Tour Archives - Los Gatos News And Events

Video Home Tour: San Francisco’s authentic Painted Girl is on the market, asking $5.75 million

Thu, 19 May 2022 22:04:42 +0000

If you’re longing for a quintessential experience of classic San Francisco, this is it: a home inside one of Alamo Square’s picture-perfect Painted Ladies, picnics in the neighboring park, coffees from the too-cute Lady Falcon truck, and walks to dinner on Divis.

Steiner Street’s seven Painted Ladies are known the world over for their signature Queen Anne Victorian architectural style—steep roofs, ornamented gables, bay windows, an abundance of pattern, and decorative spindlework. But the home at the corner of Grove Street stands apart from the rest: Not only is she the eldest of the seven sisters, she was also home to the Ladies’ original builder, Matthew Kavanaugh.

Built in 1892, all four levels of the historic six-bedroom home underwent an extensive, fully permitted remodel in 2015. But before you get all verklempt, rest assured this beauty retains many of her exquisite 19th century features.

A colorful leaded glass exterior door marks entry to a vestibule designed for ducking out of the weather. To enter the home itself, you’ll pass through an additional pair of heavily carved wood doors into a small parlor that will carry you easily into the formal living room and dining room. Original details here include gas-lit glass chandeliers, a marble gas-burning fireplace, and elaborate crown moldings that have been beautifully restored.

Also lovingly refreshed is the intricate wainscoting in the hallway that leads from the foyer to the rear of the home, which has been reconfigured to accommodate an open kitchen—with an oversized island, dual sinks, and a glass wall that opens to the patio— plus an adjoining family room.

The private quarters are made up of large bedrooms each with sizable closets and remodeled bathrooms. The primary suite is ode to tranquility, with a spa-like bathroom that includes a soaking tub and steam shower, and a custom walk-in closet. The top floor has been updated to take the form of a media area and home office endowed with abundant storage and its own full bathroom.

The home also has a separate legal unit downstairs, accessible from the main level or from the garden in the back of the home. Ideal for guests, a home office or even an Airbnb rental, the one-bedroom space is equipped with an open living and dining area, full bathroom, and kitchenette. There’s even a view.

Additional amenities in the main residence include a full Sunrun solar system, Tesla battery, garage for one car, and an additional space for storage or workshop.

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 5

Size: 4,831 sq. feet

Asking price: $5,750,000

// 722 Steiner St. (Hayes Valley); For more information, visit 722steinerst.com.

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Duran Duran units North America tour with San Francisco cease

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 10:28:44 +0000

Duran Duran is set to hit the road in 2022.

The fabled new wave act — which has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year — embarks on a 14-date trek in Aug. 14.

The tour includes a stop at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sept. 4.

Mighty Nile Rodgers and Chic are set to open some shows, including the Chase date.

Duran Duran is supporting his most recent studio album, “Future Past.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 am March 25, ticketmaster.com. Duran Duran’s VIP Community members have access to a North American tour presale that begins 10 am March 18. Visit will www.duranduranmusic.com for more information.

Duran Duran will find out in May whether they have been selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This is the first time the multiplatinum-selling band has been nominated, despite having been eligible for induction for several years.

Fans can help Duran Duran make it into the hall by voting — every day, if they so wish — through April 19 at vote.rockhall.com.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

08/19 – Treasure Island Amphitheater – Welch, MN**

08/20 – United Center – Chicago, IL**

08/22 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON**

08/23 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Washington, DC**

08/25 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY**

08/26 – WonderBus Music & Arts Festival – Columbus, OH

08/30 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX**

09/01 – Wynn Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV

09/03 – Wynn Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV

09/04 – Chase Center – San Francisco, CA**

09/07 – Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ**

09/09 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA

09/10 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA

09/11 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA

**Joined by Special Guests, Nile Rodgers & CHIC

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Duran Duran units North America tour with San Francisco cease

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 22:12:08 +0000

Duran Duran is set to hit the road in 2022.

The fabled new wave act — which has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year — embarks on a 14-date trek in Aug. 14.

The tour includes a stop at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sept. 4.

Mighty Nile Rodgers and Chic are set to open some shows, including the Chase date.

Duran Duran is supporting his most recent studio album, “Future Past.”

