Tag Archives: tips

An Insider’s Guide to Ski Leases: Tips and Advice

Posted on by

apres-ski-club     heavenly-condo-rental

Ski Leases for families and groups. The Ins and Outs of Getting Into One.

I’d like to talk to you about ski leases. Not the kind to lease ski equipment, but condo and cabin rentals for an entire ski season for ski addicts like us. I had never heard of one until the end of last season. After I learned about them, they seemed so intriguing and beneficial to my situation that I had to learn more. I finally got into one and would like to tell you about my experience with my first ski lease. By doing so, I hope that you will gain some insight into them and learn about what they are and how you too can get into one. I’ll start with my story and then provide a general description of a ski lease and then some tips from people that have lots of experience with them. Hopefully this will help you into your very own ski lease either for your family or for your group of ski and snowboarding buddies.

When I discovered ski leases I saw them as a great ski housing opportunity for me and my family. You see, I’ve come back to skiing full tilt after almost 20 years of hiatus. Back in the day, I skied every opportunity I could get and being young and without responsibilities, never had an issue finding a place to crash when up in Tahoe. Back then, the freedom of being able to drive up to Tahoe, bum around, ski lots and have really no worries about a place to stay was taken for granted.

Flash forward twenty some-odd years and is it still that way? We all know that answer to that. Marriage and kids have become the major parts of the equation. Since the kids are now old enough to ski all day without a meltdown, we can go up quite a lot. However now when we go its not just me and my buds anymore. Can you imagine going up to Tahoe with my wife and three kids to just show up at someone’s place ready to crash there? It just doesn’t work that way anymore.

What is a family to do? Buying a ski house is out of the question right now. We could book a hotel stay, but that gets very expensive especially for those of us with a ski season pass with the goal of getting in as many ski days as possible. How about day trips? We had to go that route towards the end of last season because we were spending an ungodly amount of money on hotel stays. I’m sure I’m in a similar boat with many of you out there. The solution for someone like us was the seasonal ski lease.

What is it? Basically it is a rental of a condo or cabin in Tahoe for the ski season. If you know you’re going to Tahoe often for skiing then renting a condo/cabin for the ski season is a great alternative to paying for hotels/other lodging each time you go up. It can be more cost effective but also more convenient because you can leave your ski gear and clothing at your ski lease cabin and not worry about having a place to stay and the chore of having to pack for every ski trip. Combined with a season pass to your favorite ski resort, the major expenses are covered and you’ll only have the cost of meals and gas to worry about. If you’re a ski nut like me and aren’t yet in a similar situation, I can’t express how priceless it is to have peace of mind, comfort, and the convenience of having a ski season pass and a place to stay anytime during the season taken care of.

If you’re ready to take the plunge into a ski lease, how do you get into one of these great deals? Through my research, I’ve discovered three ways.

(1) – you can deal directly with the owner of a property and lease the place for you and your family or group for friends for the season. If that is too costly, then you could ask families/friends that you know if they’d want to go in with you and share the cost of the lease. You can find a winter lease to rent for the ski season by searching on Craigslist, VRBO, Airbnb, etc – just ask the owner if he/she is opened to a seasonal lease.

(2) – you could contact a local professional that brokers these kinds of deals. I haven’t had much luck finding these professionals though. From what I’ve heard and if you can find one, they can put you in touch with owners that are looking to rent out their property. Once in touch with the owner, you could do the lease yourself or put together a group of members to split the cost.

(3) – you could go to online resources and search for individuals that already have a deal in place with the owner of the property and are looking for additional “members” to join their lease group or a family willing to share a family lease share. For those of you that are new to this, this route is probably the easiest way to enter the ski lease world. SnowPals is a great resource for Tahoe ski leases organized by various groups and has an entire section dedicated to available Tahoe area ski lease share opportunities. For those of you looking for ski lease share offerings in areas outside of Tahoe, check out postings in TGR, EpicSki forums or Craigslist for postings.

The cost per membership varies and there are so many options out there. I’ve seen listings on SnowPals for full season (typically December to April) ski lease membership for one person from $700 all the way to $2500. If you’re single and can spend just $700 for lodging for an entire season–that’s an amazing deal; let’s say you stay at the ski lease for a total of 30 nights, your cost per night would be $23.34 per night. Naturally, the more nights you stay, the more value you get from the ski lease. Signing up for ski lease membership is a great way to maximize your ski season pass since it encourages you to go up to Tahoe the night before and be close to the ski resort and can take advantage of a good night’s rest and get the chance to ski/ride fresh tracks/powder when resorts start up their lifts. Also, the value of beating the crowds and traffic to the resort is priceless; how many times have you been stuck in traffic or frustrated with locating free parking spaces? In addition, getting into a ski lease gives you the chance to expand your social circle and make new friends.

So, how did I find my ski lease? I got into mine by letting everyone I knew know that I wanted to learn about ski leases and my desire of joining one. Within a short period of time, a friend contacted me to ask if my wife and I would be willing to go in with them on a ski lease. He knew the owners of a great place in Truckee and they mentioned to him that they wanted to rent the place for the ski season. I told him absolutely and that we should jump on that. We brought our families together along with one other family and now we have a great house to stay in any time we want from Dec 14 to May 15. Each “member” in our group is a family. We each paid an equal lump sum on November 1, have no guest fees and our lump sum cost includes all utilities and snow removal. It is such a great deal. Of course, if another family is up there when we go up, we must share the space with them, but since we all know each other and our kids are all friends, other members being up there makes our stay more fun. Also a great benefit is that we take turns watching the kids so each set of parents get some down time. We also rotate turns cooking so that gives us more quality family time to enjoy our time together.

