Howdy!

I have been very lax about updating the Lake Tahoe weather post but now that we are deep into Autumn and everyone in town is looking up and waiting for those snowflakes to fall I decided I better get back on that horse!

What appeared to be an early Lake Tahoe winter developing in October with record precipitation and some very strong storms has turned into a very warm and dry Indian Summer pattern. Looking down the road it appears the pattern is changing into a somewhat more favorable scenario to get some storms into the Tahoe basin. But it also looks like we might only get brush by precipitation which is not what we need but a major snowstrom or two. Receiving a good storm before Thanksgiving allows the major snow resorts to get up and running and gives a huge boost to the local economies.

I have been down this early season “where is the snow?” road before so I can say with confidence that is way, way too early to freak out yet but some snow dances and pray for snow parties are not a bad idea at this point either.

The long range models still indicate an above average year for snow and that El Nino is still there and developing, Looking at other El Nino years keep in mind that many of those years were very wet and a bulk of the precipitation came later in the year and not earlier. I still think that January, February and March will be very wet if not epic so hang in there Lake Tahoe. It will snow.

UPDATE: Looking at the long range Lake Tahoe weather models it appears there may be a big change which may bring some serious storms into Lake Tahoe and the High Sierra during the November 15-24 period. This is a long way out but it does look better and some of the commercial long range weather companies are pointing to this wetter period as well.

Stay Tuned!

(Burn some ski’s and Boards)

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• Storm Dumps Snow on Mammoth Mountain, Will Ski Season Open Early? (laist.com)

The City of San Francisco Stranded at Donner Summit-Winter 1952

The squirrels have gone absolutely crazy eating and actually cutting pine cones from the trees in preparation for a HUGE South Lake Tahoe  winter? Only time will tell but there are actual scientific indications for a big winter namely our old friend “El Nino” The El Nino is expected to strengthen later this fall and become a full fledged El Nino by mid winter.

El Nino does not always foretell a big winter but in a majority of cases winter of note are associated with an El Nino event.

Noteable El Nino winter from the past have been 1982-83; 1968-69; 2004-05; 1997-98. It is worth noting that the BIG winter of 1951-52 was not an strong El Nino but there have been some comparisons to that epic winter and how this El Nino is beginning and is forecast to locate itself. Maybe I need to bring in more firewood and get the hurricane lamps ready!

I have been trying to do further historic research an winter such as 1846-47 which of course was the winter the Donner Party was trapped in the Sierra’s and endured incredible hardships. That winter the snow was estimated at Donner lake to be over 22 feet deep! The estimates at Donner Summit were over 40 feet! Was that an El Nino year? I am checking.

Here are some recent articles relating to the upcoming El Nino event:

• El Nino could forecast disaster for Olympics (canada.com)
• El Nino’s back, can affect weather worldwide: experts (ctv.ca)
• New El Nino increases drought threat (telegraph.co.uk)
• El Nino should bring mild winter: expert (nationalpost.com)
• Should you take a chance on a season ski pass this winter? (cliffmass.blogspot.com)
• Why Does the Tale of the Donner Party Continue to Fascinate? (francesdinkelspiel.blogspot.com)
• The Donner party in proper context (boston.com)

When staying at your South Lake Tahoe cabin, home or condo rental that sports a wood burning fireplace utilize the service of K and K to supply you with the perfect amount of firewood for you weekend or week long stay. They will deliver, haul and stack right to your Lake Tahoe vacation rental cabin! This is a fabulous service and one that will keep you warm and cozy during your next Lake Tahoe vacation! Call 530-577-5678 Office or 530-308-5265 Cell to order your “Weekend Wood” and have it waiting for you upon your arrival at your South Lake Tahoe cabin rental.

South Lake Tahoe Thunderstorm Development

This has been an amazing week for weather at South Lake Tahoe! As a 30 year local of the Tahoe basin this may be the longest period of Thunderstorm activity that I can remember. This kind of activity usually occurs later in the summer during the southwerst’s Monsoon season and even then the Lake Tahoe region rarely sees days let alone weeks of thunderstrom acitvity. That being said the upside to all of thie moisture are numerous”

1) The fire season has been postponed even with all of the lightning-too wet as of now
2) The spring runoff has been enhanced by the extra precipitation
3) Fabulous gardening season will follow
4) The wildflowers in the high country will be outrageous and could start early and last very late
5) I like the rain….speaking as an Oregon Duck alumnus!

Local Storm Report
Current Lake Tahoe Forecast

South Lake Tahoe, CA May 3, 2009 - The unprecedented economic slide throughout the country (and the globe) has affected all of us…no doubt about that but there may be some surprising silver linings in those dark and threatening skies. Americans still have the need to find recreation and relaxation and a Lake Tahoe vacation rental seems to be the perfect fit.

The past 12 months have been some of the darkest economic times in nearly 70 years yet Lake Tahoe vacation rentals for the most part have bucked the trend and are actually flourishing albeit with steep discounts, specials and other incentives. But, the trend is unmistakable. Americans still love Lake Tahoe and are making their vacation plans with a general disregard of current economic problems. Homeowners and management firms have made deep concessions to lure the Lake Tahoe vacationer into their properties but the fact remains that the numbers of visitors is surprisingly high and the drop off from past years is not as great as had been feared.