Fans can help Duran Duran make it into the hall by voting — every day, if they so wish — through April 19 at vote.rockhall.com.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

08/19 – Treasure Island Amphitheater – Welch, MN**

08/20 – United Center – Chicago, IL**

08/22 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON**

08/23 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Washington, DC**

08/25 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY**

08/26 – WonderBus Music & Arts Festival – Columbus, OH

08/30 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX**

09/01 – Wynn Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV

09/03 – Wynn Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV

09/04 – Chase Center – San Francisco, CA**

09/07 – Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ**

09/09 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA

09/10 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA

09/11 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA

**Joined by Special Guests, Nile Rodgers & CHIC

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Girl Gaga broadcasts San Francisco cease on her summer time tour

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 20:44:00 +0000

Get ready to dance. Lady Gaga is returning to the stage.

The musician known for her electrifying performances with nonstop costume changes announced Monday morning 15 new dates for her previously canceled Chromatica Ball summer tour, including a Sept. 8 show at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, the home stadium of the Giants baseball team. Tickets for the San Francisco show go on sale March 14 at 10 am through Ticketmaster.

The tour is promoting Lady Gaga’s sixth album “Chromatica,” which was released in May 2020 and hailed as a return to her dance-pop roots. The album’s lead single, “Stupid Love,” and Lady Gaga’s duet with Ariana Grande, “Rain on Me,” both shot up to the top charts when they were released.

Lady Gaga originally scheduled the tour for 2020 but was forced to postpone it multiple times because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While some parts of the world are moving quickly to open up, others are not yet ready,” Gaga said in an email statement in 2021 when the tour was postponed a second time, Rolling Stone reported. “So until we can confirm all global dates, we have to postpone The Chromatica Ball shows to the summer of 2022.”

Lady Gaga last performed in San Francisco in August 2017 at Oracle Park (then AT&T Park) as part of the Joanne World Tour. She walked the city streets after the show and handed out money to people without housing.

The pop star was more recently spotted in San Francisco in early March 2020, just before the city shut down for the coronavirus pandemic, dining out at Bar Crenn, the wine bar adjacent to chef Dominique Crenn’s three-Michelin-star Atelier Crenn.

Lady Gaga is reportedly dating San Francisco tech investor Michael Polansky, People magazine reported.

Lady Gaga became a star with her ultra-catchy dance-pop tunes and has gone on to make a name for herself as a Hollywood actress, most recently starring in “House of Gucci,” the 2021 film based on a real-life murder at one of the world’s best known luxury brands.

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Def Leppard’s Rick Allen On Upcoming Tour With Mötley Crüe: “It is A Shifting Goal…Let’s Simply Hope We’re On Monitor”

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 19:15:57 +0000

Live music is definitely on rocky ground post-COVID. It often feels like two out of three tours are getting postponed before they even launch, with the third walking on eggshells and ready to be scuttled at a moment’s notice. But Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen thinks there’s no reason why this summer’s twice-rescheduled Stadium Tour won’t happen.

Speaking to Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM (transcribed by Blabbermouth), Allen said:

“For sure. I think now we’re getting to the point where people can be safe, people can be safe enough. I think the way concerts are being run these days, there’s no reason why we can’t go forward. But it’s a moving target. So let’s just hope we’re on track.”

While we agree that Def Leppard might not have to worry about COVID, we wonder if Rick has heard his tourmate-to-be Vince Neil perform lately. Vince’s ability to pull off a tour like this comes more and more into question with every one of his solo shows. And if Mötley Crüe, who reunited for this tour, can’t please the crowd, how many shows in will things start to get ugly?

Anyway, catch Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe at one of the following dates, we hope:

6/16 – Atlanta, GA @ Suntrust Park [tickets]
6/18 – Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium [tickets]
6/19 – Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium [tickets]
6/22 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park [tickets]
6/24 – Queens, NY @ Citi Field [tickets]
6/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park [tickets]
6/28 – Charlotte, NC @ Bank Of America Stadium [tickets]
6/30 – Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium [tickets]
7/2 – Jacksonville, FL @ TIAA Bank Field [tickets]
7/5 – St Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium [tickets]
7/8 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field [tickets]
7/10 – Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park [tickets]
7/12 – Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park Stadium [tickets]
7/14 – Cleveland, OH @ First Energy Stadium [tickets]
7/15 – Cincinnati, OH @ Great American Ballpark [tickets]
7/17 – Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Field [tickets]
7/19 – Kansas City, MO @ Kauffman Stadium [tickets]
7/21 – Denver, CO @ Coors Field [tickets]
8/5 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park [tickets]
8/6 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park [tickets]
8/10 – Buffalo, NY @ New Era Field [tickets]
8/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park [tickets]
8/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium [tickets]
8/19 – Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park [tickets]
8/21 – San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome [tickets]
8/22 – Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Park [tickets]
8/27 – Inglewood, CA @ Sofi Stadium [tickets]
8/28 – San Diego, CA @ Petco Park [tickets]
8/31 – Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park [tickets]
9/7 – San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park [tickets]