So what are some of the pitfalls? There have to be some, right? From my research, most pitfalls come from a misunderstanding of the rules of use when in a group ski lease. If you leased the place on your own, then the rules are yours and yours alone. However, if you are going into a ski lease as part of a group, then it is important to understand the rules otherwise there could be trouble. Of course it is important to click with the other members and if you do then it is important to nail down whatever rules all the members of the ski lease decide on in a clear and concise written agreement. Here are some things to consider from my wise and experienced ski lease mates, Eric and Andy:

  • What does your membership cost include? Make sure you know up front what your membership cost includes and what other expenses (if any) you’ll be responsible for at the end of the lease (e.g. utilities, firewood, hot tub maintenance, snow removal, house cleaning services, etc.)
  • Guest fees. Some ski leases charge “guest fees” for non-members to stay overnight to cover any additional expenses for lease. Make sure you are clear about guest fees in your ski lease and the rules for them
  • Parking. What are rules for parking? Last thing you want is to go up late Friday night and not have a parking space or at least be prepared for no parking space. Consider the option to carpool or ride share to your ski cabin if you don’t have alot of people in your family and empty seats in the van/SUV.
  • Storage of your stuff. Can you store stuff at the ski cabin/ski lease and if so what are the rules and where do you store your stuff?
  • Priority for bedrooms. If it is important for you to be in a bedroom, then what are the chances that you might not get one if everyone in the membership happens to be up at the same time. Some ski leases have agreements to allocate a dedicated bedroom where it is solely yours for the entire season which is very beneficial to bringing your own bedding and store your winter clothing and gear in the closet for convenience and easy access.

So, if you go up to Tahoe a lot and need the convenience of your own home without the financial commitment, but want a more cost effective solution than hotels/motels, a ski lease is the way to go. There are so many different options available out there. A great place to start is to browse available ski lease memberships organized by families or group of skiers/snowboarders to share a ski cabin. If you’re in a different area than Tahoe, you can also try craigslist, TGR, EpicSki, SnowHeads forum and other places online in your search to join a ski lease.

Many thanks to Eric and Andy, my ski lease mates who share their many years of experience and useful advice on how best to get into a ski lease and to reap the benefits of maximizing our ski season pass, lodging cost savings and most of all, deepening our friendship with shared experiences. Also many thanks to those of you who provided me with some great stories and advice.

For rental property and ski lease tips/guide/how to, read ..

✔ Read advice and tips on how to draft effective rental property/lease agreements to protect your rental property.

✔ Are you part of a family or group ski lease cabin share and would like to use online Calendars and Management Tools to help you coordinate, and have a central point to communicate with ski lease members? Read this.

✔ Looking to create a ski lease members group to share the cost of a ski house/cabin lease, have a place to store your gear and to expand your circle of ski, ride buddies? List your ski lease or if you are a property owner, advertise your vacation rental. Browse available ski leases to join. Planning a Lake Tahoe getaway or looking to lease a rental? Browse Tahoe rentals.

✔ While preparing for your ski trip ensure you have or are going to rent yourself the perfect ski gear, especially good ski jackets, pants, or onesies.

New to SnowPals? Join us to expand your circle of ski and ride buddies and Tahoe ride-share contacts for powder trips to Tahoe and to powder resorts in Utah, Colorado, British Columbia, etc.

Read more about ski leases and/or list yours

Take care and enjoy!

Joe Woo is SnowPals’ Resident Ski Gear Tester & Columnist. He lives with his family in the North Bay.

♥ Share this with friends and family via , twitter, facebook.

 

 

 

 

 

Planning a Tahoe Trip? Read Insiders’ Tips/Share Yours to Win Lodging Stay, Ski Bus Trip

Posted on by

tahoe-ski-trips-logo

Planning a getaway to Lake Tahoe to enjoy snow-sports​?​

Page last updated: Feb 28, 2022 at 10:00 AM PST

Scroll down the page to read our ‘Best of Tahoe List’ and ti​​ps ​from veteran skiers and boarders who frequents Lake Tahoe resorts for snow sports recreation 😉

– pitstops en route to/from Lake Tahoe; best pricing gas stations to fill-up gas
– North Tahoe & South Tahoe apres-ski spots/venues + happy hour deals
– pet-friendly hotels
– pet-sitting
– winter driving tips: best snow tires, AWD, 4WD, Dual Motor EV
– wind protected Tahoe resorts on high wind gusts days(which causes ski lift closures especially ones to the mountain’s summit), etc.

Please note, this giveaway is held in conjunction with SnowPals ski, ride Tahoe powder video contest. 

Congrats to the winners!

Please by email [ contactus @ snowpals.org ] within 7 days to claim your prize:

(1) Grand prize Tahoe ski bus day trip winner David’s GoPro POWDER DAY video (imdave___ @ gmail.com) Grand Prize giveaway sponsored by Tahoe Ski Trips (expires 12/31/2023; view the bus trip schedule). David made it to Tahoe after December 2021 back to back snow storms that dropped over 200+ inches of fresh snow; he skis untracked virgin powder freshies on Dec 30, 2021 with a smile that says it all: joie de vie!

View ski/ride powder videos from our previous years’ contest.

(2) Congrats to Rinda S (herst___ @ msn.com) on winning a one weekdays night stay at the Mellow Mountain Hostel by Heavenly Resort for sharing her Tahoe tip:

“Kirkwood parking attendances will direct you to a lower parking lot near Timber Creek when the upper lot gets full. These lower lots have no EV charging available. If you let them know you need to go to the Mountain Club, they will let you go to the upper lots, where there are EV charging stations for free. 🙂 ”

(3) Congrats to Diana E (D_EDWARDS @ GMAIL.COM) won an unrestricted lift ticket to Bear Valley Resort (expires end of winter 2021-22 season). Her Tahoe pitstop tip:

“When headed to north Lake Tahoe from the Bay we like to stop and use the restrooms at Ikeda’s in Auburn. The restrooms open up at about 7am and are cleaned first thing even though the store and restaurant are not opened yet. Fresh clean restrooms for the win!

Also a fantastic, albeit crowded stop on the way home for delish pies, fresh local produce, and delicious burgers.
https://www.ikedas.com

Best garlic fries in the Tahoe basin at Inclined Burgers and Brews in Incline Village.
https://inclinedburgersandbrew.com/

(4) Congrats to Achal (achalas___ @ gmail.com) won a $20 credit that can be applied to any upcoming SnowPals social events(in the works: wine tastings on the patio). Tahoe tip:

When a storm system comes in and you are considering driving up, always check/bookmark for easy access on road conditions using Caltrans’ QuickMap app iOS or andriod or their website – http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ – includes reliable information and camera along the highway leading into Tahoe!

Get notified of upcoming contests/giveaways, events, Lake Tahoe ski resorts, hotel deals, etc, subscribe to our “All Things Tahoe” newsletter or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter.

New to SnowPals? Join to expand your circle of snow sports recreational activity partners and engage in an active lifestyle: view membership perks.

