By Barbara Barte Osborn, Sacramento Bee

TAHOE CITY — A 17-year-old Tahoe City youth died over the weekend after being ejected from an off-road vehicle.

Evan Norman was pronounced dead at the scene Saturday by Placer County Sheriff’s deputies.

County Chief Deputy Coroner Dennis Watt said Norman died of head injuries.

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By Kathryn Reed

Sierra-at-Tahoe’s Huckleberry Canyon is part of those 8 minutes that’s all about Lake Tahoe in Warren Miller’s latest movie.

This backcountry terrain that opened last year has been accumulating white stuff since the snow started flying in September.

Located along Highway 50, Sierra expects to open some time in December. Sierra relies on the real white stuff, so opening day is dependent on Mother Nature.

Exploring the 320 acres of expert terrain in Huckleberry will be a little easier this year – but that doesn’t mean it’s for beginners or low intermediates. Free tours on Fridays at 10:15am and 1:15pm will be offered to small groups.

West Bowl is getting a new look. Photo/Provided

“It’s to give people an introduction to the route of the canyon,” resort spokeswoman Kirstin Cattell said. Reservations are necessary – call (530) 659.7453, ext. 150.

West Bowl is going to be bit more comfortable. An 1,800-square-foot deck was put in this fall. No worries, the Adirondack chairs are still there. The deck will allow employees to shovel out faster. The resort wants to have more parties at West Bowl this season, especially with the enhanced outdoor bar.

First Tracks in West Bowl will be offered most Saturdays to a lucky few who are pass holders or sign up for the text alerts.

TransWorld Snowboarding’s 2010 Resort Guide ranked Sierra ninth best park, ninth for best pipe and sixth best resort overall.

That’s one of things about Sierra, it appeals to skiers, boarders and free healers. In fact, the telemark center is moving out of its closet-like setting to the base of Grand View. Even patrollers at Sierra tele.

Olympians call Sierra home as well – and possible future Olympians. Hannah Teter, Elijah Teter and Jamie Anderson may be making the trek to Whistler in February.

Sierra is keeping its daily lift prices the same as last year — $69. But three-packs are available through the end of the year for $45 per ticket.

The usual $95 for a learn to ski-snowboard package is now $35 if bought in advance online.

“This is a big, big deal. When you think about what you can do for $35, you wouldn’t throw skiing in that bucket,” Cattell said.

Last year was a mixed bag for Sierra because of the snow and economy.

“We had great holiday weekends in terms of snow. Presidents weekend was probably one of the best we’ve ever had,” Cattell said. “Last year was a bit of roller coaster. People were not sure where the economy was going to land.”

But she also knows that die-hard riders put a pass into the budget each year.

For more info about Sierra, check out www.sierraattahoe.com.

By Kathryn Reed

A mix of natural and man-made snow will allow Heavenly Mountain Resort to open Friday on a limited basis.

The resort that straddles California and Nevada always strives to open before Thanksgiving – and often hits the mark because of its state-of-the-art snowmaking system that is one of the largest in the world.

In addition to what drops from the sky, 69 percent of Heavenly’s trails are covered with another 120 inches via snow guns.

Heavenly's tubing hill doubled in length. Photo/Provided

Improvement to some trails will be noticeable – especially to snowboarders who may have had some trouble accessing places like Milky Way Bowl.

Meteor, Sky Shoot and Auto Shoot trails have all been widened.

Near Pinnacles some larger rocks are gone and wind fences are up to make it easier for groomers to get on the slope.

For a change of pace or for the non-skier, the tubing hill at 450 feet is now double the length it was, it’s four lanes and has a 65-foot vertical drop – the same as falling four stories.

The zipline is still closed pending clearance from the U.S. Forest Service and CalOSHA after a death on the ride last summer.

Fun areas that will be open once enough snow accumulates are the various terrain parks. More recycled features are part of the mix.

Adventure Session for $119 a person is like hiring a guide to take skiers/boarders to areas of the mountain they might not be familiar with. Groups will be limited to a handful.

Food is a big component of what’s new at Heavenly this season.

“This year we have completely reworked the hamburger,” Russ Pecoraro, Heavenly spokesman said. “We sell more hamburgers than anything else.”

The Epic Mountain Burger is available at all Vail Resorts owned ski areas. At Heavenly it costs $12.95 for the two quarter-pound Angus beef patties on a gourmet bun shipped in from a Denver bakery.

Lunch value meals – entrée, side, drink – run $9.95.

“We are trying to step up the vegetarian options. We are trying to diversify,” Pecoraro said.

Heavenly relaunched its website – www.skiheavenly.com — to offer features to make people feel like they are on the slopes by integrating Google mapping.

A booking engine allows users to store a trip folder on Heavenly’s site.

“You can retrieve data, share it with friends, retrieve old itineraries. There are a lot of cool aspects with that,” Pecoraro said.

Heavenly is notorious for not releasing its daily lift prices until moments before it opens. Often early season is less expensive than when the whole mountain is open. The resort’s website is the place to check for pricing.

