Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows in North Lake Tahoe will be open on July 4 and into August (conditions permitting) marking only the fourth time in the last 50 years that the resort has reopened for Independence Day.
If skiing over the July 4th holiday sounds like fun, Visit California is reminding travelers that through August 31, Skis and Snowboards Fly Free on JetBlue routes from JFK International Airport and Long Beach Airiport (LGB) into Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO).
Even better, anyone flying into Reno-Tahoe International Airport on any commercial flight can take their boarding pass to the “Mountain Concierge” shop in the airport and pick up a free same day ski pass for Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows as part of the Fly & Ski Free Deal.
Burning Man kicks off this weekend and the far-out festival has a major impact on the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, which each year hosts approximately 35,000 additional arriving and departing Burners from 34 different countries.
Over the years, the airport figured out how to best welcome and help the Burners get where they need to go – and it seems like quite the set-up.
The airport has travel information on the Burner web site, a welcome table (with travel info, and complimentary water and fig bars), a 15-foot wooden replica called “Mini Man” in Bag Claim and a Burning Man art exhibit in the depARTures Gallery.
artist: Jeff Schomberg
When Burning Man is over, the airport really goes into high gear.
No motorized transportation (beyond Art Cars) is allowed on the Playa, so lots of Burners bring bikes, which are frequently left behind. The airport partners with the local Kiwanis Club on a bike drop-off area so those bikes can get refurbished and given to kids in the community.
Travelers – and their belongings – heading home from Burning Man are often dusty and dirty, and everyone must pack out their trash from the Playa. So the airport has its custodial staff working around the clock cleaning restrooms and emptying trash bins. The airport also keeps a supply of crates on the curb to collect trash.
Because everyone’s suitcase or backpack is likely to be covered in dust, and because all that dust and grime can muck up the airport’s delicate and expensive baggage machinery, all airlines are required to put a plastic bag around each item of checked luggage and/or place it in a plastic tub. So there are plenty of bags and tubs on hand.
Before and after Burning Man, travelers can enjoy the Burning Many art exhibit at the airport. Through the Artists Lens includes over 60 photos of Burning Man artwork and activities by three well-known Burning Man photogrpaher. Look for the depARTures Gallery on the second floor of the airport’s terminal, post-security.
The Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert is wrapping up and more than 70,000 attendees are leaving Black Rock City – with their garbage.
There’s a recycling program at the festival, but all participants are required to remove their own trash and dispose of it elsewhere – in trash disposal stations in neighboring towns or perhaps in the giant trash bins set up at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
Airports had some fun with a couple of offbeat holidays this week:
Thursday, March 13, was Worldwide Popcorn Lover’s Day and as part of the celebration the Kindness Team at Reno-Tahoe International Airport handed out free bags of fresh, hot popcorn to passengers.
Friday March 14, was National Pi Day – the day set aside to honor the symbol used in mathematics to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159.
Burning Man, a wild week-long party that organizers say is “dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance,” kicked off today in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
About 15,000 of the 50,000 “Burners” will arrive via the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, which is rolling out a welcome mat that includes “Mini Man,” (above) – an 8-foot tall replica of the 40 foot Burning Man.
During peak arrival times, volunteers will staff a welcome area at the entrance to Baggage Claim and through October 15 the airport’s Connector Collections Gallery is hosting an exhibit titled Burning Man: Baker Beach to Black Rock Desert and Beyond, that tells the history of Burning Man through art and artifacts.
