By Adrian Ballinger, Outside

A lot of the stories and images of Everest you’ve seen have been carefully curated by the storytellers to show the rad and beautiful parts of the mountain. This year, photographer Cory Richards and I aim to change that.

This month, the two of us are going to Snapchat various parts of our journey to and up the north side of Everest. (My Tahoe-based guide company, Alpenglow, moved to the north side of the mountain after the 2014 incident in the Khumbu Icefall that killed 16 Sherpas.)

Along the way, we’ll post short videos and photos in real-time to depict an unfiltered look at an unfiltered climb during a crucial season on a changing Everest. We chose Snapchat because “snaps”—unlike posts to Instagram or Facebook—must be posted immediately from a phone’s camera. If we’re successful, you’ll have a complete chronicle of our journey.

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Weather permitting, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service may continue prescribed fire operations April 25.

On the East Shore, operations may take place near Spooner Summit, Camp Galilee and on Kingsbury Grade near Edgewood Drive. On the South Shore, operations may take place near Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road, Panther Lane near South Tahoe High School, off Highway 89 near Spring Creek, and off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley. To view a map with project locations and details, go online.

Residual smoke may be seen in locations where operations have taken place over the last several weeks. 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 U.S. Forest Service recreational facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin will start to open this month.

Kiva picnic area, Baldwin and Nevada beaches, Big Meadow trailhead, the McKinney Rubicon off-highway vehicle area and Sawmill Pond, Eagle Falls, Chimney Beach and Secret Harbor parking areas open April 30.  The Sandpit OHV area opens May 10. William Kent, Kaspian, Meeks Bay, Bayview, Fallen Leaf and Nevada Beach campgrounds open May 13. Luther Pass Campground opens May 25, and Pope Beach opens May 27.  Blackwood Canyon and Watson Lake campgrounds open June 1.

The Taylor Creek Visitor Center parking area, grounds and restrooms open May 14. The Tallac Historic Site opens April 30, and will be staffed beginning May 21.

Before recreation sites fully open to the public, the Forest Service must hire crews and staff to manage the sites, clean up from winter, remove safety hazards and wait for the danger of a freeze to pass before turning on water systems.

Barton Foundation’s 22nd annual Tiki Tee Off Golf Tournament is June 3 at Lake Tahoe Golf Course in Meyers.

All proceeds support the community health endowment to benefit the health and wellbeing of South Shore residents.

Check-in and continental breakfast start at 7am, with the shot gun scramble tee off at 8am.

Golfers play the scramble game in teams. Registration includes breakfast, golf and golf cart, drink tickets, and a luau lunch. Prizes will be awarded for cart decorating, team spirit, and the tournament winners.

To sign up and for more info, contact Sara Conrad at 530.543.5909.

Student clubs at Lake Tahoe Community College are gearing up for the third annual Community Games.

On May 7 from noon-4pm will be events from table tennis, dodgeball and badminton tournaments, to live music, food, kid activities and more.

Admission is free. Funds raised from the for-a-fee tournaments, food sales and a silent auction will help support student scholarships at LTCC.

The dodgeball tournament will be from noon to 2pm in the gym. There is a $30 entrance fee for a team of six players. The badminton and table tennis tournaments will be between 2 and 4pm in the gym, and there is a $5 per person fee to enter.

For more information about the LTCC Community Games, or to register for a tournament or donate an auction item, contact Julie Booth at 530.541.4660, ext. 477 or Booth@ltcc.edu.

Lake Tahoe Community College is hosting a free children’s soccer tournament May 1 from 9am-4pm at the community playfield next to the PE building.

Kids in grades K-5 and all abilities are welcome.

LTCC men’s soccer coach Nick Arbelaez will run the tournament. Several athletes from his 2015 conference championship soccer team will assist, along with players from LTCC’s women’s soccer team.

Water and snacks will be provided to all participants. Participants should bring cleats, shin guards, and any other gear they have, but no special equipment is required to play. Just wear comfortable clothing and athletic shoes.

Sign up by April 25 by emailing nrarbelaez@ltcc.edu.

The South Lake Tahoe Recreation Department is offering an American Red Cross Blended Learning Water Safety Instructor Class.

Classes are April 30, May 7, May 14 and May 21, 10am-5pm. Registration closes April 28.

Cost is $125. Register online.

The class is conducted by American Red Cross certified instructor Larry Phippen.

The course helps develop instructors’ understanding of how to use the course materials, how to conduct training sessions and how to evaluate participants’ progress. Successful candidates are eligible to teach parent and child aquatics, preschool aquatics, learn to swim, adult-focused courses, as well as the basic water rescue and personal water safety courses and more.

Participants must be at least 16, proficient swimmers, and able to successfully complete the pre-course session. Call 530.542.6059 for a swim test.

By Megan Michelson, Powder

In terms of snow, this winter brought the best of times and the worst of times, depending on which coast you’re talking about.

On the West Coast, a much-welcomed El Niño delivered ample snowfall to help ski resorts in California and Nevada recover from the last four years of lackluster winters and drought conditions. Those storms also brought a boost to the economy, with skier visits and ticket sales up and money trickling down to local businesses like hotels and restaurants.

Snowfall data for California hit about average for this season—with resorts like Squaw Valley scoring the most in the Tahoe area with 463 inches, just above the resort’s annual average of 450 inches (last year, by comparison, Squaw got just 223 inches). Mammoth Mountain collected 342 inches of snow, just below their 400-inch average, while Heavenly got 341 inches for the season, hovering around their 360-inch average.

Most snow science experts say that while this year’s average snowpack in the Sierra will certainly help California’s water shortage, it’s not enough to end the drought.

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Construction at Camp Richardson campground is slated to begin May 2.

This phase two of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit’s retrofit to meet current standards for water quality protection and universal accessibility. Work to upgrade the campground on the south side of Highway 89 is expected to last about three months.

The project will relocate campsites and roads from sensitive stream environment zones, define and pave roadways and campsite spurs, manage on-site stormwater runoff, relocate a portion of the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path away from the highway shoulder and create a new campground entrance.

By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times

The number of Californians who hunt has dwindled to less than 1 percent of the population, but some who still carry rifles outdoors complain the state commission overseeing them has become too cozy with the animal rights movement.

Now Gov. Jerry Brown is facing pressure from outdoor enthusiasts to fill two vacancies on the five-person Fish and Game Commission with people who understand hunters and anglers and their role in conservation.

“The commission has shifted from a philosophy of conservation to one of preservation, meaning its direction has gone to where fishing and hunting are more and more limited and very difficult,” said Marko Mlikotin, executive director of the California Sportfishing League.

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