THS-Visuals Tells Nevada's Story

BY MATTHEW B. BROWN

One of the slogans we use at Nevada Magazine is "Telling the Silver State's story since 1936." Well, THS-Visuals has been telling Nevada's story for many years as well. We were lucky enough to work with owner Todd Simon and his crew this month for a Nevada Magazine promo video, which you can watch below:


I found it interesting, in conversations I had with Simon in between filming at our Carson City offices, just how much of Nevada he's seen. We share this in common, I as the editor of Nevada Magazine and he as the owner of THS-Visuals, which has produced numerous Nevada tourism videos. Here is a summary of THS-Visuals' Nevada travels just this year:

• In March, they shot for a new TLC TV show called "Insane Bathrooms" covering a solid-gold bathroom in a Zephyr Cove (Lake Tahoe) home. The house was built by the co-founder of Tommy Hilfiger.
• Shortly after, they visited Pahrump for eight days to film a series of videos aimed at promoting tourism on the Visit Pahrump website. Included were Southern Nevada attractions such as Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Hoover Dam, local wineries, Death Valley National Park, and Rhyolite ghost town.
• In May, THS-Visuals spent time in Elko making a video for the California Trail Interpretive Center, followed by a shoot at Barrick Gold Corporation's Goldstrike mine site.
• In June, the Nevada Commission on Tourism asked THS-Visuals to put together a "Travel Nevada" video set to the new Nevada theme song, "Don't Fence Me In," by Las Vegas band The Killers.
• This summer, Simon and crew filmed events and activities in West Wendover during the city's July 4th celebration, then spent four days covering wild horses around Reno and Winnemucca for a new Discovery Channel show. Then they were back in West Wendover for 10 more days to film a series of tourism videos for the city website.

"Who knows where in the state you'll find us next? Interesting, and often unexpected...but always fun. That's my take on Nevada!"—Todd Simon

THS-Visuals' reach is not limited to Nevada, having produced shorts for Redding, California and Shasta Lake, for example. They were extremely professional during filming and turned the video around quickly, while remaining diligent about quality. We at Nevada Magazine highly recommend their work if you're looking to have a video made for your agency, business, etc.

Homewood's Master Plan

BY MATTHEW B. BROWN

A rendering of the planned hotel at the base of Homewood Mountain Resort.
Below is a rendering of the planned mid-mountain lodge.

At a recent media familiarization tour I attended on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, I learned some truths that have given me new insight into the offerings on this side of the famous lake:

• Big things are being planned for historic Homewood Mountain Resort, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011.
• The current offerings at Homewood should not be discounted, including incredible views of Lake Tahoe from many of the resort's ski runs and great deals on lift tickets compared to other area resorts.
• West Shore Cafe and Inn is a cozy, affordable retreat for someone looking for more of a throwback Lake Tahoe experience.

Homewood Looks to the Future

Aiming for a blend of history—Homewood's roots can be traced to 1961—and modern green-building practices, the quaint mountain resort will undergo a bold transformation in the next few years.

The Homewood Mountain Resort Master Plan includes a new amphitheater, 75-room boutique hotel, and mid-mountain lodge, which will compete with other resorts and villages that have renovated in the last decade around the lake. For more information about the master plan, call 530-582-6085, visit skihomewood.com/masterplan, or e-mail masterplan@skihomewood.com. 

Homewood Today

I was pleased to learn, given the seemingly annual rising costs of lift tickets at Reno-Tahoe resorts, Homewood offers adult tickets from $44 in addition to new conveniences, technology, and family-focused ski and snowboard programs.

The 'Homewood Guarantee' ensures that every chair lift remains open during the current ski season (weather and conditions permitting). Popular lifts such as Old Homewood Express and Quail and Ellis triple chairs offer access to some of the region’s most popular powder bowls, gladed slopes, and groomed trails—each with views of the lake that rival any area resort. 


Homewood Mountain Resort offers stellar views
of Lake Tahoe.

Also, guests have a new way to interact with the mountain via their smartphones. With Homewood’s mobile app, guests can locate themselves on the trail map, find their friends on the mountain, view current weather forecasts and grooming information, and easily and quickly share content via social media. Additionally, guests can order yummy Homeward Bound Paninis to-go from any smartphone. Visit skihomewood.com/paninis.

