Winter Wanderlust by Montecito Journal

SANTA BARBARA

WINTER ISSUE 2013

once a week from peak to peak

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WINTER WANDERLUST

by Matt Mazza

RECLAIMING THE SEASON

t’s the same damned thing every December. We invariably have this gorgeous autumn here in town, replete with brilliant sunrises that give way to pale grey-blue skies that pop beautifully against the mountains, crystal clear views of the Channel Islands and majestic coast in either direction, brisk(ish) mornings and evenings with warm sunny days, lots of terrific community gatherings, celebratory dinners with friends and family. Yep. Fall is arguably the single best time to be in and around Santa Barbara, hands down. I sincerely doubt that you’ll find much impassioned argument to the contrary. And yet, even with all of that said, for me, it’s the same damned thing. Every December. I get antsy, I guess, a bit nostalgic, if you will, for my own version of winter. You know, cold, real cold, snow blanketing the ground and frosting the pines. Icicles reaching down from a rain gutter outside a steamy window. A bit of hot cocoa topped with a marshmallow and quiet conversation by a crackling fire in some cabin up far in the mountains, Christmas music playing softy in the background. A fun-filled family game of Uno or Monopoly, maybe watching Frosty the Snowman or A Charlie Brown ...continued p.4

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MAZZA’S MISSIVE ...continued from COVER

Christmas. Settling in for a long winter’s nap with the one you love. Laughter. Warmth. That’s it, man. That’s what I long for every December, just before Christmas and the technical start of winter.

by Matt Mazza Most years, frankly, I don’t get it. The holidays can be filled with too many parties and commitments and too much end-of-year work and hustling around from store to store to buy too many

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gifts for too many people that probably won’t much appreciate the effort in what some would argue has become a hugely unspirited festival of consumption and greed. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Scrooge; I still try hard to buy thoughtful gifts for those closest to me. But still.) Most years, the holidays blow by with

conceivably, and it ain’t cheap. So we sucked it up and loaded the Volvo with all sorts of car-friendly fun stuff that would keep the kids entertained and comfortable for the drive. We left right after school on a Wednesday – yeah, that’s right education hawks, we unapologetically considered this important enough to pull our kiddies

I actually stopped, mid-solo-speed run up on Northstar’s East Ridge, to snap this shot of a perfect Tahoe bluebird Sunday. It’s an amazing place. Period.

reckless abandon, leaving me stunned and stupefied. Leaving me wanting more. But not this year. This year, my wife and I took the frozen, wintery, holiday bull by the antlers. We scheduled some much-needed downtime with the family right smack-dab in the middle of the Christmas card/holiday party sprint-marathon season. And we did it intentionally, in a deliberate attempt to actually manufacture (for lack of a better word) that holiday experience I crave year after year. We did the research, we blocked out the calendar, we canceled plans, we committed. And we scheduled a family trip designed to be fun for all of us – from youngsters Kate and Lily to old-timers Wendi and me – to our beloved Lake Tahoe. And I’ll be damned. We got everything we ever imagined. Even, perhaps, more.

Debunking A Daunting Drive

Let’s start with the obvious. Tahoe is a seven-and-a-half or eight hour drive from Santa Barbara. That’s a reasonably long way, especially with two kids. You could fly, but that leads to some logistical issues,

out of school for a few days – and did something radical. We drove five hours to the Bay Area, stopped, and spent the night with Wendi’s folks. The girls stayed up late visiting with Don and Patti, talking excitedly about the trip ahead (snow and skiing and hot chocolate and winter movies and popcorn are big deals around these parts) and Santa Claus and whatever else grandparents bring up to whip grandchildren into a frenzy. We put them to bed when Kate, totally and completely exhausted, melted down about which kid might sleep with Mommy in one room and Daddy in the other. It was a great start. (Seriously. Kate’s tired meltdown was so out of character that it was almost cute. Almost.) We woke up the next morning and left early for the mountain. It was an easy drive under cold blue skies, and we made North Lake Tahoe in just over two-anda-half-hours. No whining, no crying. Easy. That “long drive,” you see, can be fun, even if you don’t have grandparents in or ...continued p.6

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Lily (right) and Kate loved the gigantic Christmas tree in the Village center, especially after it was dusted with a couple feet of fresh snow following the lighting ceremony.

around San Francisco. Just stop at a hotel – kids universally love them – and make it part of the trip. The drive can be a cinch if you do it right. So there’s no excuse. Now let’s get on with it.

