Head to Sierra for big game festivities and all-day giveaways on Super Bowl Sunday.

Pre-Game Fun:

* $10 off lift ticket – Any person wearing a jersey of any NFL team will receive a $10 off lift ticket coupon to use on a future date.

* Accuracy and Distance throwing Contest – Think you can throw like a pro? Take your gamble from 11am to noon outside the learning area.

During the Game:

* Party Favors – The first 100 guests who enter the Pub at 2pm (game starts at 3pm) will receive party favors. (While Supplies Last)

* Drink Specials – $4 Touchdown shots, $10 pair of Red Bull shooters

* Food Specials – half priced appetizers including “NFL” Nachos, “Wild-card” Wings, and “First & Ten” fish & chips

* Prizes – Football trivia will be played during commercial breaks with prizes

Halftime:

* Frozen T Shirt Contest

* Kid’s Pinata

* Winner of the K2 PBR Snowboard is Announced – From now until game day, anyone (of age of course) that purchases a PBR beer in The Pub is entered into a drawing for this custom snowboard.

USASA brings their South Shore Series to Sierra-at-Tahoe for this amateur boardercross competition. Open to all ages. Check out usasa.org for more details.

When: Feb. 6

Where: Lake Tahoe’s Original Boardercross, register in the Aspen Cafe

Who: Amateurs of all ages

Swing by the Sierra Pub at Sierra-at-Tahoe from 3-4pm for a taste of Madroña Vineyards.

Guests with a lift ticket or season pass will receive a 20 percent discount off any wine purchase through the end of the ski season.

Whether you are just now “getting into wine” or you pride yourself on knowing quality when you taste it, you’ll appreciate the family commitment to small-batch, high integrity winemaking from Madroña Vineyards. They’ve been growing premium winegrapes in El Dorado’s highest vineyard elevations since 1973.

Tahoe Rim Trail Association’s free Spring Equinox Women’s Snowshoe Hike.

Date: March 20

Location: Castle Rock

Level: Easy

Hours: 3–4

Description: The spring equinox is one of the four great solar festivals of the year. Day and night are equal, poised and balanced, but about to tip over on the side of light. After a cold, dark winter, we will welcome the light and warmth back as our days begin to grow longer. As the Earth makes its revolution around the sun, and the Northern Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight, the process of photosynthesis will begin, and we will begin to see green buds and sprouts. In celebration of this new life, please wear something green on this hike. During the hike, you will experience natural history and interpretation from the hike guides while enjoying the company and strength of the women hiking next to you. At the end of the hike, you will receive a packet of organic seeds that you can plant this spring to remind you of the experience and to encourage you to seek out activities that will revitalize your life and your passion.

You must sign up in advance for these treks by calling the TRTA office at (775) 298.0012 or email programs@tahoerimtrail.org.

Tahoe Rim Trail Association’s free Freezing our Feathers Off Family Fun Snowshoe Hike.

Date: Feb. 27

Location: Tahoe Meadows

Distance: 3 miles, approximately

Level: Easy

Hours: 1–2

Description: Birds of a feather flock together and fly south for the winter, right? Well, almost right. Did you know that there are actually some birds that stick around and tough out the cold, Sierra winters? Are they a bit cuckoo or do they actually like snowstorms and frigid temperatures? You will learn the answers to this question. We will explore the amazing world of winter and try to determine how birds and other animals survive the winter months, all while practicing our snowshoe skills. And…after playing and having fun in the snow, there will be some hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and treats waiting for us at the end.

You must sign up in advance for these treks by calling the TRTA office at (775) 298.0012 or email programs@tahoerimtrail.org.

Tahoe Rim Trail Association’s free Valentine’s Sunset Sweetheart Snowshoe Hike is Feb. 13.

Location: Tahoe Meadows

Distance: 3 miles, approximately

Level: Easy

Hours: 2–3, with sunset occurring around 5:30 pm

Description: Are you tired of doing the same old, run-of-the mill Valentine’s date with your significant other? This is your chance to break out of the chocolate heart mold, and experience something different this Valentine’s Day. Enjoy snowshoeing around the beautiful Tahoe Meadows above Lake Tahoe at sunset. We will watch the sun sink downbehind the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the guides will take your picture so that you can capture this memorable Valentine’s date forever! That is not the end…we will end the hike by enjoying some wine and cheese provided by local Reno and Tahoe vendors.

