By Freddy Perryman, U.S. Ski Team

ASPEN -– John Teller of Mammoth Lakes claimed skicross X Games gold Sunday, marking his first X Games victory. Casey Puckett of Aspen came out of retirement to finish with the bronze.

“I knew exactly what I was planning on doing (in the final). It ended up working and I came home with the win,” said Teller.

Teller’s win was a tight one though as he won by just half a ski length over Ameircan Chris Del Bosco, who skis for Canada. X Games gold is just another addition to the Mammoth native’s historic 2011. Earlier this year Teller won the first ever skicross World Cup by an American in St. Johann, Austria.

Adding to the drama of the day was the return of Puckett to Winter X skicross. The 38-year old had walked away from the sport after eight Winter X Skicross appearances, but came back just in time to take bronze in skicross.

The skiing legend seemed glad to be back at Winter X, even cheekily updating his Facebook page after a good run in qualifiers.

“I got second in qualifying,” said Puckett. “From the couch to the podium!”

In the women’s skicross, Canadian Kelsey Serwa beat out French veteran Ophelie David in one of the most bizarre finishes in the history of the sport. Neck-in-neck going into the final money booter, the two got tangled on the landing and crashed over the finish line. Both arose bloodied and battered, but Serwa had slid across first and won the gold. Switzerland’s Fanny Smith rounded out the podium with bronze.

Official results, Winter X Games, Aspen, Skicross

Men

1. John Teller, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 1:21.167

2. Chris Del Bosco, Canada, 1:21.197

3. Casey Puckett, Aspen, CO, 1:21.979

–

9. Daron Rahlves, Truckee, CA, 1:23.918

Women

1. Kelsey Serwa, Canada, 1:28.830

2. Ophelie David, France, 1:29.162

3. Fanny Smith, Switzerland, 1:29.367

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

ASPEN -– Tyler Flanagan of Mammoth Lakes made it two bronze medals for the U.S. Sunday, finishing third in slopestyle snowboarding to mark the first X Games medal of his career. Canadian Sebastien Toutant took it a step up from his silver in big air to take gold in slopestyle.

Flanagan threw a humongous frontside 9 to cab 12 to backside 12 to stomp his way onto the podium in run two.

Toutant’s amazing run featured two inverted 12s and some double action, putting him in the lead from the get go of the competition

“It’s crazy just to be back and have a gold in slopestyle – it means so much to me. I’ve been watching X Games since I was nine. It’s really just a dream come true. I’m so stoked to have my buddy [Mark] McMorris in second, too,” Toutant said.

Toutant was followed by fellow Canadian and roommate Mark McMorris whose third run with a backside double cork 10 landed the 17-year old with the silver.

Official results, 2011 Winter X Games, Slopestyle

1. Sebastien Toutant, Canada, 93.00

2. Mark McMorris, Canada, 90.00

3. Tyler Flanagan, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 82.66

–

4. Chas Guldemond, Reno, NV, 81.00

8. Eric Willett, Breckenridge, CO, 19.00

The Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society is hosting a blood drive on March 15 form 10am-3pm in the Aspen Room at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe.

No appointments needed.

For more information, or questions, contact BloodSource at 800.995.4420.

The 35th annual Great Ski Race, the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue fundraiser cross-country ski race, is March 6 at 9am.

It starts at the Tahoe Cross Country Center in Tahoe City and finishes at the Cottonwood Restaurant in Truckee.

Tickets are $55 through Feb. 15, $65 Feb. 16-March 5, $75 on race day; $25 for youths. Information is online.

The annual Disabled Sports Ability Bash is March 26 from 6-11pm at the base lodge of Alpine Meadows ski report.

Gourmet food, live music, and a silent auction are part of the fun.

Individual tickets are $100.

Call (530) 581.4161 for tickets or more information.

See, winter isn’t over. A powder day can be had for those who venture out on the slopes of the ski resorts, which report at least 4 inches of the fluffy stuff.

Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

Updated Jan. 30 10am.

A winter weather advisory is in effect until 4pm today for the Lake Tahoe Basin and Truckee.

About 4 inches have fallen at lake level in South Lake Tahoe as of 7:30am, with it continuing to steadily come down.

The National Weather Service in Reno said the white stuff will taper off to showers by about noon.