Walking In A Winter Wonderland We pulled into Northstar California Resort – it was an easy choice, really, having been recently named Best Ski Resort for Families by Outside Magazine – around a few minutes after noon on Thursday and, whether by luck, good fortune or unspent karmic capital, immediately knew that we’d made a perfect choice. Anything the unprepared mountaineer might need – or didn’t buy at Mountain Air Sports or Arbor before leaving – is right at his or her frostbitten fingertips in the Village at Northstar. Patagonia, The North Face, Helly Hanson, Oakley, Burton, whatever. It’s all right there. There

are high-end clothing and shoe boutiques and toy stores for the kids. There’s a terrific gelateria and an old school candy shop. There’s a quaint movie theater. There’s an ice skating rink. As the father of two young daughters, maybe I should say that again: There’s an ice skating rink in the Village at Northstar. The truth is that the girls were already near seizing up from overload and excitement when we came upon the ice skating rink. It’s surrounded by couches and fireplaces and restaurants and bars and happy people and frolicking children. There’s live music – good live music – at one end and free s’mores being passed out under a huge and beautifully decorated Christmas tree by happy Northstar s’more passer-outers at the other. It was a big deal. An ice skating pact was heavily negotiated and finally bound by pinky swears and heart crossing. Chocolately graham crackers with melted ...continued p.8

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...continued from p.6

The powers that be have spent around $30 million at Northstar in the past few years. Two words: It shows.

marshmallows were consumed. It was a fair deal, one that involved a significant but not intrusive amount of ice time. One we could all live with. We literally skipped and ran around the damned Village for a couple hours, snacking on the aforementioned s’mores and Nutella crepes and whatever other delights we could find, bouncing between shops with new stuff – cool mountainy stuff – that captured the kids’ imaginations (and ours) and cozy fires surrounded by friendly folks who were just as happy to be there as we were. It was fun, man, right off the bat. For all of us. We eventually made our way over to the Adventure, Guiding and Learning Center, where the kids were outfitted with skis and boots and helmets (we normally rent from, you guessed it, Mountain Air, but we’d set the kids up with a whole instruction package thingy this time around) and introduced to Eric Elms, their instructor for the following day. Cue little girl mini-crush. Cue giggling. Cue fun with goggles and helmets. After we’d put all the gear away in our rather convenient ski locker, we walked over to Rubicon Pizza Company (right next to the ice rink) for a frankly lovely little dinner that was sure to fill us up for the following busy day of skiing and snowboarding and ice skating and whatever else. When we finished, we discovered that we had hit Northstar on the right evening; it was the first of a series of weekly Noel Nights at the Village

We spent lots of time warming up by fireplaces with s’mores next to the ice rink. Not a bad way to spend a long winter evening.

center. We saw a wonderful Christmas tree lighting ceremony, took a snowy picture with Santa and watched a few dance performances. There were horsedrawn sleigh rides and Christmas carolers and all sorts of fun for all ages. We had a blast. Again. It was getting late by the time we got back to the condo but we cranked up the fireplace and watched a couple Christmas specials on the couch until, alas, Lily and Kate lost consciousness. Wendi and I carried them to bed, curled up on the couch, and spent a couple hours watching Locked Up Abroad on cable. What? That’s a very special treat (read:

guilty pleasure) for us; we haven’t had cable for years and don’t watch much television. And besides, this is our winter fantasy come true, not yours. So cut us some slack.

A Day On The Hill We woke up early the next morning and had a hearty breakfast down at TC’s Pub. Then we dropped our precious daughters with Eric the Extraordinary Ski Instructor and waved to them as they went up the Big Springs Express Gondola with a near total stranger to ...continued p.10

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...continued from p.8

That’s a shot taken looking back at one of the Gondolas that takes folks from the Village to a mid-mountain lodge. The ride through snowy trees alone is fun for the whole family.

participate in what some might call a potentially dangerous sport. We were thrilled. Eric really made us – and the kids – feel right at home. He was set to teach them all about skiing responsibly and safely (this wasn’t their first lesson but both are total neophytes all the same) so that they could come up with Wendi and me later in the trip. It was well worth the time and effort. Wendi and I spent the morning cruising groomers, she on skis and me on my

snowboard. The summit at Mt. Pluto was open via Comstock Express and we swished and carved our way down West Ridge to Lookout Road and Upper Main Street. Then we took Vista Express up and meandered our way down Loggers Loop and Woodchuck back down to Big Springs Lodge, where we met the kids and Eric for lunch. They were beyond thrilled, definitely the most excited about any sport I’ve ever seen them. “Daddy, we took the Magic Carpet up