Tahoe Ski Trip Tips

Travis S. tips:

(1) What is your favorite place for a pitstop whenever you drive to and from Tahoe & why?

Burger Barn in Pollock Pines. Quirky staff, cheap but good food, and really good meat and veggie burgers. https://www.yelp.com/biz/burger-barn-pollock-pines

(2) Owners of all wheel drive vehicles, this tip is for those looking to buy an AWD or 4WD vehicle for Tahoe trips/driving on snow/icy roads, what make & model do you recommend? why?

I think it’s less about the model and more about getting snow tires. They make all the difference.

(3) For winter snow & icy roads, which tire brand do you use and recommend for best traction control and why?

I like and use Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires. They’ve served me well, from Tahoe to Montana, Colorado, Utah, and all over icy/snowy conditions in the west.

(4) For Apres ski & ride, what places do you like to hang out to enjoy drinks / snacks? happy hour?

Tahoe Aleworx in South Lake Tahoe is the best. You can’t beat RFID wristbands to pour your own beer 🙂
They have 2 locations in South Lake Tahoe (Stateline near Heavenly Village and at the “Y”).

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lake-tahoe-aleworx-south-lake-tahoe

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lake-tahoe-aleworx-stateline-stateline

(5) Winter snow and ice driving and safety tips?

I’ve seen countless people driving to and from Tahoe in cars that have no business being in the mountains in snow and icy conditions. Have or use 4WD/AWD *and* snow tires!

(6) Which resort do you recommend for first time beginners and advance level/expert skiers and snowboarders?

– True beginners/first timers: Tahoe Donner
– Beginners: Sierra at Tahoe, Northstar
– Advanced: Heavenly, Kirkwood, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows

(8) What’s your favorite Tahoe area for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing?

Sugar Bowl/Royal Gorge
Camp Richardson
Kirkwood
Tahoe XC

(9) On high wind days, which resort is your go to that is mostly protected from high wind/gusts? FYI, on high wind days, many resorts put ski lifts on wind hold; to avoid, good to know which resort is unlikely to be affected?

– Homewood
– Northstar
– Sierra at Tahoe

(10) For those who are new to skiing and snowboarding, what are your tips for gear? Buy new or used? Learn from friends/family or from ski resorts experts?

If planning to develop and progress, buy new. If just going for a few times then buy used or rent.

(11) What’s your favorite place for Tahoe area petsitting?

– Truckee Tahoe Pet Lodge (Truckee)
– https://tahoebestfriends.com/ (South Lake Tahoe)

(12) Which Tahoe area resort have the best lake view run?

Heavenly-Ridge Run

(14) What’s your favorite Tahoe area hotel? Fave hotels that are dog & pet-friendly?

– Edgewood is the best, and priced accordingly.
– Best pet friendly: Basecamp (South Lake Tahoe & Tahoe City) or a vacation rental (such as those found on dogtrekker.com

###

Marc D tips:

(1) What is your favorite place for a pitstop whenever you drive to and from Tahoe & why?

If driving to South Lake Tahoe, one good pitstop for the cheapest gas and coffee is the new Fuel Express Station between Folsom and Placerville. Stay along highway US-50 and take exit 39 for Shingle Springs Dr.

Coming back from SLT along the US-50 after a good skiing day, best is to escape SLT before traffic builds, drive all the way to Placerville where you can enjoy the best BBQ in town at the Hog Wild Bar-B-Que (good food and reasonable price). If you are not a meat fan, then not far away still in Placerville is Let’s Poke restaurant. Quick and delicious.

(2) Owners of all wheel drive vehicles, this tip is for those looking to buy an AWD or 4WD vehicle for Tahoe trips/driving on snow/icy roads, what make & model do you recommend? why?

Some newer cars like the RAV4 AWD, it is not AWD all the time but when required. This is good if you are driving on fresh snow on a flat road but I don’t like it when going downhill or uphill. So check your car before driving to ensure it is full time AWD or if it is a 4WD then put it to 4H and drive carefully.

(3) For winter snow & icy roads, which tire brand do you use and recommend for best traction control and why?

The best is to have studded snow tires but we all know most of the people live in the Bay Area and can’t have these snow tires in the city. So another safe option is to have All Season Tires. These tires can be identified with a Mountain / snowflake Symbol on the side of the tire or an M+S label.

(4) For Apres ski & ride, what places do you like to hang out to enjoy drinks / snacks? happy hour?

Again this is for Skiing Heavenly and staying in SLT.
If skiing from the Gondola, then you have multiple choices for drinks and food for Après-Ski.
Azul Kitchen and California Burger in Heavenly Village have good happy hour deals (4 to 6pm) and good food too.

The best pizza is not far too at the Base Camp Pizza Company just next to the Gondola.

If you are parked at the California lodge (top of Ski run Blvd) then don’t worry no need to drive after your long epic day. Himmel Haus is a great German restaurant across the street from the parking lot and have great drinks and food.

(5) Winter snow and ice driving and safety tips?

Driving on snow is tricky and the best is to avoid sudden braking or turning. Try to use engine braking when going downhill versus braking all the time. Don’t use your phone and get distracted, again sudden reactions when driving on snow can lead you to an accident.

Accelerating, stopping and turning take longer and are less predictable when driving on snow.
Slow driving is the key to maintaining control.

(6) Which resort do you recommend for first time beginners and advance level/expert skiers and snowboarders?

– for first timers, Heavenly has good easy runs (maybe easier on California side), but another great and easy resort (my favorite) is Northstar. Very convenient for families.

– for advance skiers and snowboarders, then Squaw Valley and Kirkwood are the best places around Tahoe to enjoy double diamond runs and push your skiing limits.

(7) For Lake Tahoe backcountry skiing/snowboarding, what are 2-3 of your favorite backcountry areas?

The north side of the lake (around Mt Rose) has great backcountry areas.

Also the road to Kirkwood along the 88 has multiple spots for backcountry (Waterhouse peak being the easiest).

Best is to check the App Snow Project for locations and levels.

(9) On high wind days, which resort is your go to that is mostly protected from high wind/gusts? FYI, on high wind days, many resorts put ski lifts on wind hold; to avoid, good to know which resort is unlikely to be affected?

Both Heavenly and Kirkwood get very windy during stormy days. Heavenly is probably the one that shuts down first.

Squaw as well is known to receive strong winds.