The post Def Leppard’s Rick Allen On Upcoming Tour With Mötley Crüe: “It is A Shifting Goal…Let’s Simply Hope We’re On Monitor” appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside tour of luxurious senior dwelling advanced coming to San Francisco, the place studios value $7,700 a month

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 10:27:00 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A luxury senior living center is coming to San Francisco in 2022. The apartment complex made headlines recently, as the cost to live there can run as high as $27,000 a month.

“It’s going to be a big community. We range from independent, to assistant living, to memory care. We dedicated a support and care team trained through the Mayo clinic,” said Michael Pounsberry, Coterie Cathedral Hill’s General Manager.

Located at 1001 Van Ness Ave the Coterie Cathedral Hill luxury senior complex is three months from opening its doors.

RELATED: Rent will cost up to $27,000 a month at new and luxurious senior living complex in SF

“Welcome to Coterie Cathedral Hill. We are right now standing in our 3,500 square foot living room and library space. It’s a beautifully designed space with hardwood floors, white oak throughout and accents of brass and leather,” said Tansy Mak, Related Companies Design Manager.

Waiting to move into one of the 208 units is Jim Meehan.

Luz Pena: “What was it about this specific community that attracted you here?”

Jim Meehan: “I’m in excellent health, but I live alone and I’ve reached the age where it’s sort of prudent for me to have assistance available, if I need it. I’m also looking forward to being part of a community of people.”

Residents will have access to an on-site nursing and wellness team.

“A lot of safety programs here at the property as well. We even have a watch called ‘Care Predict’ so residents will have a two-way communication should they need any assistance,” said Pounsberry.

WATCH: Inside a $27 million San Francisco mansion

The units are on a month-to-month basis, ranging from $7,700 for a studio and more than $17,000 for a two bedroom.

“That price is all inclusive. Everything you see here at Coterie Cathedral Hill. We’ll have a concierge team downstairs, we’ll have 24 hour security. That includes transportation for our residents also in a 5 mile range of the city,” said Pounsberry.

Food and utilities are also included, “Michelin-inspired cuisine. Over five dining options throughout the community,” said Pounsberry.

The 14 story building is built by the two national developers Related and Atria Senior Living. This San Francisco location is the first of its kind, followed by a second location in New York City.

RELATED: SF tennis community outraged over real estate developer’s revision plan to not rebuild sports club

“We have 25,000 square feet of amenities which is amazing,” said Mak and added, “We have a fitness center with an outdoor pool, which is unique for San Francisco. It has a yoga room, fitness equipment. We also have a 6,000 square foot roof deck with a bocce ball and a pet run for all of our pet guests and BBQ’s throughout.”

Luz Pena: “How did San Francisco inspire some of the rooms here?”

Michael Pounsberry: “Now we are staying in the beautiful cocktail lounge. This is actually called Karl after Karl the fog.”

The luxury complex will open March 1st, 2022.

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Golden Gate Xpress | San Francisco’s unintentional feminist ghost tour

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 18:25:53 +0000

The streets of Pacific Heights on a Tuesday night are not a typical setting for a history lesson. The teacher, who cosplayed a cross between a Victorian gentleman and a performer from the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, does little to make this any less weird.

When Christian Cagigal, owner of SF Ghost Hunt and sole tour guide, told the story of Mary Ellen Pleasant – an abolitionist dubbed the “Mother of Civil Rights in California” – the 32 tour participants seemed to be attached to his every word.

Cagigal could look like a steampunker from the context of the tour. His night uniform consists of a black caban, a pink bow tie and a black top hat with an outwardly curved brim. He said his Victorian style outfit is common among spirit guides. He was armed with an old fashioned lantern to complete the look.