to the top of Easy Street and made it all the way down without falling,” Lily boasted. “Yeah,” Kate jumped in, “we’re taking The Big Easy chair up after lunch!” Right on, Eric, you have no idea how nice that is for parents. Very nice work. After a long lunch of burgers and fries and some shared stories about the morning on the hill, the kids excitedly went off again with Eric – a very real skier and totally personable, fun guy – so Wendi and I could finish off the day before hooking up for some ice skating

and fun in the Village. And while I’d love to tell you that we rode hard all afternoon, the fact is that we took a few lazy runs before stopping and enjoying stunning lake views from the Burnout Bar at the Summit Deck & Grille up top. We each secreted a sinfully delicious Dirty Snowman, which included hot chocolate, a touch of Baileys, a dash of Frangelico and some Peppermint Schnapps. (I think.) Yum. There are few things better than a warm chocolately drink at the top of the hill after a long day. This was no exception. We finally left the summit and worked our way back down to the Ski and Snowboard School, where we met the kids, thanked Eric profusely and repeatedly, and then skied and rode the Village Run together as a family all the way back to our condo. Fun times, straight up. It was hilarious (heartwarming?) to see my little girls in their little ski outfits and little goggles and little helmets weaving their respective ways down the mountain, huge ear-to-ear grins plastered across their moderately chapped faces. It was a truly great experience. We got back to the condo and relaxed for an hour or two. Then, as Lily and Kate were getting dressed for dinner, we suddenly heard squeals of delight from their bedroom. Wendi and I rushed in to find them, noses to the window overlooking the Village, vibrating with excitement. It was snowing outside, hard, much to the delight of our little beach babies. And it was still only Friday. ...continued p.16

Northstar Ski Resort TRAILS & SLOPES

• 97 trails – 27% advanced, 60% intermediate, 13% beginner • 3,170 acres of terrain • Longest run = 1.4 miles (2.09 km) – Logger’s Loop • Nine 1-mile long (1.6 km, 220 acres) advanced runs on The Backside • Lookout Mountain – 443 acres of advanced terrain • 344 acres of backcountry terrain (Sawtooth Ridge) open for experts when conditions permit • 7 advanced gladed runs: The Camp Glade, Sugar Pine Glade, Monument Glade, Comstock Glade, Rendezvous Glade, Lookout Glade and Sawmill Glade

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hinking of leaving your Santa Barbara paradise for a few spectacular days in a true winter wonderland? Then welcome to Telluride, Colorado – arguably the most beautiful place you’ll ever ski! Without a stoplight for miles, cares melt away on the snowy streets of Telluride, where locals happily direct you to the nearest watering hole or delectable restaurant, and inspire you for your next adventure. And while this hidden gem of a ski town feels worlds away, getting there couldn’t be easier. Hop on a direct flight from Los Angeles to the Montrose/ Telluride Airport on Allegiant Airlines with fares as low as $60 each way (www.allegiantair.com). Once you’ve arrived in the small, two gate, one baggage carousel airport, step out onto the sidewalk and onto a private shuttle for your final stretch to Telluride. Enjoy 65 miles of beautiful highway that takes you alongside Ralph Lauren’s 16,000-acre ranch at the base of the San Juan Mountains through the highest concentration of 13,000-foot peaks in North America. All the while, you’ll be enjoying stories from the most knowledgeable shuttle driver you’ve ever encountered – go ahead, ask him anything about the area and he’ll proudly give you the answer (www.tellurideexpress. com). Book a stunning mountain home, like Le Praz, a stunning ski-in/ ski-out 5-bedroom/6.5-bathroom townhouse with a laundry list of amenities. With the staff from Telluride Rentals, you won’t lift a finger while you’re there. Book a pantry stocking service, a private chef, in-home massage – you name it, they can make it happen (www.telluride-rentals.com/bre/ properties/LE-PRAZ). Telluride Rentals has a number of sophisticated mountain homes available for its discerning clientele. Please contact us so we can make your next vacation to Telluride the best you’ve ever had (www.telluride-rentals.com). –

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Aspen

f you are looking for worldclass lodging choices in Aspen, Colorado, then look no further. Frias Properties offers more than 200 condominiums, town homes and private homes in Aspen, all within walking distance to downtown, Aspen Mountain and the Silver Queen Gondola. With the best accommodations in town to choose from – including condo rentals in all price categories and private home rentals throughout town – you can rest assured that your Aspen vacation will be just the experience you and your family are looking for. This season, United Airlines is offering non-stop daily flights from Los Angeles to Aspen, making travel plans even easier! You can also fly Santa Barbara to Denver and then catch the Denver Aspen flight, or Santa Barbara to Los Angeles and hop on the direct to Aspen. There are a lot of options to come enjoy our excellent snow conditions. Many guests return to us year after year because of the superior personal service and vacation amenities that Frias Properties provides to winter and summer visitors alike. Guests enjoy complimentary rides to and from the Aspen airport, five-star health club privileges at the Aspen Club & Spa, concierge services and 24/7 property management services. Call us today toll free at 1-888-280-3151 or visit www.FriasProperties. com to get all of your questions answered by a local and knowledgeable reservations specialist. The reservations team at Frias Properties will work closely with you to find the best vacation rentals to meet your needs. –