Northstar on the contrary is well protected from winds, being in the back side of Lake Tahoe so that would be my best option in a bad stormy day.

(12) Which Tahoe area resort have the best lake view run?

For best views over Lake Tahoe I recommend Heavenly and Mt Rose.

(13) What’s your favorite Tahoe area restaurant / eatery?

Basecamp Pizza Co is the best but it gets very busy.

Heidi’s pancake house has the best breakfasts.

###

Adam J tips: is our 2nd prize winner; he innovates with his Subaru DIY POWder chaser makeshift sleeping pad so he can be slope-side for first tracks – see pic below (passionate pow seeker sans ski cabin)

Screen Shot 2019-01-24 at 3.05.15 PM

(1) What is your favorite DIY money-saving strategy for Tahoe trips?

My greatest realization was that with a little bit of effort, I can make the back of my Subaru a very comfortable (and cheap) place to sleep for the night. So now, I drive up to the Truckee rest stop the night before, crash out in back since I’m usually tired from driving, and then pop up bright and early in the morning and I’m parked in the front row of free parking at Squaw within 20 minutes. Then I can take my time getting ready cuz I’ve already got a great parking spot! I love it.

(2) Owners of all wheel drive vehicles, this tip is for those looking to buy an AWD or 4WD vehicle for Tahoe trips/driving on snow/icy roads, what make & model do you recommend? why?

Subaru. Period. Also, luggage racks make your car top-heavy and reduce fuel efficiency people.

(3) For winter snow & icy roads, which tire brand do you use and recommend for best traction control and why?

Anything at Costco, mostly because they will do rotations for free. More importantly, have a good set of CHAINS. Also, make sure to test the chains before you need them! Amazon sometimes sends you chains for a different tire size by mistake.

(4) For Apres ski & ride, what places do you like to hang out to enjoy drinks / snacks? happy hour?

My backpack. The resort takes enough of my money. My wife’s sammiches are the bomb! Also, remember those lil flasks you see people use on tv? They work well for apres ski, too!

(5) Winter snow and ice driving and safety tips?

Checklist: Chains (that fit), good tires (lots o tread left), and good wipers (Rain-x, baby!). Don’t crowd the plow!

(10) For those who are new to skiing and snowboarding, what are your tips for gear? Buy new or used? Learn from friends/family or from ski resorts experts?

Thicker socks don’t help! If your feet are cold, they probably aren’t getting sufficient circulation (took me years to figure this out). Try loosening your boots.

🏂⛷❄️❄️❄️

Check out our Tahoe money saving tips such as where to go for lift ticket deals, free birthday lift ticket, learn to ski, snowboard package deals, apres ski happy hour venues, etc at

http://www.snowpals.org/deals/daily-tahoe-tips/

###

* Join our fun informal happy hour meetups organized by our members to connect for Tahoe ridesharing (share expenses, help reduce impact to our environment, expand your contacts for ski & ride buddies).

* Got a 60 seconds GoPRO video of you skiing or riding POW? Enter our skiing / riding POWDER contest.

* Plan a Tahoe getaway: browse Tahoe vacation rentals or those with a season pass, join a ski lease to set a new personal record for most ski and ride days.

* Book a discount SF Bay Area to Tahoe ski resorts trip: one day, overnight and 7+ day trips; also makes a great gift for holidays, birthdays, etc.

* Rideshare to your favorite Tahoe resort and for those who are holders of Epic Pass, Ikon Pass, Mountain Collective Pass, or other multi-resort season pass, connect for POWDER trips to Utah, Colorado, Whistler, Europe, Japan, South America and other worldwide snow destinations.

♥ Share this page with friends and family via , twitter, facebook.

~*~*~*~

How to enter our giveaway

Share a Tahoe tip that’s not already listed below to get entered into SnowPals’ giveaway of one night’s lodging stay in South Lake Tahoe by Heavenly Mountain Resort or win our grand prize of a Ski Bus Trip..

First prize: Ski Bus Day Trip of your Choice (expires 12/31/2023) sponsored by Tahoe Ski Trips (view the bus trip schedule).

Second prize: Mellow Mountain Hostel (weekday night’s stay). ‘Surrounded by pine trees, this laid-back hostel is 11 minutes by foot from Lakeside Beach along Lake Tahoe. It’s a 3-minute walk from the Heavenly Ski Resort and a 5-minute walk from the
Stateline Transit Center.’ View Map/driving directions.

Third Prize: Free entry to any SnowPals Events (a $20 value to cover event fee; expires 12/31/2025)

Giveaway entry submission deadline: 11 PM PST on Sunday February 20, 2022. Winners will be announced on Monday Feb 28.

Click here to submit your Tahoe Tips (opens in a new window).

How to Increase Bookings for your Airbnb, VRBO, Zillow, HomeAway, FlipKey Listing!

Posted on by

a01

How for Increase Bookings for your Airbnb, VRBO, Zillow, FlipKey and HomeAway Listing! A Property Owner’s Guide of Proven Tips on How to Successfully Rent/Lease Out Your Rental Property

We won’t waste your time so let’s get to it:

(1) Professional photography highly recommended – this is the most important factor if you’d like to attract renters over other listings in the same geographical area. Invest the money to hire a pro photographer to take photos of your rental property especially to feature the amenities that make your rental stands out from the rest, be it hot tub, lake views, prime location, etc.

Even if you have a tight budget, consider hiring an ‘up and coming’ photographer from Craigslist to take professional looking photos of your vacation home/ski lease rental property. And yes, it’s true: “a picture is worth a thousand words” and photos are priceless when it comes to instant appeal which will get you more clicks on your rental listing which equates to more booking inquiries.

Considered yourself an amateur photographer? Got an eye for optimum lighting, composition, and choice angles? Go at it but here are some photography tips to help you get started from www.liv.rent and www.fitsmallbusiness.com/real-estate-photography-tips.

Also, be sure to implement tips on how best to decorate your rental property/ski lease for maximum appeal by implementing visual decorating tips on Pinterest.