I was relieved, after a day of snowboarding myself, to be introduced to the new Big Blue View Bar. Sipping a beverage to the beats of a mid-mountain DJ while meeting some of the Homewood staff was a perfect conclusion to a great day of boarding.


The list of new and improved does not stop there. The resort also offers high-definition streaming web cams—part of explore.org’s Pearls of the Planet initiative—season passes that are valid every day including holidays, a Homewood Family Pass for $599, and a Burton Learn to Ride center, among other things.

Stay at West Shore Café and Inn

The media fam also included two nights lodging and two dinners at the homey waterfront West Shore Café and Inn, right across the street from Homewood. I was able to stay one night and partake in one group dinner, and came away with nothing but pleasant memories. The lodge is only two stories, but the first floor contains a popular restaurant and great views of Lake Tahoe. Take it from me, the food is complimentary to the magnificent views.



Skiers and boarders can take advantage of the Peak to Shore Package, which includes lodging at the West Shore Café and Inn as well as access to the lifts at Homewood. The packages start at $299 per night and are available through May 2013. Each night reserved includes two Homewood lift tickets—valid any day including holidays—complimentary breakfast, car valet, and shuttle service to and from nearby destinations.

Prior to this media fam, I hadn't spent a lot of time on the west shore. That's definitely going to change after my recent visit. If you haven't explored the west side of Lake Tahoe recently, or ever, do yourself a favor and plan a trip soon.


Nevada Magazine ushers in its 77th year

January 1936

January/February 2013
Photo: Mark Harris

Nevada Magazine’s January/February 2013 issue is now available on newsstands throughout Nevada. Featured in the edition are 12 authentic, homegrown Nevada events to plan for in 2013, as well as Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki's column about the upcoming National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko.

From Winnemucca's Ranch Hand Rodeo to Carson City's Nevada Day celebration and parade, the feature story celebrates signature events that define a city or town's legacy, such as Beatty Days, Jarbidge Days, Rachel Days, and Tonopah's Jim Butler Days.

The issue’s other feature story spotlights the Nevada Arts Council's Traveling Exhibition Program (TEP), which brings visual arts—including paintings, ceramics, and photography—to 24 Nevada cities and towns. Readers can learn about such installments as Honest Horses: A Portrait of the Mustang in the Great Basin, which will be on exhibit at the Beatty Museum and Historical Society through January 23.

To complement the story, Nevada Magazine is hosting the exhibit Stop the Car, Dad! for a limited run through Friday, March 1. The public can stop the car at The Paul Laxalt Building in Carson City during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to peruse the photographs of Eric Lauritzen, who died in 2007 but left a legacy of Nevada imagery that documents the bizarre, beautiful—and in some cases disturbing—roadside attractions he discovered while exploring the Silver State.

Alana Berglund installs a Nevada Arts Council traveling exhibit at the Art Institute of Las Vegas in October 2012.
Photo: Charlie Johnston

Also featured in the issue is a cover story about the popular Nevada sport of land sailing. The many dry lake beds and abundant year-round wind have made Nevada one of the country's premier land-sailing destinations.

Goldfield's International Car Forest, Reno's historic downtown Amtrak station, Las Vegas' new DISCOVERY Children's Museum, a history story about famous Comstock journalist Dan DeQuille, and Tahoe Lobster Company, which commercial fishes the invasive crayfish from the Nevada waters of Lake Tahoe, are also highlighted in the pages of the current issue.

This publication marks the 77th anniversary of Nevada Magazine, which debuted as Nevada Highways and Parks in January 1936. See all 77 years of cover images here.

Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee Organized

Thirty countries, their respective flags displayed on the Tower of Nations, competed in the 1960 Olympic Winter Games at Squaw Valley — the last time the Reno-Lake Tahoe region hosted the Games. Photo: Robert M. Reid

Nevada and California Leaders Unveil Joint Effort to Explore Bid for Olympic Winter Games in the Lake Tahoe Region

Fifty-two years after the Olympic flame was first ignited in the Tahoe region, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Nevada Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki announced recently the formation of the Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee, a new joint California-Nevada initiative, building on the existing efforts, dedicated to developing an Olympic Bid for the 2022 Winter Games.

