By USSA

LAAX, Switzerland — Kelly Clark (Mammoth Lakes) and and Chloe Kim (Torrance) continued their battle for queen of the hill at the Burton European Open in this weekend taking first and second, respectively, in women’s halfpipe – flipping the results from X Games a week ago.

Heavy snowfall had been a factor for the entire week, causing canceled practices and challenging competition conditions.

“It pretty much hasn’t stopped snowing since we got to Switzerland” Clark explained, “I knew it was going to be challenging conditions and that I needed to be smart and put down a solid run first.”

Which is exactly what she did, putting down a run with a crippler and backside 540 along with back-to-back 720s, a conservative run for Clark who’s known for landing the only 1080 in the business.

“Today was more about smart snowboarding than progressive snowboarding. It was just one of those days, and my experience paid off,” Clark said.

Kim, 16 years Clark’s junior and last weekend’s X Games gold medalist, opted for a more progressive route putting together a run that included a switch straight air and and a switch backside 540. Switzerland’s Nadja Purtschert finished third.

On the men’s side Olympic gold and silver medalist, Iouri Padladtchikov of Switzerland and Ayumu Hirano of Japan, had a repeat showing finishing first and second with David Habluetzel of Switzerland taking third. Taylor Gold (Steamboat Springs) and rookie U.S. Snowboarding team rider, Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.), were the sole American’s in finals and struggled to land their runs, finishing eighth and tenth respectively.

By David Purdum, ESPN

Nevada sports bettors wagered more — and lost more — than ever in 2014.

The state’s 187 sportsbooks won $227.04 million off of the $3.90 billion wagered on sports in 2014. Both amounts are all-time records, according to Nevada Gaming Control.

Football, per usual, carried the load. The sportsbooks won $113.73 million on college and pro football in 2014, a giant 40.73 percent increase from 2013. Overall, $1.74 billion was bet on football in 2014, $12 million more than in 2013. Nevada Gaming Control does not track pro and college football separately, but sportsbook managers estimate the NFL accounts for around 55-60 percent of their annual football handle.

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California State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service may continue prescribed fire operations in multiple locations around Lake Tahoe on Feb. 2.

Operations may take place near Tahoe City on Highway 28 between Rocky Ridge and Lake Forest, across from D.L. Bliss State Park near Meeks Meadow, Gardner Mountain near South Tahoe High School, Christmas Valley, Luther Pass near Grass Lake, Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly, and on the East Shore near Logan Creek Drive and the north side of Spooner Summit. Operations will last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitors weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition.

The Forest Service updates the local fire information line at 530.543.2600, ext. 6.

By Ski Area Management

DENVER — There’s stoke, and then there is the opposite of stoke. When Bill Jensen, former CEO of Intrawest, told a crowd of nearly 400 ski industry executives that from his view, 150 ski areas were in “the sunset of their existence” and an additional 150 ski areas could also be out of business within the decade, it became an immediate water-cooler topic.

Jensen was speaking as part of the Assembly 2015, a one-day forum that took place on the first day of the SIA Snow Show at the Colorado Convention Center.

In his presentation, Jensen laid out a hierarchical pyramid of U.S. ski areas (left nameless), with the most viable ski areas at the top, that he labeled, “Ubers” and “Alphas”. He estimates that there are 45 ski areas in those categories, while 125 resorts are “status quo” and 150 more were breaking even. The remaining 150 he called “Sunsets”, and predicted they would eventually fade out of the business.

Jeff Harbaugh of Jeff Harbaugh & Associates, a consultant to the action sports, outdoor and youth culture attended the above presentation and noted that much of the discussion focused on the critical millennial group but wondered “why there were no Millennials on the panel.”

Harbaugh went on to say there was acknowledgement on the panel that “family incomes of $100,000 is sort of the floor below which we can’t hope to attract people.” But, he observed, that acknowledgement comes with a further acknowledgement that “we’re increasingly dependent on the millennials who don’t have anywhere near that income, and may not in the foreseeable future.”

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There will be two American Red Cross lifeguard trainings at the South Lake Tahoe pool soon.

