N. Nevadans see pros, cons of Raiders stadium in Vegas
By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal
RENO — When it comes to the debate over a $1.9 billion domed football stadium, rural and Northern Nevada tourism leaders aren’t much different from their counterparts in Southern Nevada.
They love the idea of having a major-league sports team to support but hate the thought of the public investing $750 million to help pay for it.
Developers of the Las Vegas project have said they need to stage 46 events per year to generate enough incremental visitation to pay for the stadium and provide an economic benefit.
Jeremy Jones of Truckee takes his cause to the White House. Photo/Protect Our Winters
By Dave Zook, Moonshine Ink
Tahoe’s pro athletes. They hone their craft to a level attainable only by an incredibly few, and their abilities are merely one factor that got them there. How many skiers, for example, do we all know that have mind-bending prowess on snow, but are not in the professional ranks? Athletes are required to also be professionals in self-promotion, social media, networking, and more, and in the course they have become some of the most well-known and celebrated names in Tahoe.
Some athletes take their celebrity to the next level and become involved in the social, political, or environmental realm, adding up to a serious juggling act. These politically-oriented actions bring a new dynamic, and can usher in both criticism and praise. Locally, this discussion has become more relevant than ever in the shadow of the proposed Village at Squaw Valley Specific Plan, and begs the question: Where does the role of professional athletes lie in areas outside of their sports?
Truckee resident Jeremy Jones, arguably the most well-known big mountain snowboarder of all time, has lived this question firsthand. He moved into the political arena in 2007 by starting Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit with its core mission to fight climate change.
The days are numbered to see the fall colors in Hope Valley. Photo/Kathryn Reed
The calendar says fall, but the forecast says winter.
According to the National Weather Service in Reno, “Rain totals will be between 3-5 inches for the Sierra from Thursday night through late Sunday.”
Most of the moisture is expected between 6pm Thursday and 6am Friday, and Sunday afternoon to Monday morning.
Winds are going to be so strong that it could impact air travel. Sierra ridge wind gusts are likely to be more 100 mph, along with south to southwest winds 50 to 70 mph, according to the NWS.
“Halloween decorations and trash cans left outside will not remain where you left them,” according to forecasters.
Heavy rain is initially expected. Snow will be at about 8,500 feet. On Sunday the snow level should fall, meaning it will impact travel on Sierra passes.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Hiking minorities good for makers of outdoorsy gear
By Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times
Recalling the childhood fun she had at summer camp, Ciji McBride has decided to go back to the outdoors.
The 41-year-old African American beauty consultant from Baldwin Hills recently joined the Sierra Club, began taking day hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains and is planning a camping trip to Yosemite National Park next summer.
“As a kid, I always liked being in the outdoors, and as I approached my mid-30s and 40s, I said, ‘What are some of the things I like to do,’ ” she said. “You can go to bars and movies, and that’s all great, but we live in a state with great weather.”
McBride’s renewed interest in hiking and camping reflects the growing percentage of minorities spending time in the great outdoors, a significant shift for a demographic long underrepresented among campers and hikers in the U.S even as the nation’s population becomes more diverse. The development holds the promise of a potentially lucrative new market for state and national parks as well as makers of outdoorsy equipment and clothing.
Athletes who make their living on boards appear to never be bored.
And television viewers may get a glimpse of why when they tune in this Sunday to ABC’s weekly “World of X Games” show at 1pm.
A 22-minute short film is embedded in the show highlighting a first-time double snowboard-skateboard course constructed at Sierra-at-Tahoe last May.
SuperSnake, as it’s aptly called, features competitive and professional skateboarders and snowboarders slithering down the board-and-snow, 1,000-foot-plus course on the Broadway run to the base of the Tahoe area ski resort.
Sierra-at-Tahoe briefly became a skateboard park after the resort closed last spring. Photo/John Rice
The customized course took two weeks to build, with more than 2,500 man hours and 20 tons of snow. It has combined skate and snow park features, including jibs, hips, quarter pipes and volcanoes in a boarders’ paradise.
The brainchild of the adrenaline junkie’s drink Mountain Dew, the Sierra-at-Tahoe venture with Snow Park Technologies and CA RampWorks remained somewhat hush-hush since all this occurred after last year’s ski season.
“Coming off such a great season for snow, we had the ability to create the project and show off the resort. The build is a story unto itself. The TV show made for the ‘World of X Games’ will focus on the creativity of the project from vision to execution, as well as highlight the challenges of blending the two board sports,” Sierra-at-Tahoe General Manager John Rice told Lake Tahoe News.
The players had worked together before, so the trust was already there, Rice declared.
“The World of X Games’ special and the online show were spot on with our brand strategy for reaching the demographic,” he added.