“I think we’re all just trying to mimic the Haunted Mansion archetypes,” Cagigal said in a pre-tour interview.

Cagigal started SF Ghost Hunt with his then business partner Jim Fassbinder in 1998 and made it the first ghost tour in town. At the time, Cagigal was studying theater at SF State. The two already knew each other from San Francisco’s amateur wizarding scene; he said Fassbinder initially got in touch because of his penchant for mixing storytelling and magic.

In front of the Healing Arts Building on Bush Street, Cagigal begins the tour about an African-American capitalist with three contradicting biographies during the SF Ghost Tour on October 26, 2021. (Cameron Lee / Golden Gate Xpress) (Cameron Lee)

When Fassbinder retired in 2016, Cagigal took over. Since then, he said he has made a few updates, mostly on social justice and feminism topics. The latter was initially a coincidence, he said.

“It’s a very women-friendly program,” said Cagigal. “I didn’t try to do the feminist ghost tour. It’s just what happened. “

Pleasant, the subject of the tour’s first stop in front of today’s Healing Arts Building on Bush Street, is an enigmatic figure in San Francisco history. As an African-American capitalist and millionaire in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, she has published three different biographies in her lifetime – each contradicting the last.

For her part, Cagigal said Pleasant did little to clear up the rumors about her. When it became the talk of the town that she was practicing voodoo, she began to carry a crystal ball in the palm of her hand.

According to some, she was a freed slave with ties to the famous abolitionist John Brown. For others, she was a voodoo priestess who learned her trade from Marie Laveau, the “Voodoo Queen of New Orleans”.

Cagigal said that it was clear to the people on the tour that his version of the story was just one of many. In fact, at the end of the tour, he said he would send an email with links to two other books on Pleasant that delve into two other potential life stories.

“It was important for me to try what I could to represent them better,” said Cagigal.

Since her death, he has said that the spirit of Pleasant continues to haunt the property where her mansion once stood. Dogs have been known to bark unprovoked when passing by. Another time a crow shot from above and landed on the head of a local restaurant owner, and the tall eucalyptus trees Pleasant himself planted have been known for throwing their seeds at passers-by with unusual precision.

Almost all of the ghosts seen on the tour are women – and strong ones, according to Cagigal.

“If there is some kind of demonization that happens to them in the story, I try to tone it down with the context so people understand why this person or that person may have done whatever they did,” he said.

Since leaving Fassbinder, he has been running the tour several nights a week until the pandemic broke out, forcing him to cease operations except for a few virtual tours last October. Cagigal said he re-launched personal tours last June, starting three evenings a week with 20 people. That was less than his average of 30 or 40 people per tour before the pandemic.

“

People just die for something. You want out. “

– Christian Cagigal

To his surprise, these tours sold out, so he increased the number to 25 people and added an extra night just to run out of tickets again. Cagigal said it was one of the best October the company has ever had, in part with people’s pent-up boredom about the pandemic.

“People just die for something. They want out, ”he said, adding that the fact that the tour was outdoors and required masking for non-vaccinated participants helped customers feel safe.

Tina Robinette and Andrew Chapman, both from Alameda, said they signed up for Ghost Hunt because they were fans of ghost tours. Robinette estimated she had done about 10 tours across the country, while Chapman said he had done between 20 or 30 tours.

Since the two had recently moved to the bay this year, Robinette added that they realized that ghost tours are a unique way to learn about an area and mentioned that they have been to New Orleans, Canada, Washington on other tours DC and across California.

“It’s really fun to explore a city,” she said. “This is the first tour we’ve been on since moving to San Francisco.”

With tour participants around him, Cagigal tells the story of a female spirit. one of many to be seen on the tour on October 26, 2021. “It’s a very women-friendly program,” said Cagigal. (Cameron Lee / Golden Gate Xpress) (Cameron Lee)

Chapman said Cagigal had a fun vibe compared to some of the other tour hosts he’s dealt with in the past. He said his lively personality helped.

“He wasn’t trying to be super creepy all along,” Chapman said. “Once in a while [ghost tours] Really go overboard if you’re trying to be scary or really overboard if you’re trying to be cheesy. He had a nice combo of ‘Here are the facts as I know them, here is what is not explained, here is what is explained’ and that was pretty cool. “

For someone in the business of the paranormal, Cagigal still has a certain skepticism about what he is open and honest on his tours. Whenever he tells one of his stories, he describes a sudden and mysterious death before throwing in, rather sarcastically, that the death could have been due to a number of things.