Looking back at history Americans reeling from economic disaster in the 1930’s began to invent ways in which to entertain themselves on the relative “cheap”. Baseball became America’s Pastime as a family could go to the ballpark and receive great entertainment at a great value. Monopoly was invented and the game of Bridge became a national obsession. How does this relate to 2009 and the Lake Tahoe vacation rental market? As in the past Americans during times of stress still need recreation via a relaxing vacation but look for the greatest value to spend their dollars on. Instead of taking the kids on a Disney Cruise or cross-country flights to visit Grandma in Wisconsin Americans are now looking closer to home for a vacation that will not break the bank but still deliver an excellent Vacation value.

Lake Tahoe and its driving proximity to nearly 45 million people is a perfect example of this. Where else can a family get in the car and drive 2-7 hours and arrive at one of the worlds most famous and beautiful vacation destinations?
By utilizing a Tahoe Vacation rental families can save a mountain of money by being able to cook their meals at “home” if they wish instead of going out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With a family of four this can really add up so the savings are huge. And unlike a hotel the family has a lot of room to spread out and relax. Many units have private hot tubs, pool tables, foosball, table games and multiple TV’s. All units come equipped with a fully outfitted kitchen, complete set of linens and towels, starter pack of paper products and usually a good supply of spices and other basics.
For homeowners utilizing a vacation rental program it is not an end all to monetary problems but for those homeowners who would like to see their taxes, insurance and other general overhead not including the the mortgage being supplemented a vacation rental program may be a perfect fit.

The downside for homeowners and the upside for renters is the fact that with the economic upheaval and the ongoing housing crisis the number of properties being offered as rentals has spiked. Prospective vacation rental guests should interview the owner or management firm to make sure that the property they are considering renting has the amenities that are being advertised. By utilizing a local Lake Tahoe management firm many of these worries can be alleviated. Most of the larger firms in Lake Tahoe have onsite maintenance personnel that are on call 24/7 to respond to a guests needs such as a heater not operating upon a late check-in or a water heater that suddenly needs attention. Most Lake Tahoe management firms are local so these issues can be resolved quickly whereby if the guest is renting a “for rent by owner” property then these issues may take many hours or days if they get resolved at all as the homeowner may live in Los Angeles or San Francisco and not have the local maintenance resources readily at hand.
Americans love to travel and will find a way to do it no matter what. A vacation rental property at Lake Tahoe is the perfect answer for many vacationers looking to create a memorable, fun filled yet affordable mountain vacation experience.

About Pinnacle Lake Tahoe Getaways:
Pinnacle Lake Tahoe Getaways manages 56 vacation rental units on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe with properties in both California and Nevada. The rental units range from economy to ultra-luxurious and cater to all budgets.

Contact:
Dana Benedict-Director of public relations
Pinnacle Lake Tahoe Getaways
530-318-7990
http://www.laketahoegetaways.com
dana@laketahoegetaways.com

The unprecedented economic slide throughout the country ( and the globe) has affected all of us…no doubt about that but there may be some surprising silver linings in those dark and threatening skies. Americans are still recreating.

Looking back at history Americans reeling from economic disaster in the 1930’s began to invent ways in which to entertain themselves on the relative “cheap”. Baseball became America’s Pastime as a family could go to the ballpark and receive great entertainment at a great value. Monopoly was invented and the game of Bridge became a national obsession. How does this relate to 2009 and the Lake Tahoe vacation rental market? As in the past Americans during times of stress still need to recreate but look for the greatest value to spend their dollars on. Instead of taking the kids on a Disney Cruise or cross-country flights to visit Grandma Americans are now looking closer to home for a vacation that will not break the bank but still deliver an excellent Vacation value.

Lake Tahoe and it’s driving  proximity to nearly 45 million people is a perfect example of this. Where else can a family get in the car and drive 2-5 hours and arrive at one of the Worlds most famous vacation destinations?

By utilizing a Tahoe Vacation rental families can save a ton of money by being able to cook their meals at “home” if they wish instead of going out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With a family of four this can really add up so the savings are huge. And unlike a hotel the family has a lot of room to spread out and relax. Many units have private hot tubs, pool tables, foosball, table games and multiple TV’s. All units come equipped with a fully outfitted kitchen, complete set of linens and towels, starter pack of paper products and usually a good supply of spices and other basics.

The Christmas day storm produced between 2 and 4 feet of fresh snow in the Lake Tahoe Basin and set the Ski and Board resorts up just at the absolute right time! Temperatures prior to Christmas were also very cold which allowed snow-making to happen 24 hours a day. Between the natural snow and the man-made everyone is very happy!

