All posts by Sebastian Foltz

Sebastian Foltz is a freelance photographer and writer with extensive experience in the magazine and newspaper industry.
Gear

High Gear review: Surefoot custom ski boots

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Part of a weekly series of gear reviews for the Summit Daily News. http://bit.ly/2hHv3A6

From goggles down to socks, just about every ski or snowboard gear company is likely to tell you that their piece of equipment is the key to optimizing your skiing experience. But ask any ski or snowboard instructor, and chances are they’ll tell you it all starts with the right boots.

That’s why this week we checked in with the guys at the Copper Mountain Surefoot custom boot shop to learn a little more about the science behind boot fitting and just what can be done to get the perfect fit. They also set us up with a pair of their full custom fit boots to get a feel for what the right size is supposed to feel like. Continue reading High Gear review: Surefoot custom ski boots →

Features, Travel

Tahoe’s Coachman Motel raising the bar for renovation

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Investors give 60s era motel European inspired face-lift

Story appeared in the Tahoe Daily Tribune. http://bit.ly/2j9ZwqO

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The parking lot outside may still have some semblance of a construction site — a shipping container or two and a few carpenters milling about — but take a step into the lobby of the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Coachman Hotel and it is easy to see a piece of managing partner Justin Watzka, his father Peter and their investment group’s vision.
Inspired in part by the communal nature of the traditional European ski lodge with a uniquely modernized interior design, the place is at once welcoming and stylish.
Part lodge, part Starbucks, part microbrew tasting lounge, with a hint of nostalgia for the 1960s motel experience, the concept has the potential to become a model for redevelopment of the region’s aging motel infrastructure.
“It’s something I’ve been looking toward doing for a number of years,” the tall, thin, long-haired 34-yearold Watzka said sipping a Stumptown coffee in his hotel’s new communal space — which will also be open to non-guests. Watzka looks every bit the part of what you would picture from a young professional Bay Area business type, with a passion for the outdoors. Continue reading Tahoe’s Coachman Motel raising the bar for renovation →

Sports

Is Olympic slopestyle too dangerous?

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Athletes, IOC react to official’s harsh criticism following Sochi Winter Olympics

Summit Daily News story in the aftermath of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. http://bit.ly/2mNehEK

The Winter Olympics returned to the headlines over the weekend with an International Olympic Committee official saying the games’ latest additions — skier and snowboard slopestyle — had an “unacceptably high” risk and should be dropped from future games if the sports don’t address safety concerns.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Lars Engebretsen, the IOC’s head of scientific activities, was quoted as saying slopestyle injuries were “much higher than any other sport in Sochi.”
While ski and snowboard slopestyle have a long history in events like the X Games and Dew Tour, they joined skier halfpipe as new additions to this year’s games in Sochi, Russia.
Engebretsen called for drastic measures regarding slopestyle in future Olympic competitions.
“Right now the injury rate as it was in Sochi was too high to be a sport that we have in the Olympics,” he said. Continue reading Is Olympic slopestyle too dangerous? →

News

Tahoe highway plan seeks to revitalize downtown

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City to host public forum on proposed ‘Loop Road’

News story on urban redevelopment plan from the Tahoe Daily Tribune. (Story link here)

Whether it’s for ski season or summertime recreation, a host of successful tourism destinations in the U.S. have one thing in common — a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly downtown. It’s an area where a number of South Shore transportation officials, tourism Loop Road Tahoepromoters and city officials have said that South Lake Tahoe and neighboring Stateline fall woefully short.

That’s the primary focus behind the ongoing Loop Road plan, officially known as the South Shore Community Revitalization Project. The project is being led by Tahoe Transportation District.

Tahoe Transportation District took another step in its effort to promote the project by hosting an open house Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. The meeting was the second of its kind since December.

Currently in the early planning stages, the project has been narrowed to four potential options, along with a fifth no-build plan. Of those plans, two primary options have been described as more likely. Continue reading Tahoe highway plan seeks to revitalize downtown →

News

Small plane crashes in South Lake Tahoe neighborhood

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Pilot and passenger killed, FAA and NTSB investigating

Story from Tahoe Daily Tribune. http://bit.ly/2jJ6xm5

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board officials are continuing their investigation of Saturday’s [Oct. 10] single-engine plane crash near Lake Tahoe Airport. A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board said the organization is currently in the “very early stages” of its analysis. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration officials were at the crash site Sunday, Oct. 11, and reportedly completed their initial on-scene assessment of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to gather facts regarding the incident. NTSB spokesman said investigations typically take up to a year to conclude.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, the El Dorado County Coroner’s Office had not released the identities of the two crash victims.
The crash is the fourth fatal incident of its kind involving a single-engine aircraft near Lake Tahoe Airport since 2009. Previous National Transportation Safety Board accident reports of other incidents cited trouble with compensating for altitude, proper air/fuel mixtures and mechanical failure. A fifth non-fatal crash involved high winds. A cause for Saturday’s crash has yet to be determined. Continue reading Small plane crashes in South Lake Tahoe neighborhood →