By USSA

VAIL -– Six-time X Games snowboardcross champion Nate Holland (Squaw Valley) underwent successful surgery with Tom Hackett of the Steadman Clinic Saturday in Vail for a fractured clavicle.

Holland sustained the injury during training for this weekend’s World Cup opener in Montafon, Austria. According to U.S. Snowboarding Medical Director Kyle Wilkens, Holland could be back freeriding this month.

“I’m keeping a positive outlook on the whole situation. Two years ago I broke my clavicle and was back on snow racing within a few weeks,” Holland said. “I know what I need to do to get back in the start gate for Olympic qualifiers, and I’m am meeting that challenge head on.”

The Olympic team will be selected in late January based primarily on World Cup results. Holland has been a member of the 2006 and 2010 Olympic SBX Teams.

By USSA

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta -– U.S. women showed a bit of improvement Saturday with Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (Vail) finishing 11th in her second downhill race since her season-ending injury in February at World Championships. The U.S. speed team women posted three top-20 results in the second of two downhill runs at Lake Louise.

Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch went two-for-two in this weekend’s downhills, a feat accomplished by Vonn just 12 months ago.

Team veteran Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain) also moved up from Friday, finishing just behind Vonn in 12th. Last year in Lake Louise, Cook nabbed two second-place finishes.

Leanne Smith (North Conway, N.H.) and Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley) finished 17th and 21st, respectively, and rookie Jackie Wiles (Aurora, Ore.) finished just outside the points in 31st.

SheJumps and K2 are celebrating International Women’s Ski Day at Kirkwood on Dec. 14.

The 10am-4pm event is free, though people need to buy a lift ticket if they don’t have a pass.

Meet at the bottom of chair 5 by the snow gun at 10am.

The mission of SheJumps is to increase the participation of females in outdoor activities. Founded in 2007 by big-mountain skier Lynsey Dyer, Claire Smallwood, and Vanessa Pierce, the vision of SheJumps is to create positive female role models and encourage women around the world to take a jump and live their lives to the fullest potential.

Sushi Pier has teamed up with On Course Events to produce the 3rd annual Shred for Sushi event Dec. 12 at 7pm.

Registration is from 5:30-6:30pm in the parking lot next to Sushi Pier, 177 Highway 50, Stateline.

The event will feature a rail jam competition for skiers and snowboarders of all ages; three live DJs spinning from the Red Bull MXT truck; food and drink specials; raffle and giveaways; and local vendor and sponsor booths. There will be a cap at 50 competitors.

The event will benefit SOS Outreach, a nonprofit that helps build character in youths through outdoor adventures.

By Kathryn Reed

More than a foot of snow has fallen at lake level and it’s still coming down this morning. The winter storm warning remains in effect until 10am Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Reno said a lake effect band could continue to bring even more snow to the Stateline area and parts of the East Shore this afternoon.

More than a foot of snow fell overnight in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN

The snow is light – none of that Sierra cement. While it’s ideal for skiing, it doesn’t come with water content. Nor is it great for making a base on the slopes.

Kirkwood is reporting 2 to 3 feet of fresh stuff and expects to open more terrain today. Heavenly has about the same amount, but is starting the day on wind hold. Northstar has 18 inches of new snow, Squaw 15 inches and Boreal 8 inches.

Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the guy from Tahoe.

The Sierra Avalanche Center is saying the danger level is “considerable” for Dec. 7.

Roads are slick and full of the white stuff. For road conditions, click on the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News.

“Now that we have snow cover, we are waiting for the really cold temperatures to hit,” Shane Snyder, meteorologist with the NWS, told Lake Tahoe News. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be the two coldest nights for the area. It could be minus 5 in South Lake Tahoe and closer to minus 14 in Truckee.

No records were broken in this last week for South Lake or Truckee for low temperatures. However, on Dec. 4 a high temperature was broken in South Lake Tahoe. In 1973 the mercury hit 32 on that date, while this year it was 29.