The revised accumulation totals by the Weather Service are at lake level for 4 to 8 inches, with 8 to 12 inches above 7,000 feet, up to 16 inches along the Sierra crest. .

Check the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News for road conditions.

The end of the month is much like the start of January -- snowy in Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The sun is expected to return Monday. However, the warm temps that hovered over the region for the better of January have given way to more normal mercury readings. Expect the highs for the week to be in the 30s in the Lake Tahoe Basin and lows in the teens.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Kathryn Reed

Even though decisions about how to proceed about incorporating are still up in the air, Lake Tahoe mountain bike enthusiasts are figuring out a way to have a single, proactive voice.

The realization of those resurrecting Tahoe Area Mountain Bicycling Association is that even if members don’t agree with the trails the U.S. Forest Service has designated for upgrades, TAMBA must be a team player in order to persuade the landowners to work on other trails.

With proper insurance, TAMBA members would be able to apply for permits from the Forest Service to work on trails the feds don’t have the money to work on. That is a goal, but not an immediate one.

TAMBA President Kevin Joell makes a point Jan. 26. Photo/Kathryn Reed

At the Jan. 26 meeting at Lake Tahoe Community College, the nearly two dozen people in attendance agreed the initial annual membership fee would be $10 for individuals and $20 for a family. In the future, tiered levels of membership are likely to be introduced.

Kevin Joell, president of TAMBA, said the board is analyzing documents to decide whether resurrecting the old TAMBA in California is more prudent than starting from scratch in Nevada, where the fees are lower.

He said cost, ease of forming the 501(c)3 and overall all benefits for the group are being weighed.

The website (tambaonline.org) is under construction. It will try to be the catchall location for all things mountain bike related to the greater Lake Tahoe are – including Carson City, Reno, Truckee and Kirkwood. There was talk of having a forum on the site so people could post information.

It was also agreed the board will meet once a month, though it is open to anyone, but is designed to be a meeting about nuts and bolts issues. There will be at least one general membership meeting a year. More may be scheduled, but committing to one will satisfy bylaw language.

Some discussion centered in whether to have a meeting to kick-off the mountain bike season in April and one in November at the end of the season. Some also brought up the idea of having meetings rotate between the North and South shores. The board will make the decision when to have the big meetings. As committees are formed, there will be those meetings, as well.

The Crest Café restaurant in Tahoe City, known for its specialized winemaker dinners, is teaming up with High Sierra Veggies & Vegans to host a gourmet vegan Valentine’s dinner.

Said Crest Café owner Lisa Laliotis, “We are excited to be the first restaurant in the area to do a vegan event, and my co-owner and chef, Kyle Davis and I have created a fantastic menu that will surely please and intrigue diners on this romantic occasion.”

The five-course, gourmet menu will be made without animal products or by-products and includes wine pairings and discount wines by the glass or bottle. A winemaker representative will be on hand to facilitate the pairings and interact with diners.

The dinner is Feb. 12th at 6:30pm. The cost is $49 per person, which includes wine tastings. Reservations are required by calling (530) 581.3037.

Despite a record number of animal relinquishments, the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe adopted out more animals in 2010 than ever before.

In 2010, HSTT adopted out 311 dogs and cats – 36 more adoptions than the previous record of 275 set in 2008 and almost 100 more than in 2009.

“The economy has directly affected every aspect of the animal world,” said Nanette Cronk, animal programs director for the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, said in a press release. “The majority of turn-ins was due to people losing their jobs and homes. Fortunately, we were able to rely on our very dedicated foster volunteers.”

As people’s situations change due to the economy, they often have no place for their pets and turn them in to HSTT or Truckee Animal Services. The HSTT has no permanent shelter for these animals, but through a partnership with the town of Truckee has been able to house a limited number of animals at the town’s kennel.

The Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe hopes to build on last year’s success and is launching the final push in its capital campaign to raise money to build a permanent animal shelter in Truckee, which will be open daily to the public and include real-life dog rooms, large colony-style cat rooms, and an education and training center. A new shelter would make it possible for HSTT to save more pets, but private donations are still needed to make this vision a reality. Supporters are encouraged to visit www.hstt.org for more information or to contribute to the shelter building campaign.

To meet adoptable dogs and cats, go to HSTT’s Adoption Day, every Saturday from noon to 2pm at the Town of Truckee Animal Kennel, or call (530) 581.3199 to schedule an appointment.