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...continued from p.10

Eric the Extraordinary Ski Instructor Elms not only taught Kate (left) and Lily well enough to have them skiing real runs by the end of our trip, but he somehow fostered a genuine excitement for skiing and took great care of them to boot. (Thanks Eric, we really appreciate all you did, man. We’ll be in touch next time we’re up for sure.)

Rubbing Your Glowing Red Nose In It I’m going to move a bit quicker through the rest of the trip so as not to nauseate any of you still reading. Snow fell all night and throughout much of Saturday. I took advantage of terrific conditions, popped in my headphones and spent the morning riding all over newly opened trails. (Northstar is a reasonably big mountain with plenty of fun terrain and much of it opened after over two feet of fresh fell. They’d also been blowing snow like crazy all night and a bunch of new chairs were spinning. Yay for me.) I had a terrific time while the girls did a candle-making class at The Village Candle Shop. (Yay for them.) When they finished, they rode the gondola up and met me mid-mountain for lunch before gearing up. We spent the afternoon in damn near perfect conditions on a few green circles, playing follow the leader, tag, whatever. Then we ice skated for way too long

with a light snow falling, warmed up by a fire and did much of what we’d done on previous evenings again. (Think s’mores and hot cocoa and snowballs and shopping, etc.) We decided to eat in due to the weather, so I donned foul weather gear and walked down alone to Earthly Delights, the Village shop, for soup and crackers. It was cold outside, very cold, and I found the Village completely deserted. Snow fell softly all around me. Here Comes Santa Claus played over outdoor speakers and Christmas lights twinkled brightly in leafless trees lining the streets and alleyways of Northstar. And as I walked alone over freshly blanketed snow, past one or two other bundled boyfriends or husbands or fathers rushing off for dinner or a bottle of wine for those waiting cozy by the fire back in their condos, I soon realized that I had my winter wish. It sounds silly now, but it was a powerful moment for me as a busy husband and ...continued p.18

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...continued from p.16

(left) Lily “Vonn” Mazza ready to point it down the Super G course. (middle/right) Kate dealing with a small crash…and realizing that sometimes it’s easier just to take the damned sticks off. (All right Kate!)

father, hustling through the Village that night, hands stuffed deep in fleece pockets, breathing hard. It reminded me, suddenly, of what’s important – what’s really important – not just during the holidays but every single day. My wife. My kids. And my time with them. Everybody knows it and everybody

talks about it all the time. But sometimes it slips away nevertheless. I’m certainly guilty of it despite myself. Sometimes, I suppose, it just takes a break to remember it more clearly. We spent most of an absolutely gorgeous bluebird Sunday riding together (it would have been all day but the backside of the mountain had opened and I took a few steeper runs alone), before taking in a movie and a terrific meal at Tavern 6330’ and heading back to the condo and the

fire for one last night of popcorn and fun. As we walked back through the Village after dinner, hand-in-gloved-hand, my wife summed the whole experience up in one simple statement-cum-question: “It really is exactly what you think of when you think of the picture perfect winter family vacation, isn’t it?” It sure was, babe, you have no idea. Peace and love to all y’all this holiday season, from my family to yours. Slow down. Make time.

Be well.

STUFF I LIKE I absolutely loved Northstar California Resort. In fact, the real, honest truth is that it was my single favorite family vacation we’ve taken in quite some time. Next year, when we go back, I plan on forcing the children (and perhaps the wife), kicking and screaming, into the Burton Snowboard Academy – one of only two in the world (the other is ...continued p.20

Northstar Ski Resort LIFTS

• 20 Total • Two gondolas (one express, one pulse) • One six-pack express • Seven express quad chairlifts • Two triple chairlifts • One fixed grip quad chairlift • Two surface lifts • Five Magic Carpets

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That’s all of us, just before our first real run together atop Vista Express. (Skidtrail to Lumberjack to Lower Main Street, kids, and don’t forget it!) By the way, Epic Mix photographers took pictures of us all over the mountain; it was a wonderfully convenient way to memorialize the whole thing. (It tracks your vertical feet and other stats, too.)