You must sign up in advance for these treks by calling the TRTA office at (775) 298.0012 or email programs@tahoerimtrail.org.

Look at the podium at Winter X Games Fourteen this weekend for athletes representing Sierra-at-Tahoe and Northstar-at-Tahoe.

Here’s the line-up:

Hannah Teter — the reigning Women’s Halfpipe gold medalist from Torino, Italy, Teter will try for a repeat gold this winter at the 2010 Winter Games. She will also go for the podium at Winter X Games. Teter rides for Sierra and competes in Pipe.

Elena Hight — recovering from injuries sustained last winter, Hight has a shot at the Winter X Games podium with back-to-back 900s in her bag of tricks. Hight is also on the U.S. Women’s Snowboarding Halfpipe team and will be traveling to the 2010 Winter Games after the Winter X Games. She rides for Northstar and will compete in Pipe.

Jamie Anderson — widely considered the best female snowboarder in the world, Anderson has won Slopestyle gold at Winter X Games twice and was the youngest Winter X gold medal winner ever in 2007. She rides for Sierra Resort and will compete in Slopestyle and Pipe.

Eero Ettala — more of a film snowboarder rather than a big competitor, Ettala can nail the switch double backflip and will be pulling one out at Winter X Games if conditions are right. Ettala rides for Northstar Resort and will compete in Slopestyle and Big Air.

Chas Guldemond — having taken the 2008-09 Burton Global Open Series championship and the U.S. Open in ’09, Guldemond is on track to step it up at this year’s Winter X Games. He rides for Northstar and will compete in Slopestyle and Big Air.

Bev Vuilleumier — up-and-coming on the competition circuit, she is making her way toward the podium one 720 at a time. Vuilleumier rides for Northstar and will compete in Slopestyle.

Jussi Oksanen — entering his 11th Winter X Games, Oksanen has medaled four times. Oksanen rides for Northstar and will compete in Slopestyle.

Elijah Teter — widely known as one of the most technical pipe riders competing today, he finished fourth at last winter’s X Games. Teter rides for Sierra and will compete in Halfpipe.

Joanie Anderson — no stranger to Winter X Games gold medals, she has competed six times and medaled twice. Anderson rides for Sierra and will compete in Snowboarder X.

In addition to a strong athlete connection to Winter X Games Fourteen, Sierra and Northstar also have a connection through SPT, the company responsible for designing and building all of the courses at Winter X Games. Sierra and Northstar are SPT resorts — meaning SPT provides training, guidelines, building resources and design ideas throughout the winter season. That same brainpower is now building and maintaining the Snowboarder X, Slopestyle, Big Air and Pipe for Winter X Games.

Sierra-at-Tahoe offers Snowsports Day discounts. Tickets are discounted at just $35 (regular rate $69) for a full-day lift ticket for Sierra-at-Tahoe. Tickets are only valid during Snowsports Week Feb. 8-11.

Lift tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets will not be available at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Sales Locations: 7-Eleven on Kingsbury Grade; Nestle Toll House Cafe; Powder House at Heavenly Gondola and Pioneer Trail; Sports LTD in the Village Center; Rainbow Mountain Sports; CVS/Longs at Bijou and the Y; Super 8 Motel; Lake Tahoe Community College Bookstore; Barton Hospital Foundation; Raley’s at the Y; Lira’s Market; Tahoe Paradise Chevron; and Sunrise Ski & Snowboard.

For more information, call (530) 543.5909 or click on Snowsports.

By Margo Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times

Will clear-cutting forests increase global warming? That’s a contentious issue as California, which is seeking to slash its carbon footprint, wrestles over rules to manage the state’s private forests.

(Thursday) the Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson-based environmental group, filed lawsuits against the California Department of Forestry in seven California counties to halt logging plans for 5,000 acres across the Sierra Nevada and Cascade regions. The group contends that the agency approved the projects without properly analyzing carbon emissions and climate consequences under the California Environmental Quality Act. “Clear-cutting is an abysmal practice that should have been banned long ago due to its impacts on wildlife and water quality,” said Brian Nowicki, CBD’s California climate policy director. “Now, in an era when all land-management decisions need to be fully carbon-conscious, there is no excuse to continue to allow clear-cutting.”

Read the whole story

Earth Day festival at Squaw Valley Village. Click here for more information.