Maggie O'Neill
• December 30, 2009
My
hands were the warmest part of me as I bounded about on a snowmobile on
groomed trails between Spooner Summit and Kingsbury Grade earlier this
week.
The rest of me was indeed warm because I was bundled from head to toe
in snowmobile gear provided by the Zephyr Cove Snowmobile Center, with
whom I and photographer Lisa Tolda ventured out on a 110-minute group
tour on Tuesday.
But it was my hands that won the
warmest-part-of-the-body-contest hands down; the Yamaha Venture Lite
snowmobile that I was on had adjustable heat on the handlebars.
The
resort recently purchased 50 of these models, according to Chris Burke,
general manager of Zephyr Cove Resort. The snowmobile also features
heated handles in back for a second rider.
It was a long-awaited trip.
Because of the lack of snow in the Tahoe Basin in recent weeks, I had re-scheduled the trip with Burke two times.
"It's been a difficult season with all the stopping and starting so much," he said.
I had just about given up when Burke called me on Monday and said he had four tours going out the next day.
Did I want to go?
Sure did.
Tolda
and I headed up mountain roadways the next morning to find a somewhat
bustling lobby at Zephyr Cove Resort. Included in the cost of a tour,
the snowmobile center provides each rider a helmet, a jacket, gloves,
pants and boots.
The only other thing I needed was a hoodie.
"The
beauty of snowmobiling is that for people who never ski or never get
out in the snow, this is one form of transportation to get them out
there," Burke said.
During a typical season at Zephyr Cove --
and the past two have not been typical -- the resort sells about 17,000
snowmobile tour packages, Burke said. That's roughly 25,000 customers
going out for a ride when you count people doubling-up, he said.
A
good winter storm usually brings people to the center. Not only is
there plenty of snow to keep the trails groomed, but lifts at area ski
resorts sometimes close and people are looking for other things to do.
The safety record at the snowmobile center is impressive, he said.
"I'm not going to lie to you," Burke said. "We've had to helicopter people out of here, but mostly with broken legs."
Usually, injuries occur when people are goofing around, he said.
His
team of snowmobile center employees includes EMT staff who are on the
mountain on snowmobiles. One also served us hot chocolate, which is
provided at a stop in an aspen grove near the end of the trip.
"I'm always stressing safety just because of how high we are," said Tim Shivers, who drove our photographer around.
Employees
take riders out on U.S. Forest Service land. The Forest Service
requires one guide to six customer machines, but the Snowmobile Center
sets it up so every tour has a front guide and rear guide and seven to
12 snowmobilers in between.
There are about 40 to 50 miles of
trails overlaying Forest Service roads or fire service roads, Burke
said. During a tour, most people cover 15 to 20 miles. While that may
seem small, it's only because distance is shortened due to an upward
climb of 2,000 feet, Burke said.
I was determined to make the
snowmobile my friend. I started out by gently pushing the throttle with
my thumb on the right handle. I went a few feet. I gave it a little
more throttle and went a few more feet.
Finally, I leveraged up some courage, gave it more throttle and off we went.
I
initially thought snowmobiling would be rough on the body, kind of like
skiing is -- for me, anyway. But even with all the bumps and dips we
went on and over, the snowmobile always felt very comfortable. And my
knees didn't hurt when I was done.
We traveled over groomed
paths that were 10-feet wide, occasionally stopping on the right-hand
side for passing snowmobilers. While the area is open to use by all,
Burke said he asks that others using the trails go to the resort and
get a free trail map as it's easy to get lost.
And that's something I'm curious about. So I ask Shivers how he knows all the trails.
"It's training," he said. "And an internal map."
We
slowly head up hill, passing by trees still covered in white from the
previous night's snow that brought 4 to 8 inches. Sometimes, dollops of
snow fell as we traveled underneath.
"It was like a fairy tale
when we went through the forest," Alla Durevich of the Bay Area told me
later on the bus trip back to the resort.
We head up until we
reach Vista Ridge and an incredible view of Lake Tahoe at about 8,850
feet. We can see the neck of Emerald Bay directly across from us and
downhill runs at various Lake Tahoe resorts, including Homewood
Mountain and Squaw Valley USA, at other angles.
A bit later,
after stopping to look at the Carson Valley on an opposing side, we
began our descent. The snowmobiles have a brake on the left handle and
a kill switch at center. I began testing the brakes. The snowmobile can
reach a speed up to about 70 mph, Burke said, but I never exceeded 27
mph, according to my digital display.
Brothers-in-law Kevin
Morgan, of Shreveport, La., and Randy Monk, of Longview, Texas, told me
they were able to hit about 40 mph. It was their first visit to the
area, and they said they were coming back.
"It's like heaven on
Earth," Morgan said of the ride during the hot chocolate break. He also
added that the tour wasn't too "Mickey-Mouse like."
I expressed how enjoyable snowmobiling was and how the scenery was so gorgeous.
"The natural beauty," Monk said. "This is where it's at."
***
DETAILS:
Zephyr Cove Snowmobile Center
Cost: Single rider: $109; Double rider: $149 total.
Details: www.laketahoesnowmobiles.com or 775-589-4908.
www.gotorenotahoe.com