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Northstar Ski Resort Family Fun

•A variety of on-mountain dining facilities, including mid-mountain and summit day lodges, as well as the new Zephyr Lodge • Ski & Snowboard School for children and adults • C ross-Country Ski & Snowshoe Center offering 35km of groomed and tracked trails (includes track, skate, snowshoe and Telemark) • Complimentary on-site shuttle service • Licensed childcare for kids ages 2+ (license no. 293610610) •V illage at Northstar featuring unique shops and restaurants, bars, grocers, overnight ski storage, locker room, two movie theaters and WiFi Internet access • Apex Bungy trampoline • E xperiential opportunities including candle, mosaic, teddy bear making and pottery painting • 9 ,000 square foot outdoor skating rink (ice skating in winter; roller skating in summer) •R ecreation Center with outdoor heated lap pool, outdoor spas, saunas, fitness center and teen center (for Northstar Resort lodging guests only) • Lift-accessed tubing hill

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That’s friendly bartender Apple Sol Landerman, who made Wendi a Hot Apple Sol – he created the intoxicating potion, so he named it after himself – and me a Knobby Toddy at the Cabana Bar next to the ice rink. (He was born, apparently, to wild hippies in a sunny spot under an apple tree. Only in Tahoe.)

(left) Doug Adamski in Guest Services graduated from UCSB in 1974. (Go Gauchos! And thanks, Doug, for the good advice on the mountain.) (right) Gina Castagnola was working at Mine, a fun kids shop in the Village, when we spoke with her. But you might know her from town; she grew up in Santa Barbara and followed a boyfriend to Truckee. (Don’t forget about us down here, Gina.)

in Japan) – so they can learn the sport I love so much from some real pros with a unique and highly respected and globally recognized program. (Sorry honey, bad joke. I’m well-aware that you’re fully capable of deciding for yourself if you want to snowboard.) Anyway, as you can see, we included a few basic facts about the resort throughout the column so you might get a feel for some specifics about the Village and the mountain. The folks at Northstar took great care of us and we bet they’ll do the same for you. Consider Tahoe – and in particular Northstar – for your next snow trip. You won’t regret it. www.northstarcalifornia.com. I also like Mountain Air Sports right here in town. I picked up a few odds and ends there – think gloves, hats and other key gear, not to mention a tune up for my snowboard – before heading up the hill and encourage you to do the same. They’re a knowledgeable, helpful staff that will get you geared up appropriately with a warm Santa Barbara smile (and without any pretension). Hell, my daughters loved skiing (and their ski instructor) so much that I need to consider heading

A T N A S A R A B BAR CAST BEER www.figmtnbrew.com

Sunny, Warm,

100% Chance of Beer Food Provided By: The Lucky Penny

Those are my kids, taking that candle-making class I mentioned. (I was doing speed laps on the backside of the hill at this point, jamming up and down the Backside Express, iPod playing loudly in my ears. Oh come on, at least some absence makes the heart grow fonder.)

Visit our main production facility and taproom at:

in and buying them skis from Santa. (Hey Ken, help!) Mountain Air Sports, 14 State Street, (805) 962-0049; www. mountainairsports.com. That’s it this week everybody. Ride hard. Er, ah… I mean, happy holidays.

45 Industrial Way Buellton, CA 93427 (805) 694-2252

Or if you’re in Santa Barbara, visit our new tasting room in the Funk Zone at:

137 Anacapa St., Suite F, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 694-2255

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W W W. S A N TA B A R B A R A S E N T I N E L .CO M

Nomad

In search of rails, jumps, pipe and pow, the typical 1 snowboarder is nomadic. The Nomad is ready for any roadtrip to slay what ever lies ahead of it. Regular & Reverse Camber Profile ABS Sidewalls True Twin Freestyle Snowboard 146-150-153w-154.5-156-159

Lovefear

This is our way to keep things friendly to momma nature. She gives up plenty of dumps and while we realize we’re making snowboards, we’re taking an initiative to make sure our prosperity will have awesome pow days! Rocker camber and all mountain Bamboo sidewalls Extended effective edge True twin and all mountain

Shrednecks

DANG SHREDNECKS, we made this board to stay true to our roots. It’s the crescent wrench of snowboards, good for park, powder and jibbing. You might be shredneck. Regular Camber Profile Polyurethane Sidewalls True Twin Freestyle Snowboard 146-150-153-156-159-163-167

8 0 5 . 8 4 5 .1 6 7 3 | 1 3 3 E A S T D E L A G U E R R A S T R E E T | N O.1 8 2 | S A N TA B A R B A R A

DECEMBER 13 - 20 | 2013 |