hill Tahoe City Dining by the Lake
Craving for pizza or a cold beer apres ski? Stop by Lakeside Restaurant, Pizza & Sports Bar located in Tahoe City for good eats & spectacular views year-round. Vist Lakeside Restaurant Sports Bar Tahoe City CA
Caliente is located in Kings Beach adjacent to the waterfront specializing in the flavor of the American Southwest. Check out their Tequila Thursdays Tastings and 1/2 off appetizers for happy hours. Visit Caliente North Lake Tahoe Kings Beach Southwest Mexican Restaurant and Bar
Tahoe Dave’s Skis & Boards(sales, rentals, service, repairs), since 1968, with four locations to choose from: two in Tahoe City; one at Kings Beach and one at Squaw Valley USA. Tahoe Dave’s Ski & Board
The Ridge Tahoe Resort has something for everyone: + Luxury Accommodations + Resort Amenities & Spa + Gourmet Dining + Tahoe Ski Packages . Check out the Ridge Tahoe Resort by Heavenly Ski Resort
“Tucked away on the eastern edge of spectacular Hope Valley, near South Lake Tahoe, Sorensen’s Resort is an ideal home base for recreation and relaxation all year long.” Sorensen’s Resort Winter and Summer Recreation and Lodging

Support SP by ordering a VIP (Very Intense Pals) T-shirt.

If you like what we do, please order our VIP T-shirt ($15) to support what we do so that we can keep bringing you ever more deals and fun social events. Hanes white T-shirts available in S, M, L, XL. Free pick up at events or priority mailed for $5. Email tim [at] snowpals [dot] org to order.

This T-shirt is your VIP membership to all this season’s VIP social events and activities, mixers(informal pizza & beer meetup, wine bars meetup), Tahoe resorts’ apres ski & ride meetup, Bay Area biking and hiking outing. You’ll get 50% off on event entry fees of all events. There will be other perks as well, such as lift ticket raffles and special promotional discounts at local businesses exclusive to VIP members.

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• Consider ride sharing to Tahoe to reduce your carbon footprint, save money and expand your social circle in the process: http://www.snowpals.org/rideshare/
• Enjoy a full day of skiing or riding and let a professional driver transport you to your favorite Tahoe resort – use ‘snowpals12′ to get $6-$40 off Bay Area Ski Bus trips and ski & ride travel destinations.

The club credits Ron Schwartz(elementary school teacher, ski instructor, compassionate charity/activity organizer) as the driving force behind the effort to give these youths their first skiing & snowboarding experience made possible with kind donations of ski, snowboard equipment, gear and snow sports clothing by Bay Area residents, sporting goods retailers and brand vendors.

About Sole Sole Technology:

“We have been in the Action Sports business for over 25 years designing & manufacturing skateboard footwear & apparel and in the snowboard boot business for over 15 years designing and manufacturing snowboard boots and outerwear under the thirtytwo brand. Check out our brand at:”

http://thirtytwo.com

Prospective Donors:

Consider giving to a good cause; donations to Snowpals are in turn given to a local charity or compassionate non-profit organization. To donate, please contact us.

Advance thanks! ♥

View a slideshow of some of the boots we are giving away.

Join SnowPals for our Jan 12 SF Mixer & Get connected for Tahoe Rideshare

This is our banner year. We are bringing you a whole slew of stuff, including more mixers, informal pizza & beer meets, wine bar meets, Tahoe deals & promos, ski leases, vacation rentals, rideshares, and our brand new VIP T-shirt (Very Intense Pals)!

Over the last 12 years, our members have formed numerous friendships and relationships. To our knowledge, our mixers have already resulted in three marriages!

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• Consider ride sharing to Tahoe to reduce your carbon footprint, save money and expand your social circle in the process: http://www.snowpals.org/rideshare/
• Enjoy a full day of skiing or riding and let a professional driver transport you to your favorite Tahoe resort – use ‘snowpals12′ to get $6-$40 off Bay Area Ski Bus trips and ski & ride travel destinations.

My name is Ron Schwartz, I’m preserting TGR’s Ski Film in Stockton as fundraiser to provide a ski / snowboard experience for less fortunate inner-city youths and I’m following up with a request for used ski and snowboard clothing and gear donations.

If you have used, yet still functional, winter clothing, parkas, fleeces, thermal underwear, gloves, old snowboards, skis that you no longer need, please consider donating them. Your donation would benefit the Edison High School Alpine Winter Sports Club serving less fortunate inner-city youths.

If it’s equipment donations, it has to be late model enough(for example, please no old straight skis or old ski bindings) so kids can learn how to easily ski and snowboard.