Like to see an example of a photo that sells it? Here’s what we called a ‘money shot’ because yes, it brings in the money 😉

truckee-ski-lease-share-2020

A prime examples of listings with stellar photos:

* http://www.snowpals.org/leases/latitude-39-lodge-lease/

(2) Take time to write a clear and concise description of your rental/ski lease listing and be sure to include things such as:

* amenities? what makes your rental property unique? prime location at the base of Squaw? hot tub and sauna?
* how many people can your property sleep/accommodate? How many beds and baths total?
* location and proximity of your property in relation to points of interests in the area: resorts, restaurants, grocery markets, etc.
* is this a family type rental or a group type rental?
* duration of rental/lease: daily, monthly or winter seasonal lease?
* rental/lease rates: discount if booked for longer term? Security deposit? Cleaning fee? Snow plow service included? Utilities included?
* how many covered parking spaces? flat driveway?
* pet friendly? other restrictions?
* for group ski lease, guest fees? full time residence ok?
* for ski lease group, it’s good idea to describe age range of people in the group and preferences for social activities, apres ski happy hour, family type shared meals, etc
* best way to contact you: by email, phone, text or?
* what basic information would you like from potential renters or ski lease members to provide as part of initial email contact so you can get an idea of who they are? Ask renters to share something about themselves such as profession, LinkedIn profile, FB, Instagram, etc.

(3) Make use of well written rental agreements:

Your rental agreement is essential for setting expectations between you and your guests/renters/lease members! It provides a sense of security for all parties involved, and defines the rules and policies for the property prior to their stay. Some key items to include in rental/lease agreements:

* Dates
* Rates/Payment
* Maximum Occupancy
* Cancellation Policies
* House Rules (very important to be specific)
* Check In/Out procedures (be clear & specific)
* Damage Policy

Consider having your renters/lease members read and sign House Rules and rental policies to show that they clearly understood your rental terms prior to their stay. For example, include in your policy things like where guests can smoke, where they can’t smoke (a fine is levied if they are caught smoking where they aren’t allowed to). Consider including rules and policies on pets, occupancy and type of use (no wild parties, etc).

Visit the following sites to view some examples/templates of Lake Tahoe area lease/rental agreements/terms/contracts/policies:

Template 1

Template 2

Template 3

Template 4

Template 5

(4) Complete a rental market research ‘due diligence’: ask yourself.. ‘have I priced my rental or ski lease competitively for the current rental market for my geographical area my rental is located in?’

Do some market research and make sure to price ‘apples to apples’ comparison based on rental location, number of bedrooms, baths, amenities, square footage, etc. If you don’t nail your rental pricing competitively, you won’t get as many rental inquiries no matter how pretty your rental photos look.

Now to rental market research; first off browse on our rentals/private ski lease listings and/or browse group/family share ski lease listings to get an idea of what prices are like for comparable rentals/ski leases.

Next, perform keyword searches on Airbnb, VRBO and Craigslist among other rental sites to get an idea of what is the current market rate for rentals/ski leases.

(5) Lastly, leverage your social connections (before you submit your listing) by asking family and friends to give you feedback on ways to improve your rental/ski lease listing for clarity, conciseness and appeal.

More rental property and ski lease tips ..

* Read advice and tips on how to draft effective rental property/lease agreements to protect your rental property.

* Are you part of a family or group ski lease cabin share and would like to use online Calendars and Management Tools to help you coordinate, and have a central point to communicate with ski lease members? Read this.

* Looking to create a ski lease members group to share the cost of a ski house/cabin lease, have a place to store your gear and to expand your circle of ski, ride buddies? List your ski lease.

* New to SnowPals? Join us to expand your circle of ski and ride buddies and Tahoe ride-share contacts for powder trips to Tahoe and to powder resorts in Utah, Colorado, British Columbia, etc.

Upcoming

* Join our winter season kickoffs throughout the SF Bay Area for drinks + eats. Get stoked by watching ski/ride film screenings. Join our engagingly fun events to connect with skiers, boarders for winter season ride-sharing to/from Tahoe resorts.

♥ Share this page with friends and family via , twitter, facebook.

 

 

tags: airbnb, vrbo listing tips

Best of Tahoe List: pitstops, apres-ski venues, pet-friendly hotels, etc

Posted on by

tahoe-ski-trips-logo

Thank you everyone for your vote for our ‘Best of Tahoe List” and tips. Congrats to winners (announced on Tuesday January 22, 2019 at 11 pm PST) on our Facebook page 🙂

Planning a getaway to Lake Tahoe to enjoy snow-sports​?​

Check out our ‘Best of Tahoe List’ and ti​​ps ​from our veteran skiers and boarders 😉

– pitstops en route to/from Lake Tahoe; best place to refill gas for low prices
– North Tahoe & South Tahoe apres-ski spots/venues + happy hour deals
– pet-friendly hotels
– pet-sitting
– winter driving tips
– wind protected Tahoe resorts, etc.

Travis S. tips:

(1) What is your favorite place for a pitstop whenever you drive to and from Tahoe & why?

Burger Barn in Pollock Pines. Quirky staff, cheap but good food, and really good meat and veggie burgers. https://www.yelp.com/biz/burger-barn-pollock-pines

(2) Owners of all wheel drive vehicles, this tip is for those looking to buy an AWD or 4WD vehicle for Tahoe trips/driving on snow/icy roads, what make & model do you recommend? why?

I think it’s less about the model and more about getting snow tires. They make all the difference.

(3) For winter snow & icy roads, which tire brand do you use and recommend for best traction control and why?

I like and use Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires. They’ve served me well, from Tahoe to Montana, Colorado, Utah, and all over icy/snowy conditions in the west.

(4) For Apres ski & ride, what places do you like to hang out to enjoy drinks / snacks? happy hour?

Tahoe Aleworx in South Lake Tahoe is the best. You can’t beat RFID wristbands to pour your own beer 🙂
They have 2 locations in South Lake Tahoe (Stateline near Heavenly Village and at the “Y”).

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lake-tahoe-aleworx-south-lake-tahoe

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lake-tahoe-aleworx-stateline-stateline

(5) Winter snow and ice driving and safety tips?

I’ve seen countless people driving to and from Tahoe in cars that have no business being in the mountains in snow and icy conditions. Have or use 4WD/AWD *and* snow tires!

(6) Which resort do you recommend for first time beginners and advance level/expert skiers and snowboarders?

– True beginners/first timers: Tahoe Donner
– Beginners: Sierra at Tahoe, Northstar
– Advanced: Heavenly, Kirkwood, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows

(8) What’s your favorite Tahoe area for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing?