The new committee, LTWGEC, is an entity created by the leadership of two separate organizations that were set up to explore a potential bid for the Tahoe Region. The two organizations — the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition and the California Winter Games Committee, joined by the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee — will now be committing significant resources to the LTWGEC.

"The timing is right for Californians and Nevadans to come together and seriously explore bringing the Olympic Winter Games to the Tahoe region," Krolicki says. "Our new committee is the evolution of years of work by many people, and if the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) decides to bid on the 2022 Winter Games, we will be ready to showcase the Tahoe region's scenic majesty and winter games capabilities."

The LTWGEC will be tasked with creating a group of business, civic, and political leaders who will work to thoroughly explore the benefits and impacts of hosting the Olympic Games in the Lake Tahoe Region. According to Krolicki and Newsom, the new group's leadership will be announced soon — including a robust environmental leadership team.

"Lake Tahoe's physical beauty is our greatest asset and our greatest responsibility," Newsom says. "We can't do this without the environment being front of mind for us."

Read Krolicki's column, "Pursuing the Olympic Winter Games," here.

Read a related blog and watch a related video here.

Nevada Magazine Highlights Reno-Tahoe Territory

Photo: Chris Talbot

Nevada Magazine’s November/December 2011 issue — the Reno-Tahoe Territory Special Edition — will be available soon on newsstands throughout Nevada. In it are a feature on Lake Tahoe ski resorts and a roundup of northwestern Nevada cities and towns, including Carson City, Reno, and Virginia City.

Also highlighted are Reno-Tahoe Territory’s lakes and parks, the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, noteworthy events in the territory, and a history story titled “The Six-Week Cure,” about Reno’s liberal divorce laws in the 1930s and the effect they had on the city.

The issue concludes Nevada Magazine’s 75th-anniversary year. To celebrate the milestone, the magazine covered Nevada’s six tourism “Territories” in 2011, customizing each of the year’s six issues to honor Las Vegas Territory, Pony Express Territory, Cowboy Country, Indian Territory, Nevada Silver Trails, and, finally, Reno-Tahoe Territory. Read all the Territory issues here.

Nevada enthusiasts can package the six special Territory issues with other great Nevada Magazine products such as the 75th-Anniversary Edition and 2012 Nevada Historical Calendar. The magazine is offering a number of great holiday gifts, such as the Nevada Lover's Package. Find out more at nevadamagazine.com, or by calling 775-687-0603.

Sparks resident wins Nevada Magazine’s 2010 Great Nevada Picture Hunt

A year after a Texas man won the grand prize in Nevada Magazine’s annual photo contest, a Sparks resident has delivered the gold back to the Silver State.

Sean Kukowski, who captured a thrilling 2009 summer lightning storm over the Reno area, is the Grand Prize winner of Nevada Magazine’s 33rd annual Great Nevada Picture Hunt—the feature story in the publication’s September/October 2010 issue.

The winning image (above), titled “Reno Lightning,” was taken from a hillside off of State Route 445, known as Pyramid Highway. “This storm took me by surprise,” Kukowski says. “It had some of the most impressive lightning I have ever seen.”

In addition to the Grand Prize, photographers were judged in five different categories: City Limits, Wide Open, Adventure, People, and Events. All the 2010 category winners are Nevada residents, including Las Vegas’ Bill Gerrard, who won the City Limits category and took Runner-Up in Events. Gerrard’s winning photo is of the tram that connects CityCenter to other Strip resorts.

Ellen Sargent, from Indian Springs, swept the People category with sepia images taken at the Overland Ranch in Ruby Valley. The subject of the winning image, Len Wines, was captured during his final branding at the 137-year-old ranch. The Runner-Up image is that of Len’s grandson, Pat, from the same branding.

Other winners are Reno resident Michael Horsley (Wide Open, “Incline Night Shot”) for his nighttime winter overview of Incline Village; Reno’s Krista Williams (Adventure, “Hidden Beach Paddle Surfers”) for her intriguing photo of two paddle surfers taken from the shore of Lake Tahoe; and Ralph Willits of Las Vegas (Events, “Shot Show”) for capturing a leaping dog at an annual hunting and outdoors trade show.