“It was in the 19th century, all deaths were sudden and mysterious,” he said.

Despite his own skepticism, Cagigal said he wanted to believe in ghosts. According to him, his favorite moments on tour don’t come when he’s teaching, but when he can’t find an explanation for them.

“I love these moments,” he said. “When I’m in a little mysterious place, ‘Maybe there was a ghost, who knows.'”

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Trying again: Tour de France |

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 00:24:18 +0000

Maurice Garin, a former chimney sweep with a mustache, won the first tour in 1903. Of the 60 starters, only 21 reached the finish line 19 days later.

French cyclist Maurice Garin (undated photo) AFP / Getty

It was the grueling nature of the tour that intrigued sports fans and writers. The Manchester Guardian previewed the 1921 race, stating that if it were run in a straight line, it could stretch from Paris to Baghdad.

Tommy Simpson, 1966. Photo: Getty / Images

The participation of British cyclists in the post-war period was overshadowed by the death of Tommy Simpson. The Nottinghamshire rider collapsed during a mountain stage of the 1967 edition. An autopsy found that he had taken amphetamines.

The Guardian, July 14, 1967.

Drug use would accompany the tour for years. Nevertheless, thanks to the French Jacques Anquetil, the race had cemented its place as a major sporting event. His amazing natural driving ability and endurance helped him win five tours, four of them in consecutive years.

Another five-time winner, Belgian Eddy Merckx, known as “The Cannibal”, became a sports legend thanks to his great will to win. He won his fifth tour in 1974. The French Bernard Hinault, who is considered one of the greatest cyclists of all time, joined the exclusive club of five-time winners in 1985.

Eddy Merckx won the Tour de France for the fifth time in 1974. Photo: STAFF / AFP / Getty Images

It was a former Hinault teammate, US rider Greg Lemond, who won the tightest finish of a tour in 1989. Lemond, who wore the latest aerodynamic helmet and rode a tri-handlebar bike, beat Laurent Fignon by just eight inch seconds on the final day.

The Spanish dominance of the event came in the form of Miguel Indurain or “Big Mig” who made Le Tour history in the 1990s by winning it five times in a row.

Lance Armstrong, 2002. Photo: Peter Dejong / AP

His record was broken by US driver Lance Armstrong, who won the race seven times in a row between 1999 and 2005. Many thought Armstrong’s record would never be broken, but the American was stripped of his titles and was banned from cycling for life in 2012 for doping.

The Tour de France, which was damaged in 1998 by a doping scandal involving the Festina team, appeared to be in danger.

Bradley Wiggins, 2012. Photo: Laurent Rebours / AP

However, the dark past of professional cycling didn’t stop broadcast giant Sky from investing heavily in the sport in 2009. They named David Brailsford to manager of Team Sky, who said he would win the tour with a “clean” driver. In 2012, Bradley Wiggins kept that promise and became the first British driver to win the race.

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From Kidd to Ligety, distinctive World Professional Ski Tour carries on

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 02:22:02 +0000

Most afternoons, Billy Kidd glides down the Heavenly Daze ski slope as he runs a free clinic with the guarantee – he always kids – that it will bring them closer to the Olympics or get their money back.

This weekend, the 1964 Olympic slalom silver medalist will reminisce when a pro racetrack he once raced regularly stops on his native snow in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Over 50 years ago, the charismatic Kidd, together with Jean-Claude Killy and later the Mahre brothers, brought momentum to an up-and-coming World Pro Ski Tour. It’s a tour that took root in the late 1960s, flourished for years before disbanding in 1999 and returning in 2017.

Kidd, easily recognizable in his distinctive cowboy hat, will definitely be a little nostalgic when the first races of the season – due to the global pandemic for the first time in a year – take place on Saturday and Monday.

For your information, Kidd won’t be taking part for the sake of the old days.

“I don’t even try to keep up with them,” cracked the 77-year-old. “But I love everything about ski racing.”

Especially this unique tour with a format of side-by-side racing. Because the racing driver who is in the next gate could be a national team member, World Cup participant, college star, journeyman or even the two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety, who is known to appear.

