My hair is jealous of my snowboards. It takes me a couple months to make time for a haircut, but I get my boards professionally tuned every other week. I can’t help it. I have the same smile no matter how long my hair is, but my snowboards ride so much better when they are razor sharp.
I used to repair my own boards, and I still wax them, but I have found that using a professional tuner for base repairs and edge sharpening really pays off. Their repairs withstand further damage way better than my p-tex candle drip jobs, and I don’t have to inhale the smoky plastic fumes anymore. It’s gotten even easier to rationalize a bi-weekly manicure for my precious shred sticks because two new ski and board tuning shops just opened in North Tahoe and Truckee, the Tahoe Snow Lab and the Donner Bike And Ski Lounge.
Build and Buff in Tahoe City
The Tahoe Snow Lab is indeed a ski laboratory. The new shop just outside of Tahoe City manufactures ski and snowboards in addition to offering tuning services. Snow Lab co-founder Josh Bennett produces Slant Skis out of the facility, while his partner, Chris White, builds Actual Snowboards on the same equipment.
“Chris and I combined forces to make a full-scale shop where we could build and tune right where we like to play,” said Bennett about the Snow Lab’s cherry location on Highway 89 in between Tahoe City and Alpine Meadows adjacent to Big Bear Auto and Sierra Sheet Metal.
Bennett has been building Slant Skis in North Tahoe since 2007. Slant’s 2013 quiver holds four men’s and three women’s models including the all-natural MOSO ski. The MOSO is an all-mountain charger built out of bamboo, basalt fiber, and tree-sap based epoxy. The only plastic in the ski is the base.
Actual Snowboards will debut its first boards in March 2013. A longtime shredder and experienced board builder, White has been hard at work designing seven models including ideal boards for any rider — man, woman, freestyler, or freerider. All Actual board models will use the green-tech materials including basalt fiber in replacement of fiberglass and sap-based epoxy instead of petrochemical epoxy. Both Actual and Slant offer a two-year warranty and free tuning for the season of purchase.
“The equipment we build our skis with is also the best equipment for repair, so who better to tune your skis than people who actually make skis?” said Bennett.
As a grand opening special, the Snow Lab is offering a free machine wax or $5 off any tune for new customers. For a complete list of tuning services visit tahoesnowlab.com.
Relax and Repair on Donner Lake
Equally outside the box of your average ski shop, the Donner Bike and Ski Lounge is a new hybrid bike/ski/coffee shop located in the blue building on the corner of Olympic Drive and Donner Pass Road on the northeast shore of Donner Lake. The aptly named Donner Lounge is poised to be a year-round hot spot for Truckee cyclists and skiers looking for repair services, a tasty cup of coffee, or a pre-or-post adventure community meeting point.
The Donner Lounge is a family-run business founded by former Granite Chief lead ski tuner and The Backcountry service department manager Greg Clark and his wife Ivy. The Clarks have spent the last three months transforming the one-time furniture warehouse into a spacious facility that will soon hold a vibrant coffee shop adjacent to a cozy lounge area and a repair shop.
“The Donner Lounge is a different kind of bike and ski shop,” said Greg. “It’s going to be a hub where you can meet people before a ride or ski day, grab a coffee, drop off your gear for a tune, and learn more about how to maintain and repair it.”
With 15 years of bike and ski tuning experience, Greg is already a well-known local mechanic, and the new space will allow him to offer faster, more comprehensive repair services. Local ski racers take note that the Donner Lounge has a waxing hot box for world cup-level wax jobs.
“As long as it’s not in two pieces we can probably fix it,” says Clark about his passion for bringing broken skis and bikes back to life.
The Donner Lounge is currently accepting repair and tuning work while the Internet coffee shop is set to open in about a month. Televisions and a foosball table have already arrived, contributing to the lounge’s desired hangout atmosphere. As the space evolves, the lounge will also offer ski storage lockers and sell unique local products and basic bike and ski equipment.
Keep an ear out for more news about the grand opening of the Donner Lounge in the coming months. When the espresso machine gets cranking, lounge customers can expect a free cup of coffee with any tuning service. And for extra loyal customers, if you buy 10 tunes, you’ll get a free haircut!
Just kidding…serious about the free coffee, wishful thinking about the haircut.
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