Sugar Bowl/Royal Gorge
Camp Richardson
Kirkwood
Tahoe XC

(9) On high wind days, which resort is your go to that is mostly protected from high wind/gusts? FYI, on high wind days, many resorts put ski lifts on wind hold; to avoid, good to know which resort is unlikely to be affected?

– Homewood
– Northstar
– Sierra at Tahoe

(10) For those who are new to skiing and snowboarding, what are your tips for gear? Buy new or used? Learn from friends/family or from ski resorts experts?

If planning to develop and progress, buy new. If just going for a few times then buy used or rent.

(11) What’s your favorite place for Tahoe area petsitting?

– Truckee Tahoe Pet Lodge (Truckee)
– https://tahoebestfriends.com/ (South Lake Tahoe)

(12) Which Tahoe area resort have the best lake view run?

Heavenly-Ridge Run

(14) What’s your favorite Tahoe area hotel? Fave hotels that are dog & pet-friendly?

– Edgewood is the best, and priced accordingly.
– Best pet friendly: Basecamp (South Lake Tahoe & Tahoe City) or a vacation rental (such as those found on dogtrekker.com

###

Marc D tips:

(1) What is your favorite place for a pitstop whenever you drive to and from Tahoe & why?

If driving to South Lake Tahoe, one good pitstop for the cheapest gas and coffee is the new Fuel Express Station between Folsom and Placerville. Stay along highway US-50 and take exit 39 for Shingle Springs Dr.

Coming back from SLT along the US-50 after a good skiing day, best is to escape SLT before traffic builds, drive all the way to Placerville where you can enjoy the best BBQ in town at the Hog Wild Bar-B-Que (good food and reasonable price). If you are not a meat fan, then not far away still in Placerville is Let’s Poke restaurant. Quick and delicious.

(2) Owners of all wheel drive vehicles, this tip is for those looking to buy an AWD or 4WD vehicle for Tahoe trips/driving on snow/icy roads, what make & model do you recommend? why?

Some newer cars like the RAV4 AWD, it is not AWD all the time but when required. This is good if you are driving on fresh snow on a flat road but I don’t like it when going downhill or uphill. So check your car before driving to ensure it is full time AWD or if it is a 4WD then put it to 4H and drive carefully.

(3) For winter snow & icy roads, which tire brand do you use and recommend for best traction control and why?

The best is to have studded snow tires but we all know most of the people live in the Bay Area and can’t have these snow tires in the city. So another safe option is to have All Season Tires. These tires can be identified with a Mountain / snowflake Symbol on the side of the tire or an M+S label.

(4) For Apres ski & ride, what places do you like to hang out to enjoy drinks / snacks? happy hour?

Again this is for Skiing Heavenly and staying in SLT.
If skiing from the Gondola, then you have multiple choices for drinks and food for Après-Ski.
Azul Kitchen and California Burger in Heavenly Village have good happy hour deals (4 to 6pm) and good food too.

The best pizza is not far too at the Base Camp Pizza Company just next to the Gondola.

If you are parked at the California lodge (top of Ski run Blvd) then don’t worry no need to drive after your long epic day. Himmel Haus is a great German restaurant across the street from the parking lot and have great drinks and food.

(5) Winter snow and ice driving and safety tips?

Driving on snow is tricky and the best is to avoid sudden braking or turning. Try to use engine braking when going downhill versus braking all the time. Don’t use your phone and get distracted, again sudden reactions when driving on snow can lead you to an accident.

Accelerating, stopping and turning take longer and are less predictable when driving on snow.
Slow driving is the key to maintaining control.

(6) Which resort do you recommend for first time beginners and advance level/expert skiers and snowboarders?

– for first timers, Heavenly has good easy runs (maybe easier on California side), but another great and easy resort (my favorite) is Northstar. Very convenient for families.

– for advance skiers and snowboarders, then Squaw Valley and Kirkwood are the best places around Tahoe to enjoy double diamond runs and push your skiing limits.

(7) For Lake Tahoe backcountry skiing/snowboarding, what are 2-3 of your favorite backcountry areas?

The north side of the lake (around Mt Rose) has great backcountry areas.

Also the road to Kirkwood along the 88 has multiple spots for backcountry (Waterhouse peak being the easiest).

Best is to check the App Snow Project for locations and levels.

(9) On high wind days, which resort is your go to that is mostly protected from high wind/gusts? FYI, on high wind days, many resorts put ski lifts on wind hold; to avoid, good to know which resort is unlikely to be affected?

Both Heavenly and Kirkwood get very windy during stormy days. Heavenly is probably the one that shuts down first.

Squaw as well is known to receive strong winds.

Northstar on the contrary is well protected from winds, being in the back side of Lake Tahoe so that would be my best option in a bad stormy day.

(12) Which Tahoe area resort have the best lake view run?

For best views over Lake Tahoe I recommend Heavenly and Mt Rose.

(13) What’s your favorite Tahoe area restaurant / eatery?

Basecamp Pizza Co is the best but it gets very busy.

Heidi’s pancake house has the best breakfasts.

###

Adam J tips: is our 2nd prize winner; he innovates with his Subaru DIY POWder chaser makeshift sleeping pad so he can be slope-side for first tracks – see pic below (passionate pow seeker sans ski cabin)

Screen Shot 2019-01-24 at 3.05.15 PM

(1) What is your favorite DIY money-saving strategy for Tahoe trips?

My greatest realization was that with a little bit of effort, I can make the back of my Subaru a very comfortable (and cheap) place to sleep for the night. So now, I drive up to the Truckee rest stop the night before, crash out in back since I’m usually tired from driving, and then pop up bright and early in the morning and I’m parked in the front row of free parking at Squaw within 20 minutes. Then I can take my time getting ready cuz I’ve already got a great parking spot! I love it.

(2) Owners of all wheel drive vehicles, this tip is for those looking to buy an AWD or 4WD vehicle for Tahoe trips/driving on snow/icy roads, what make & model do you recommend? why?

Subaru. Period. Also, luggage racks make your car top-heavy and reduce fuel efficiency people.

(3) For winter snow & icy roads, which tire brand do you use and recommend for best traction control and why?

Anything at Costco, mostly because they will do rotations for free. More importantly, have a good set of CHAINS. Also, make sure to test the chains before you need them! Amazon sometimes sends you chains for a different tire size by mistake.