And this is how it works: 32 racing drivers earn a starting place in the field based on the time of the qualifying. From there, the racers are placed in a kind of bracket of the NCAA March Madness, who compete side by side on a super slalom course with jumps in pro style. One run each on the red and blue courses (to keep it fair), with the winners advancing due to the time difference.

“It’s an opportunity for some of these racers to justify their skiing,” said Jon Franklin, CEO of the World Pro Ski Tour. “To show that they belong to the world’s elite.”

Back then, Kidd was a driving force behind an idea from the late Bob Beattie, a former US ski team trainer who also helped create the World Cup ski circus. Beattie saw an opportunity to expand a pro route and started what would eventually become the World Pro Ski Tour.

Kidd won the first world title of this tour in 1970 and beat Egon Zimmermann from Austria – the Olympic champion in the 1964 Downhill – during an epic final race in Switzerland. They kept going to the starting gate – a dozen times in Kidd’s memory – to determine a winner, as one of them had to win twice in a row back then.

“Egon, who was a few years older than me, graciously let me win,” said Kidd, Steamboat’s longtime ski instructor. “That’s the nice thing about it: Anything can happen.”

Like last season when Max Bervy of the University of Colorado defeated Ligety in a head-to-head match at Eldora Mountain, Colorado. Ligety was Bervy’s idol who grew up. So much so that Bervy studied the video of Ligety who has 25 World Cup victories.

But no trace of nervousness, even after losing to Ligety in the first run. He beat Ligety in the second run and advanced to the next lap with a time difference.

“I knew where my skiing was and that I could do something cool,” said Bervy. “It’s always good to have someone like Ted in the back of your mind.”

Over the years many well-known ski racers have competed on the track: Kidd, Killy (the French standout who won three Olympic gold medals in 1968), the late Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, and Phil and Steve Mahre, who won gold and silver in the slalom of the Games 1984 in Sarajevo.

The track fell asleep around ’99 after a sale but reappeared after Ed Rogers, who oversaw the tour for many years, brought it back in ’17 with new sponsors and a television deal.

The prize pool is around $ 10,000 for a tour stop win. Also, about $ 150,000 is at stake during the World Championships on a date yet to be determined. This season’s schedule has been complicated by trying to secure venues during a time of strict COVID-19 protocols.

For now there are no separate men’s and women’s competitions – just one competition.

Memo to retired skier Lindsey Vonn: A permanent offer for her to show up should the most victorious alpine world cup racer of all time return. Vonn has long urged to compete in the World Cup against the men, but was never allowed.

“If Lindsey Vonn came out and competed against Ted, for example, that would be international news,” said Franklin.

Racing enthusiasts should be familiar with the names of the current tour. There are Nolan Kasper, three-time US Olympic champion, and Michael Ankeny, 2015 overall and slalom NorAm champion. In the shortened season of last year, Robert Cone took the overall title. Cone was the 2015 NCAA giant slalom champion for Middlebury College.

For some, the tour offers a chance to revive their careers. For others, it’s just a way to have fun.

Take Jake Jacobs, who is a summer chimney sweep in Glens Falls, New York so he can make money to scout the circuit. The 27-year-old makes his way from competition to competition in a blue van.

He hasn’t missed a scheduled event since returning to the tour in ’17.

“I just want to have fun and live freely,” said Jacobs.

He currently lives in Utah with his girlfriend and trains to race by imagining giant slalom goals when he goes freeskiing.

No doubt to introduce this first victory as well.

“Jake lives the dream for everyone – of all of the people who work on Wall Street and want to have the chance to qualify for a professional race and take on the best in the world,” said Franklin. “These are real Rocky Balboa stories.”

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From Kidd to Ligety, distinctive World Professional Ski Tour carries on

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 18:56:36 +0000

This weekend, the 1964 Olympic slalom silver medalist will reminisce when a pro racetrack he once raced regularly stops on his native snow in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

For your information, Kidd won’t be taking part for the sake of the old days.

“I don’t even try to keep up with them,” cracked the 77-year-old. “But I love everything about ski racing.”

“It’s an opportunity for some of these racers to justify their skiing,” said Jon Franklin, CEO of the World Pro Ski Tour. “To show that they belong to the world’s elite.”

The story goes on