The outlook, however, is sketchy for further significant storms as a high pressure ridging pattern seems to be setting up which could keep the west coast and Lake Tahoe resorts high and dry for the next 10-14 days. Long range models suggest a change may occur at the end of the 15 day model period but that is a long way off and these winter high pressure ridges sometimes last longer than what the models may show. In my 28 years as a Lake Tahoe local however a dry January almost always translates into a wet February so things will probably work out for the best and allow late winter and spring skiing and riding to be fantastic.

If any of you Lake Tahoe locals have Tahoe video, Tahoe photos or even better a Lake Tahoe weather station you would like to share on this blog please let me know and I will load them to our site!

Once again the great news is most of the Lake Tahoe resorts are open and those that make snow are running their snow guns 24/7. Word on the street has it that Heavenly will be opening both the Nevada and California access points this weekend. I will blog a new post on the current Lake Tahoe Ski and Board conditions after my son Todd gets off the slopes this afternoon. Playing “hookey” Tahoe Style!

Here is the Statement from the National Weather Service

Statement as of 4:32 AM PST on December 17, 2008

… Winter Storm Watch in effect from Thursday evening through
Friday morning…

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a Winter Storm
Watch… which is in effect from Thursday evening through Friday
morning.

* Potential snow accumulations: one foot at lake level and
western Lassen County… and two feet in higher elevations.

* Winds: southwest 15 to 25 mph gusts to 40 mph. Ridge gusts up to
100 mph.

* Impacts: heavy snow and gusty winds may result in dangerous
travel in the Sierra and much of northeast California Thursday
night and Friday morning.

Http://weather.Gov/Reno

Lake Tahoe Snow 12/08

With more storms predicted the Ski and Board resorts should be in full swing for all of the Holidays. If you have not yet booked you Lake Tahoe Vacation Rental call us as we still have a few New Years properties left as well as Christmas. 866-407-0245

My inside informer (neighbor) told me this morning that Heavenly will be opening Stagecoach Thursday and complete California access on Friday. They have been making snow 24/7 for the past 5 days and the entire mountain will be in great shape by the weekend.

The rumor is out the Sierra at Tahoe will try and open on Friday. Stay tuned.

Kirkwood received over 3 feet of new snow and they have been opening new terrain as well including chair 5.

It appears we are in a cold and stormy pattern possibly through the New Year and Christmas looks white!

Here is some recent video in the Comet Park:

1)    The Good: Gas Prices
With gasoline prices plummeting from record highs over the summer which led to a knashing of teeth for both vacation rental guests and nervous homeowners prices have retreated nearly 60% to a national average of around $2.00 versus mid $4.00 during the height of the summer 2008 season. With prices at these new low levels even cash strapped guests may decide that the cheaper fuel and travel costs will allow them to take that winter vacation that they may have foregone over the summer. We shall see.

2)    The Bad: Nightly Booking Rate Deflation
Vacation guest are an educated and savvy bunch. They know what’s going on economically out there and what is going on with their personal finances. They are to a guest looking for the best deal and with a significant increase in vacation rentals having been placed on the market either directly related to cash strapped homeowners looking for a hedge or even desperate homeowners looking to save their second home from foreclosure the vacation rental guest has more option (supply) and with economic conditions deteriorating the number of vacation rental guests has decreased (demand) which is a perfect storm for significantly lower nightly rates across the board. At Lake Tahoe we have seen a phenomenon where the luxury and smaller economy units are languishing on the market whereby the larger “mid-range” homes are being snapped up at a furious pace. It appears that guests are doubling up with 2-3 families using their personal economies of scale to maximize their buying power. In the past with consumers having much more discretionary income a family might have booked a smaller home and gone it alone. On the luxury side it appears that that discretionary cash has dried up at an alarming rate. Some of the largest rate cuts are occurring on the luxury end of the vacation rental market. The upside of all this doom and gloom is that consumers are out there looking for deals and if they can negotiate with the manager or homeowner they will still take that vacation. Be aggressive!

3)   The Ugly: It’s The Economy Stupid (With Apologies to Bill Clinton)
Ok. It is UGLY out there and there is absolutely no need to rehash all of that ad nausea. What to do? As professional vacation rental property managers we have identified a number of courses taken individually or as a package to combat the economic attacks:

A)    Price Competitiveness-Be aware of your competition and beat them to the punch

B)    Be Negotiable-Plan to offer a 10-30% discount and set your rack rate accordingly

C)   Staging: The property should show ABSOLUTELY it’s best face-stage the home as if your were selling it and make sure the photos are professional and unless you are a professional photographer leave it to the pros. Make sure you include a virtual tour and an easy to access web-based LINK to your photo albums.

D)    Video Submission: Make a video either with stills or HD video-submit it for free to You Tube and Google Video. Unless you want a grainy look use medium to high resolution for your still photos and if using video make sure you use a high resolution and preferably a HD video camera.

E)    Seatch Engine Optimization-SEO:Learn how to properly optimize for search engines all photos, websites and blog entries/posts. This will be left for another article.

F)    BLOG,BLOG,BLOG: Again, this will be left for another discussion
Bottom line: Don’t assume what has worked in the past will work today today. Think as if you are the prospective guest and put yourself in their shoes.

Happy Trails