(4) For Apres ski & ride, what places do you like to hang out to enjoy drinks / snacks? happy hour?

My backpack. The resort takes enough of my money. My wife’s sammiches are the bomb! Also, remember those lil flasks you see people use on tv? They work well for apres ski, too!

(5) Winter snow and ice driving and safety tips?

Checklist: Chains (that fit), good tires (lots o tread left), and good wipers (Rain-x, baby!). Don’t crowd the plow!

(10) For those who are new to skiing and snowboarding, what are your tips for gear? Buy new or used? Learn from friends/family or from ski resorts experts?

Thicker socks don’t help! If your feet are cold, they probably aren’t getting sufficient circulation (took me years to figure this out). Try loosening your boots.

🏂⛷❄️❄️❄️

Check out our Tahoe money saving tips such as where to go for lift ticket deals, free birthday lift ticket, learn to ski, snowboard package deals, apres ski happy hour venues, etc at

http://www.snowpals.org/deals/daily-tahoe-tips/

###

Give a tip for snow-sports newbies planning to visit Lake Tahoe to enjoy snowsports and get entered into SnowPals giveaway for:

+ $25 Cheesecake Factory Gift Card

https://www.thecheesecakefactory.com

+ $20 gift card for Philz Artesian Coffee

https://www.philzcoffee.com

Entry deadline is Tuesday January 22 at 9:59 pm PST.


To enter our giveaway, please submit your tips for one or more of the following questions:

Tahoe Tips

Give your tips for the following questions; either one or multiple questions..
  • -->> PLEASE include a www.yelp.com link
  • -->> PLEASE include a www.yelp.com link

###

* Join our fun informal happy hour meetups organized by our members to connect for Tahoe ridesharing (share expenses, help reduce impact to our environment, expand your contacts for ski & ride buddies).

* Got a 60 seconds GoPRO video of you skiing or riding POW? Enter our skiing / riding POWDER contest.

* Plan a Tahoe getaway: browse Tahoe vacation rentals or those with a season pass, join a ski lease to set a new personal record for most ski and ride days.

* Book a discount SF Bay Area to Tahoe ski resorts trip: one day, overnight and 7+ day trips; also makes a great gift for holidays, birthdays, etc.

* Rideshare to your favorite Tahoe resort and for those who are holders of Epic Pass, Ikon Pass, Mountain Collective Pass, or other multi-resort season pass, connect for POWDER trips to Utah, Colorado, Whistler, Europe, Japan, South America and other worldwide snow destinations.

♥ Share this page with friends and family via , twitter, facebook.

Survival Guide & Tips: Skiing with Kids

Posted on by

skiing-with-kids-tahoe

By Joe Woo, Snowpals’ Resident Ski Gear Tester & Columnist. 

Skiing with kids. It seems like a simple thing. But let me tell you. If you haven’t done it before and aren’t prepared for it, it can ruin a great time on the slopes. However, with the right preparation, it can be more fun skiing with them than skiing without them. For those of you toying with the idea of finally bringing the kids up or maybe you’re considering bringing up a nephew or niece…read this. What I’ll do first is share some of my kid skiing experience and what we do to make it lots of fun.

For me, skiing pre-kids was easy. I never thought about anyone else. I never considered having to ski with anyone. If anyone I was skiing with slowed me down or was having a bad time, I could separate from them and meet up with them later. That was no big deal. When you add kids to the mix, things really change. The main thing is that you can’t just dump the kids and continue skiing when they’re cramping your style. When you’re on the mountain with your kids, you’re stuck with them for better or for worse. What is a parent to do?

Over the last two seasons I’ve come up with a pretty good system for skiing with kids. My wife and I came up with it using trial and error to finally dial in something that works for our family. It was a lot of effort using trial and error and lots of frustration but it was worth it. Why go through all the effort? Why not just dump the kids in ski school for the day so that I could ski without them?

Cost is an obvious issue, but more importantly skiing with my kids is fun. It is more fun than skiing without them because when they’re having fun, there is nothing better than skiing together, laughing together and watching them learn, grow and overcome all the little challenges of skiing. The look on their face when they accomplish something they didn’t think they could is priceless and worth more than anything in the world. When it is good, skiing with them is better than any skiing I could do on my own.

So, what’s the issue? Those fun times were rare and didn’t happen often. When they did happen, they were priceless, however it seemed like the bad times outweighed the good times. Finding a way to make those fun times happen more was something I had to do.

So, how do you do that? What I discovered through two years of trial and error is CCSF. What does this mean? Confidence, Comfort, and Sated (not hungry) equals Fun. If you can get the Confidence, Comfort and Sate (not hungry) issues right that will equal Fun for your family. Lets look closer at each element.

Confidence

Confidence is a very important thing for anyone. It is especially important for kids to have when skiing. I’ll go so far as to say that confidence is so important that I believe it is the foundation to successful family skiing. Without confidence, the kids will never want to ski, will dread skiing and will make your time on the mountain miserable. You should do everything in your power to build your kids confidence in skiing.

How do you do that? For us we decided to always try and put our kids in skiing situations that we knew they could be successful. We never made them do anything we knew they would fail at. They quickly built confidence the second day they ever skied. The thing that built confidence the most was succeeding in tasks when they were scared of doing something even though I knew they could do it. These were the cases where I pushed them hard because I knew they could do it, but they needed to realize they could do it and when they did it you could see the confidence grow.

For example, my 5 year old son refused to ski without being between my legs and me holding him down the bunny slope. I knew he would crash at first if he tried skiing by himself as this was his first time on skis. After about 5 runs between my legs I started to stop actively holding him and he would ski holding me. Then after a few runs of doing that we would stop halfway down the hill, put his skis in pizza and let him go so that he was standing still on the hill in pizza. Then I would go about 10 feet in front of him and tell him to slide to me. At first it was a struggle because he didn’t want me to let go of him. He would cry when I would let go. I just wanted him to slide to me in pizza. He didn’t have to stop. I would catch him. But he was scared to do it, but I knew he could do it and he finally did through the cries and tears. Once he realized he had actually done it, he did it again.

At first it was 10 feet, then 20 feet and I would stop him. If he veered off course I would slide over to catch him. Then I told him to stop by himself and he just did it. He was amazed that he could stop by himself and the rest is history. He skied the rest of the day by himself without ever turning. Just pizza strait down the hill with his arms held in front of him like he was ready to do some serious karate chops. His way to balance I guess. The next day he was turning back and fourth and excited about skiing.