Indeed. Lauren Machen of Fuse, who handles Mountain Dew marketing, dictated a 16-34 young male millennial as the target audience. There’s also the propensity to reach a slightly broader audience by simply having the show run on ABC.
Machen said competitors in these action sports “like to do new things,” otherwise, they feel “they can get stale.”
“We like to figure out ways to keep it fun and fearless,” she said. “This is the trend. Mountain Dew has instigated creativity in action sports for over 20 years.”
The soft drink company is preparing to put on the well-known Dew Tour at Breckenridge, Colo. in December – but other events featuring boarders will become more pronounced in the coming years.
For big-time starters, skateboarding and surfing were announced as new sports in the 2018 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Machen predicts viewers will see more side-by-side events as elite athletes thrive on watching other moves from their fellow competitors.
About a dozen skateboarders and snowboarders took part in the inaugural project – including Olympic snowboarder and Dew rider Danny Davis of Truckee.
Snow is moved to create a one-of-a-kind snowboard and skateboard venue at Sierra. Photo/John Rice
“It’s really awesome to have skateboarders and snowboarders come together on one course,” said Davis, who was considered one of the top 10 riders of the year by Snowboarder magazine in 2008. “SuperSnake pushes the creativity and stylistic riding through the athletes’ visions and the course builders’ innovations and expertise. But most importantly, it’s always about progressing the sports and having fun.”
Davis is joined by professional Mountain Dew skateboarder Sean Malto and competitive snowboarders Jeremy Jones and Scotty Lago. Dew skate athletes Trevor Colden, Chris Colbourn, Jordan Maxham, Nick Tucker and Micky Papa are also in the mix.
The trailer shows a sense of camaraderie and appreciation for each other’s skills among the athletes.
Moreover, the sports do represent a good time for the fan base as well.
“SuperSnake’s concept showcases Mountain Dew’s ongoing support of creating original, fun and progressive opportunities for both our athletes and fans to enjoy,” Mountain Dew Senior Vice President of Marketing Greg Lyons said.
America’s hardiest hikers blaze new long-distance trails
By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
It’s tough to find a tougher hiker than Mary Kwart.
The 64-year-old former wildland firefighter has tackled some of America’s roughest routes, including the Pacific Crest, Grand Enchantment and Hayduke long distance trails.
But Kwart, of Ashland, Ore., nearly met her match last year in the Siskiyou Wilderness, a 180,000-acre swath of remote mountains and forest in northwestern California.
That’s where she found herself dragging her backpack while crawling beneath dense brush during a through-hike of the newly-designed Bigfoot Trail.
Such is life for people at the forefront of hiking and backpacking in America, many of whom gathered recently in Nevada City for the American Long Distance Hiking Association West’s annual get-together.
A bear caught Oct. 9 in Incline Village by the Nevada Department of Wildlife was released this morning near the Mount Rose Summit.
NDOW was attempting to trap a bear that had caused damage to a building in an attempt to reach the area underneath the structure, according to wildlife biologist Carl Lackey.
“I’m confident that this is not the bear we were looking for,” Lackey said in a statement. The one caught was a 3- to 4-year-old male.
Lackey said bears are not ready to hibernate, but will be searching out places where they could eventually hibernate — such as crawl space.
Bears are also eating more in preparation for winter. Daily calorie intake can go from 3,000 to 25,000.
Pile burns throughout basin to begin
Updated Oct. 13: The USFS will not be burning this week.
The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, which includes federal, state and local fire and land management agencies in the Lake Tahoe Basin, will begin their fall prescribed fire operations this week.
If conditions are favorable, the Forest Service may conduct prescribed fire operations beginning Oct. 11 around Big Meadow near Luther Pass.
Each prescribed fire operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn. The TFFT will give as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.
Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions.
Hobart Mills trailhead in Truckee opening
The U.S. Forest Service, assisted by Truckee River Day volunteers, will dedicate the Hobart Mills Trailhead at 11am Oct. as part of the Truckee River Day event.
In conjunction with Caltrans, efforts to close a user-created parking area adjacent to Highway 89 and Prosser Creek will begin on Tuesday.
Historically used to access the Commemorative Overland Emigrant Trail, the popularity of this trailhead prompted natural resource and safety concerns. The USFS designed and implemented the construction of a spacious new trailhead around the corner from the user-created access off of Hobart Mills Road. The new trailhead is open and available for use.
The new parking area is designed to provide users with a more safe and expansive area for loading and unloading, with less adverse impact on natural resources in the area.
Tahoe National Forest lifting fire restrictions
Fire restrictions in the Tahoe National Forest will be lifted Oct. 11.
When restrictions are lifted, recreationists may have campfires outside of designated campgrounds with a valid California campfire permit, smoke outside of designated sites, and operate internal combustion engines off forest roads and trails where designated.
Campfire permits are free of charge from any Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, or CalFire office.