Perennial Harrah’s Lake Tahoe favorite, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy brings high-energy, neo-swing to the South Shore Room on Nov. 21.

Mixing 20 years of hits, holiday classics and great music from their new CD “How Big Can You Get? – A Tribute to Cab Calloway”, BBVD is a cinch to blow the doors off the venerable showroom.

The foundation of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was built by singer/songwriter Scotty Morris in 1989 in Ventura. Morris and his surfer buddy, drummer Kurt Sodergren, both loved swing music and the “big band” sound. They recruited string bassist Dirk Shumaker and baritone saxophonist Andy Rowley, and immediately began performing in bars and nightclubs along the California coast. They quickly became key players in the rousing revival of swing music.

Over time, the band evolved into the current seven-piece lineup which also features Glen “The Kid” Marhevka on trumpet, Karl Hunter on tenor sax and Joshua Levy on piano.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy helped revive big band music for the ’90s. They concentrated on the swinging days of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, borrowing some the era’s “cool cat” lingo in addition to wing tip shoes, spats, snap-brimmed hats and double-breasted zoot suits. It’s no surprise that Morris’ favorite singer is Frank Sinatra.

Officially launched in Los Angeles in 1992, the group quickly built up a following on the local lounge circuit, playing to Gen-Xers enamored with the kitschy charm of the original swing era and their perception of it as “cocktail nation.” This burgeoning lounge scene was captured in the hit 1996 independent comedy film Swingers, which featured the band and their Hollywood hangout, The Derby.

As 1997 came to a close, the band had already self-released two albums – “Big Bad Voodoo Daddy” and “Whatchu’ Want for Christmas” — which were big hits and led to a major-label contract with Capitol Records. By this time, through tireless self-promotion efforts and touring, the band had developed a reputation as one of the best, most exciting live bands in the country. In February 1998, Capitol released the group’s major-label debut entitled, “Big Bad Voodoo Daddy”, which was not the same album the group had previously released on their own. “This Beautiful Life”, followed a year later.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is one of the few neo-swing bands to boast a gold record and alternative radio hit.

Tickets for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are $40 plus fees. Show time is 7:30pm. For more information and reservations, call 800.786.8208 or go to www.SouthShoreRoom.com.

Next up, the Mission Mountain Wood Band hit the stage on Nov. 27, followed by the legendary Judy Collins on Nov. 28.

Apparently all those snow calls at last week’s Sierra-at-Tahoe party were heard because the forecast for the next few days is for a bunch of white stuff in Lake Tahoe.

Snow and rain is supposed to arrive tonight, with a couple inches accumulating at lake level. This means even more will be falling on the slopes.

Don't expect a repeat tonight of this sunset Nov. 16 at the Tahoe Keys pier in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Expect it to be windy on Wednesday and Thursday, with temps in the 40s during the day.

Thursday night and into Friday is when the bigger storm is expected to hit. Friday’s high is forecast to be 31 degrees – the day Heavenly opens. (Bring the fatties.) That high is at the lake, not on the mountain.

It won’t warm up much on Saturday, but the sun is expected to be out when Squaw’s lifts start turning on what could be a powder day.

The state of California is beginning to honor its financial obligations to Lake Tahoe Unified School District when it comes to providing matching funds for school facilities.

Last week, $5.98 million was deposited for the Green Academy at South Tahoe High School.

The district continues to wait for the $4.3 million for the other CTE projects (Media/Design Arts/Performing Arts); and the ORG money for STHS and South Tahoe Middle School.

For more information, click LTUSD bond plan.

Douglas County sheriff’s Deputies David Cadwallader and Bill Coleman graduated from the Nevada Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Law Enforcement Academy Nov. 13.

During the academy, law enforcement cadets are instructed in such topics as: Federal, State and Local Laws, Laws of Search and Seizure, Laws of Arrest, Community Oriented Policing, Physical Fitness, Use of Force, Defensive Tactics, Handcuffing and Searching, Interpersonal Communication, Interview and Interrogation, Crime Scene Processing, Domestic Battery Investigation, Report Writing, Dispatch and Radio Procedure, Traffic Enforcement, Traffic Accident Investigation, Emergency Vehicle Operations, First Aid and Lifesaving Procedures, and a host of other law enforcement and public safety topics.

Cadwallader and Coleman have been with DCSO since February 2008. Prior to that, Coleman was a 15-year veteran reserve officer with DCSO.

Kings Beach has its traditional Holiday Fair and Tree Lighting Ceremony at the North Tahoe Event Center Nov. 4 from 5-8pm.

Northstar-at-Tahoe brings back its popular Noel Nights starting Dec. 3, 5-8pm, with s’mores by the fire, free ice skating, hot cocoa, shopping specials, holiday carolers and photos with Santa.

Perfect for the entire family is Tahoe Players’ “101 Dalmatians” live theater Nov. 29 at 2pm and 6pm in the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Showroom at the Cal Neva Resort in Crystal Bay. Pre-show milk and cookies are at 1pm.