To view the winning images, pick up the latest issue (at right) at national bookstores and where magazines are sold in Nevada, or visit NevadaMagazine.com. Look for an ad in a future 2011 issue covering rules of submission for the 2011 contest, or check back regularly at NevadaMagazine.com.

Also in the September/October issue, Nevada Magazine highlights some of the state’s more accessible ghost towns, visits Virginia City’s Mackay Mansion Museum, Lake Tahoe’s Thunderbird Lodge, and Reno’s Freight House District, covers two fabulous Fallon restaurants, and continues its Tour Around Nevada in Boulder City.

Nevada Magazine announces 2010 Best of Nevada winners

Nevada Magazine’s July/August 2010 issue is available on newsstands throughout Nevada. In the edition, the winners of the 13th Annual Best of Nevada readers’ survey are revealed. From Brewery to Wedding Venue, the anticipated annual listing includes 17 categories.

Readers can also explore some of the Silver State’s unique, fragile environments via a feature on Nevada’s lakes and the environmental challenges facing them and a story about Nevada’s nine National Wildlife Refuges. Desert NWR in southern Nevada and Sheldon NWR in northwestern Nevada are covered extensively.

A story about Nevada tour companies (the cover image, also shown below, features a helicopter view of Hoover Dam) helps travelers plan their next Nevada adventure, and after a day of Nevada sightseeing, nothing hits the spot quite like southern-style soul food, the topic of this issue’s Cravings story.

A piece on St. Thomas tells the interesting history of a town that was once submerged by rising Lake Mead. The ghost town is now above water due to prolonged drought in southern Nevada. The Events Spotlight takes readers to the counter-culture festival in the Black Rock Desert, Burning Man, and the People feature spotlights Madeleine Pickens and her nonprofit, Saving America’s Mustangs.

Finally, the magazine’s Tour Around Nevada continues in the historic town of Ely. On July 17, Nevada Magazine will attend Nevada Northern Railway’s celebration of Engine No. 40’s 100th birthday. Visitors to the Ely event can pick up free magazines and other Nevada information, and Nevada Magazine staff will present a plaque and framed story to the town.

Writers’ Contest Deadline is Approaching

In addition to its popular Great Nevada Picture Hunt photo contest, Nevada Magazine is holding its first Writers’ Contest in 2010. Submissions — writers are required to keep their stories at 1,500 words or less — must be received by Monday, August 2 at 5 p.m. (PST). The first-place winner will be published in the November/December 2010 issue.

See contest details at nevadamagazine.com. Refer questions to Editor Matthew B. Brown at editor@nevadamagazine.com or 775-687-0602.

July/August 2010 cover image photo by Matthew B. Brown

A Powdery Day at Diamond Peak

My uncle's a Republican. Republicans listen to Rush Limbaugh. So, on the way to Diamond Peak on a recent Friday, as a passenger I had the privilege of listening to Limbaugh rant about how Obama is failing us and how global warming is a farce.

For the record, I don't consider myself Democrat or Republican, but I do like to think of myself as logical. Global warming is pure science, a non-debatable truth that can be proved with data, despite what Limbaugh or anyone else says.

My point, though, as far as this blog is concerned, is not at all related to global warming. Rather, on my way to Diamond Peak, it occurred to me that we (not just skiers and snowboarders, but anyone who depends on a faucet for a drink of water or a hot shower) have to appreciate the decent snow years just a little bit more nowadays, and 2010 has been just that — so far.

On this day, February 12, there was plenty of powder to go around from myriad storms that have passed through the Lake Tahoe area recently. Combine it with the fantastic views of Lake Tahoe (see photo above), and Diamond Peak in Incline Village contends with any of the major resorts in the area. Yeah, you're going to get more terrain at some of those other resorts, but you're also going to pay nearly double for a lift ticket.

If you haven't been yet, give Diamond Peak a try. You just might find that it has everything you're looking for at a reasonable price (plus the main lodge — see photo below — just underwent a significant renovation). And don't wait, because you never know what Mother Nature has in store for next ski season. Then again, if you believe Limbaugh, maybe you can afford to be patient.

Check out more Diamond Peak photos at our Flickr account.



Photos by Matthew B. Brown