The purpose is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to prevent, recognize, and respond to aquatic emergencies. Participants will be trained and certified to provide care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries, and sudden illness until emergency services take over.

Participants must be at least 15, be able to swim 300 yards continuously while demonstrating breathing control and rhythmic breathing, tread water for two minutes using the legs only, and complete a timed event. The class includes 7 hours and 25 minutes of online learning and 20 hours of hands-on instruction.

The pool is at 1180 Rufus Allen Blvd.

Call 530.542.6056 for a pre-course swim test. Cost is $225. Register online.

Session one is Feb. 16-20, 4-8pm. Registration deadline is Feb. 9. Second session is April 6-10 from 4-8pm. Deadline to register is March 30.

There is a proposal under consideration by BLM to improve and adopt the existing 9.4 miles of user created trail and add 13.6 miles of new trail to create the Canoe Hill Trail System.

The trails east of Sparks, including the popular Zipper Trail, have never been recognized by the BLM as official trails.

There will be a public workshop and presentation on the project on Feb. 17 from 6:30-8:30pm at the Spanish Springs Elementary School, 100 Marilyn Mae Drive in Sparks.

Comments are being accepted from Feb. 11 to March 12.

The rare fox saunters through Yosemite National Park. Photo/NPS

By Sarah Larimer, Washington Post

A Sierra Nevada red fox was recently spotted in Yosemite National Park for the first time in almost 100 years.

“We are thrilled to hear about the sighting of the Sierra Nevada red fox, one of the most rare and elusive animals in the Sierra Nevada,” Yosemite National Park superintendent Don Neubacher said in a news release. “National parks like Yosemite provide habitat for all wildlife and it is encouraging to see that the red fox was sighted in the park.”

Motion-sensitive cameras captured pictures of the animal roaming in the northern portion of Yosemite on Dec. 13 and Jan. 4, according to the National Park Service. Crews have set up “hair snare stations” in the area as well and hope to be able to perform genetic analysis that will help them learn more about the fox population.

Sierra Nevada red foxes (Vulpes vulpes necator) are smaller than other members of the fox population, and have darker fur. NPS officials estimate that there are fewer than 50 Sierra Nevada red foxes in North America, making it “one of the rarest mammals” on the continent.

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By Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun

The question of how betting action on proposition wagers stacks up to traditional methods, the point spread and over/under total, courses through town every Super Bowl.

The answer depends on who’s asked. Some sports book directors say their shops’ breakdown is 60 percent to 40 percent one way while conflicting reports indicate the inverse. Others shoot straight to the middle at 50 percent both ways.

Most have suspected that props would one day surpass the side and total for the last several years, but it’s never indisputably occurred. By my completely unscientific and wholly personal measure, however, it’s happened in 2015.

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By Brian Alexander, Outdoor

Has the charity race craze—all those walks, runs, rides, and mud runs done to raise money for good causes—begun to fizzle? The numbers for 2014 aren’t in yet, but a survey of the top 30 programs showed a total drop of $44.5 million in 2013.

Make no mistake. Despite the declines, charity races and endurance events are still big business. In 2013, the top ten powerhouses affiliating with, or holding, such events raised more than $1 billion, led by the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life at $380 million, followed by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Race for the Cure at almost $107 million, according to Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum. But six of those top ten events saw income declines, continuing a trend despite the improving economy.

Industry pros say the overall participation rates are flat or down only very slightly. So what accounts for the decline in total revenues? It may be that newer, jazzier events are cannibalizing participants from the older, established pioneers. Three day walks are out, mud runs are in.

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By Nick Zaccardi, NBC

Both Olympic snowboard slopestyle champions came up short in the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., on Sunday.

Jamie Anderson of Meyers finished second to Norway’s Silje Norendal for a second straight year at X Games. Anderson had the lead with a 91.33 in her second run, until Norendal posted 93.66 in the last run of the competition. New Zealand’s Christy Prior won bronze.

Anderson is a four-time X Games gold medalist and has won a medal in all nine of her X Games slopestyle appearances, dating to her debut at age 15 in 2006.

Sage Kotsenburg was fifth in the men’s slopestyle in Aspen.

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