Gnargasm 4.0

What is a gnargasm, you ask? It’s the decided appellation of our annual winter skiing & snoboarding extravaganza, which has in years past, taken me to locales like Whistler, B.C., Park City, UT, and Winter Park, CO. Alright, why gnargasm? Well, gnar is defined thusly:

A shortened version of the word gnarly, meaning high on the scale of dangerousness and coolness…A term skiers often us to describe the snow type.

And I hope the suffix -gasm is self-explanatory. So, now I can resume my regularly scheduled blogging, and planning other trips.

Six of us will be venturing out to California/Nevada border, in two groups: I and two others will leave Wednesday, January 10, and we will meet the rest on Thursday afternoon when their plane lands. We will be returning together on January 15. The destination is Heavenly at Lake Tahoe, which straddles the CA/NV border, but we also plan on hitting Alpine Meadows on the lake’s North shore area, and maybe one other mountain if time permits. Once there, we will be meeting up with a friend who lives in the area for a day or two, and enjoying all the finer sins in life, like gambling, and going really fast on big mountains.

Picking out the lodging was a pain in the ass. Because there are 6 of us, we don’t get the full benefit from the double-occupancy deals, so getting two rooms is kind of expensive, and there are too many of us to fit comfortably in one room. Also, the Casinos looked nice – but we’re not really the type of people who require concierge service, or town car service. The budget options were attractive, but left something to be desired. So I finally lucked out, and settled on what I hope will be a unique (i.e., not like your normal vacation) experience. During our stay, we will be staying at The Block, apparently the first hotel in the world designed by a snowboarder (Mark Frank Montoya, who, coincidentally, designed my bib overalls). Here is a description:

With vaulted ceilings, eight-foot windows and original works of art, the inviting atmosphere of the Internet lounge features café-style furniture, computer work-stations and a big-screen television. Guests receive rare perks including VIP treatment at the high-energy Altitude nightclub inside Harrah’s … Guestrooms are equipped with basic amenities such as wireless Internet access and cable television and “New School” units feature snowboard racks, boot dryers/glove warmers, down comforters, wireless Internet access, Xboxes and PlayStations.

Also included in the price of our lodging is free Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, and free energy drinks. The entire Hotel is aimed at people who want to rock out, and several reviews I’ve read online described it as “loud and full of people who just want to party.” I don’t think we should be staying anywhere else. Our rooms have two queen beds each, and supersized beanbag chairs, a balcony with table & chairs, free pr0n and video game rentals, boom-box/cd-player, etc. There is a rooftop hot-tub for the evening. The Block is a short walk to Casinos and the main Gondola lift.

Said my friend Coast, “I’m not used to seeing places that were designed for, well, us. Cool.”