Columnist Susan Snyder: Vegas skiing closer than you think

Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2001 | 8:40 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or 259-4082.

The thermometer read minus 2.

But Ray Foster didn't mind. Dressed only in ski pants, a sweater and a hat, he stood outside the entrance to Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, waiting for the ski lifts to open and the sun to rise above the craggy peaks.

"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" Foster said.

And it was, in spite of the thermometer. Blue sky, green trees, white snow, gray rock -- the day wore winter's best colors. And Foster sees them often.

He was in Flagstaff, Ariz., two weeks ago and has plans to hit Lake Tahoe and Colorado's Crested Butte later this month. If he plans his time right, he can ski all the way until May.

How many ski days does he have in a year?

"A lot of them," he says with a grin.

The 72-year-old Las Vegas resident has been skiing since he was 4. He's retired from the Vail, Colo., ski patrol, among other things, and proudly admits he's pretty much a professional ski bum.

"I figured it out this morning. I've been skiing 68 years," Foster said. "I might as well not give it up now -- as long as my legs hold out. If you can make it to my age, you've got it made."

On Friday, a day after Mother Nature dumped about 18 inches of new snow on the slopes, Foster drove his RV up Lee Canyon Road and found his prime parking spot by 3:30 a.m.

Yes, 3:30. That's not a typo.

"I like to be able to sit around and relax a little before I ski," she said.

The coffee was brewing. The electric generator was humming, and Foster awaited the day's downhill with a couple of friends from Holland. Ivo VanDyke and Peter Greijmans said they are Mercedes-Benz mechanics who frequently visit Las Vegas to salvage old Mercedes cars and parts and ship them back to Holland.

VanDyke said they met Foster at a Las Vegas junkyard. When he said he was going skiing, they asked if they could tag along.

"I'm going to try it for the first time," VanDyke said.

The Las Vegas resort is a good place for that. There's a bunny hill with a $40 beginner package that includes a 90-minute lesson, ski rental and lift ticket. The beginning snowboard package is $55.

The rest of the mountain has two lifts with six intermediate runs and four expert runs. For $28 (plus $16 for skis) you can play all day.

"We get a lot of tourists," said Gayle Moots, a ski patrol member who is a retired Clark County teacher. "You go to a big resort, you have to stand in the lines."

And you have to drive three hours to get there. The closest ski resort outside of the valley is in Utah. Las Vegas' ski resort is about 45 minutes away. Take U.S. 95 north and turn left into Lee Canyon (it's the one after Kyle Canyon). Go all the way to the top.

Foster walked around the outside of his RV and pointed to the painting on the back that shows him standing next to a mountain road with his dog and a sign that says, "Will work for lift ticket." His license plate frame says, "When hell freezes over, I'll ski there, too."

But snow isn't his only passion, he said.

"I always carry golf clubs, too -- just in case."