Please mail your donations to Ron Schwartz P.O. Box 4771 Stockton, CA 95204-4771

I can also pick up donations in the Bay Area from time-to-time; please contact me to make arrangements.

Our first ski trip will be to Bear Valley where the resort has a special first-timers program in mid-late January 2011.

The first trip includes rentals, but after that, the club will attempt to provide the necessary equipment with your kind donations. Special advance thanks for your consideration and kind donations.

If you have any questions or would like to contact me to arrange for a donation pick-up, please contact:

Ron Schwartz, 510.867.6825 or by email ronaldnathanschwartz2001@yahoo.com

Remember to say that you saw this donation request on SnowPals.

Thank you!

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• Consider ride sharing to Tahoe to reduce your carbon footprint, save money and expand your social circle in the process: http://www.snowpals.org/rideshare/
• Enjoy a full day of skiing or riding and let a professional driver transport you to your favorite Tahoe resort – use ‘snowpals12′ to get $6-$40 off Bay Area Ski Bus trips and ski & ride travel destinations.

Applies to ladder style chains (cable or link).

The following is not the instructions provided by chain manufacturers, but I know from years of experience that the following is the best method for front wheel drive or when using the front wheel as the chained wheels on all-wheel or 4 – wheel drive.

Park car on level ground.

Turn steering wheel to full left lock

Drapes chains OVER the left front tire such that the ends of the chains, at the back of the tire, just touch the pavement. If you have chains with adjustable straps, you want the NON-STRAP end, to be touching the pavement at the back of the tire.

Get in the car and prepare to go in reverse. Grasp the steering to prevent the steering wheel from self-straightening as you back up. Back up a very small amount (1/4th to 1/3rd of a revolution of car tires.) Since you are holding the steering wheel steady, the vehicle should describe a shallow “c” shape as you go back. DON’T LET THE FRONT WHEELS SELF-STRAIGHTEN!

Shift into park.

Get out and you will notice that because the tire on the driver side is “winged out”. It is easy to reach to the inside of the tire to grasp the ends of the chains and affix the connection device. YOU MUST AFFIX the inside first. Then affix the outside connection device. Do the driver’s side first so as to get a sense of how far the vehicle must move to affect a ¼th to 1/3rd tire rotation. You can see this when doing the left side, but not the right (passenger) side.

Turn the steering wheel to full right lock and repeat the entire procedure for the right front tire.

After both chains are installed, drive the vehicle back and forth in a straight line a few feet and then re-tighten them to get the cable chains to encircle the tire more tightly.

If you hear the chains slap against the inside of the wheel wells after they have been tightly adjusted as you drive, use rubber bungee cords or rubber chain tighteners, etc. to increase the tightness of the fit. ~ Ron

First layer: light silk, not polypropylene, not any other kind of synthetic. I like silk.

Second layer: polypropylene underwear or one of the newer synthetics designed for cold weather in a weight appropriate for the outside ambient temperature. I suggest you google or check wikipedia for ECWS Extended Cold Weather Clothing System designed by the US military to get the 4-1-1 on base layers.

Third layer (upper body): your favorite shirt/fleece (as long as it is not 100% cotton).

Forth layer (third layer, lower body): high tech outerwear of any name brand, the best being Gore-tex lined (or similar) Preferably you have side zipper/vents on the powder pants and armpit zippers/vents on the parka.

The thing about Alpine conditions in California is the very wide thermal range of the ambient temperature as night turns into day. This range demands layering. Normally what I do when I expect to encounter a wide temperature differential is to wear two sets of sheer silk thermal underwear and one set of medium polypro. Then as temperature go up with the rising sun on a bluebird day, I can remove one silk layers and go “one silky” and one polypro, or no polypro and “two silkies”. Because the layers I manipulate are usually silk, should I remove a layer, it balls up into a feather weight little ball which is easy to carry. In any event, I primarily manipulate the silk / polypro combos to adjust for temperature changes.

The thing about silk is that in addition to its thermal properties which work perfectly in a winter environment, it has a sort of a dry lubricating function between the skin and other clothing that eliminates bunching. It creates sort of a “naked feeling” under the clothing that for me really does translate in better riding/skiing skills because it is easier to sense slight kinesthetic changes, such sensations not “masked over” by the tactile sensation of clingy base layers.

I have no interest in Sierra Trading Post, but damn, that is the place to get ski clothing and if you shop them carefully, you can get the silk stuff at more than ½ off typical retail.

That’s how I do it ! See you on the slopes! ~ Ron