My daughter was the same progression at the same time. Soon they got bored of the slope and asked to do another lift. We moved onto another beginner lift with slightly steeper terrain and a longer run. That was last year at Diamond Peak. They gained so much confidence at Diamond Peak, Mt. Rose and Squaw Valley. I continued to teach them parallel skiing and my daughter is no longer in pizza. My son is in an advanced pizza today, but is almost ready for parallel skiing.

Today my younger son is six and my daughter is eight and both are happily skiing black diamonds off Red Dog, KT-22, Headwall and other lifts at Squaw Valley. My older son is actually skiing (as opposed to just surviving down) West Face, Tower 16 and the various terrains off Silverado chair! It is amazing what a little confidence can do. My kids are testament to that without ever having professional ski lessons. Whatever you do, make sure the kids gain lots of confidence. I truly believe it is the foundation to successful family skiing.

Comfort

Now your kids are confident skiers. Is that it? Not really. No matter how confident they are, if they are not comfortable, they will complain and ruin your day. Kids are not mature enough to overcome the little issues so they don’t ruin the big things like a fun day of skiing. Our kids are pretty tough and the last thing we do is baby them, but every kid has a limit to what comfort they’re willing to give up on to have fun on the slopes.

It is important that you take the time to learn what your kids comfort limits are and make sure those needs are satisfied. My kids don’t complain that much about their comfort. I think it is because I’ve invested in making sure they stay warm and dry no matter the conditions. They have top of the line ski pants, jackets, gloves, base and mid layers. They have great helmets and goggles. Goggles were an issue and I finally got them decent stuff that doesn’t fog and they can clean easily. Another important piece of equipment was the neck gator. It seals out the cold air getting in from the neck. The kids rarely complain about being cold or wet and it is one less issue we have to worry about.

Sate

Kids don’t do well when they’re hungry. Instead you sould make it a priority to make sure they’re sated and not hungry. This one is really simple. Kids start getting moody and melting down when they get hungry. It is amazing. They are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Feed your kids periodically and your chances are better at having a great day. We discovered that if we have a big breakfast, lunch around 12:30 or 1, 2:30 heavy snack and small snacks on the lifts in between, we avoid the hunger meltdown altogether. Now I always have a large Hershey bar in my pocket and on every other lift ride, I’ll give each kid one piece to eat. This system has worked great this season.

Skiing with your kids can be fun and very rewarding. Just remember that kids have unique needs that you have to consider. The best way I know is to remember CCSF. Confidence, Comfort and Sated equals Fun. Try is next time you’re out with the kids. Good luck!

=====

More skiing with kids tips for parents..

From Jeremy Feinberg, a Ski Instructor at Kirkwood for 6 years plus, a certified PSIA Level 2 instructor, training for Level 3; he teaches skill levels that range from first timers to expert; he coaches a Progression team that skis 99% of the legal terrain at Kirkwood.

As someone who makes their living teaching children how to ski I can say that there are some good things in this survival guide; a comfortable and well fed child is one who is set up for success, and depending on the child, confidence can be a limiting factor, however in the 1+ page of text there was very little emphasis on skill development and no mention at all of the physical and cognitive limitations that change as a child grows.

That being said, a few things to keep in mind include: 

It’s hard to learn new skills when people are on terrain that is at the edge of their comfort level, dial it back, gain ownership over the movements and then take it to the steeper snow.

Confidence can be a good thing, but you can have too much of a good thing… your child needs to ski in control and not be a menace or hazard.

Leash and harness systems enable parents to get younger kids on the snow but can reinforce bad habits, however the harnesses themselves can be useful for picking up kids from the snow and helping them on to the lift.

The Edgy Wedgie can be a useful teaching tool, try it for a run or two, take if off and see if the child can stop without it… use it for a few runs, not a few days or seasons.  

If its your child’s first time skiing, start on a small hill below the lift, 30-50 feet long and almost flat with a flat runout at the bottom, or a gradual uphill if you can find it, learn to stop there, then head to the chair.

Some children perform at a higher level with their parents around, some excel within their peer group under the tutelage of an experienced coach, it helps to know which group your child falls into

The pace of skill development as detailed in the Survival Guide sounds about right, just keep in mind that today I had a 6 year old girl first time skier (along with a five year old girl with separation anxiety issues whose mother checked her out after lunch) who was able to stop within the first hour, we were on the chairlift before lunch and making turns.  By the time her parents picked her up (1/2 hour early) she had taken several runs through the trees. Tomorrow after a brief warm up she will be ready for the lower intermediate lift.  Her older brother who was on a snowboard was unwilling to follow us through the woods.    Her parents were impressed by her success and gave me a generous tip.

If you want to get your child out of the wedge and making turns that have a least some parallel at the end of each turn, and you want that to happen quickly, ski school is the place for your child, especially on the weekdays when group sizes are small and only experienced and highly certified instructors are getting any work.  

Please don’t be that person who has their child skiing advanced terrain in a power wedge, if you are going to ski with your child and teach them how to ski, make the day about them, you need to be there to support them and help them along the way.  

Recognize the limitations of your own teaching abilities and don’t let your child (or yourself) get stuck in the skill rut; if you have any questions about how this can manifest one can use the intermediate rut as an example: go to most ski resorts and watch the way people on the intermediate runs ski, particularly how they initiate their turns.  What you will see in most cases are varying degrees of stem (wedge or pizza) to start the turn.  People make this movement because they are not comfortable performing a movement that ski instructors call crossover.

Crossover is the movement that separates advanced skiers from people that ski advanced terrain, it is defined my crossing your center of mass over your skis, down the hill into the new turn (basically throwing one’s body down the hill, swooping your skis underneath the body to catch the center of mass)  

Crossover one example of a movement that can define a skill rut, it’s difficult to teach and limits a person’s ability to explore and enjoy the mountain.

**On a related note** Teaching the spouse or significant other how to ski is tough, I call it the relationship tester, put that person in a group or private lesson, meet up for lunch and ski together in the afternoon, at their pace, where the instructor said would be a good place to ski.  Your romantic relationship is one of equals, the student/teacher relationship is not, things can get ugly quick.

♥ Share this with friends and family via email, twitter, facebook.