The sun will return Sunday, with the next possibility of snow slated for Thursday or Friday.

By USSA

BEAVER CREEK -– Five-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.) rallied into 13th place despite continuous snow and sub-zero temperatures in the Audi Birds of Prey World Cup opening.

Miller, who is back on the World Cup tour after taking a year off to heal his knee, moved up in the results again this week to show continual progress as he guns for a historic fifth Olympics.

Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal claimed his second downhill win in Beaver Creek.

The downhill course combined the upper part of Raptor, the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships women’s speed track, and the bottom part of the traditional Audi Birds of Prey men’s course.

The U.S. Ski Team pulled out five top-30 results, including Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley) finishing on the heels of Miller in 15th. Teammates Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley) and Erik Fisher (Middleton, Idaha) went 21, 28 and 29.

By USSA

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta -– U.S. Ski Team athlete Julia Ford (Plymouth, N.H.) shed a little light on a tough day for the U.S. women’s speed team, as she finished a career-best 21st in the first of two Audi FIS Alpine World Cup downhills in Lake Louise.

Friday also marked the return of Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (Vail), who finished a conservative 40th in her first World Cup start since a season-ending injury last February. German Maria Hoefl-Riesch took home the victory in a race delayed by an hour due to fog.

Ford’s finish was a high-mark on a mostly disappointing day for the U.S. women’s speed team. Teammate Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley) finished 26th, while the rest of the team finished outside the points.

Brutal cold temperatures down to minus 22 degrees added an extra challenge as the snow was slower and the athletes risked frostbite with any exposed skin.

“It just was the first race. It’s tough to come to Lake Louise having not raced not only this season but since last February. So it was a little tough with the nerves,” Vonn said. “Now that I have that first race over, I think tomorrow I definitely can risk more and be more confident.”

Zephyr Cove Ski Club is open to Douglas County School District and Lake Tahoe Unified students.

The program runs for six Saturdays beginning Jan. 11 at the Boulder Lodge of Heavenly Mountain Resort. Four program options are available: lift and lessons, lift only, lessons only (for Heavenly pass holders), or transportation only. Transportation is provided by Douglas County School District and all lessons are led by Heavenly instructors.

Registration is at Kahle Community Center on Dec. 7 from 9am-noon; and Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 from 6-8pm.

For more information, contact Sally O’Brien at (775) 588.7233.

California State Parks is beginning the 2013-14 winter pile burning season in the Lake Tahoe area this week.

Burning will continue into May 2014, weather conditions permitting.

The planned pile burning locations include designated sites within four Lake Tahoe Basin State Parks:

• Burton Creek State Park adjacent to Tahoe City.
• Sugar Pine Point State Park adjacent to Tahoma.
• Emerald Bay State Park.
• Washoe Meadows State Park adjacent to North Upper Truckee and Meyers.

For questions, call (530) 583.2240.

By Kelley McMillan, Outdoor

According to personal trainer Carolyn Parker, if you want to make the most of your ski season, you need to bolster your lower back, core, and glutes through a rigorous power-endurance routine.

Power-endurance is, essentially, the ability for your muscles to work near maximum output for a sustained period of time — a combination of short, explosive power and more drawn-out endurance. And that’s the focus of Parker’s ski program, which she uses for clients ranging from elite ski-mountaineering racers to recreational skiers at her training facility, the Compound, in Albuquerque.

Nicknamed Blitzkrieg Barbie for her blond hair and take-no-prisoners attitude, Parker, 44, is a certified CrossFit, Gym Jones, and AFAA trainer. Her background as an accomplished skier and climber and a trainer makes her particularly appealing to winter athletes seeking a workout that yields real results.

“Being a skier and a trainer, I take the knowledge base I have and apply that to each individual,” Parker says. “That’s going to result in a more specific and beneficial approach to their particular sport.”

Though no program is one-size-fits-all, there are excellent circuits that can benefit almost any snow enthusiast.

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