By Tony Chamberlain, Boston Globe

Like most young men who work part time in ski and board shops, Adam Sanchez is a student of the products he sells. A junior at Bridgewater State, he has also seen plenty of changes in snow sports, despite his young age.

He started as a skier in junior high, then took the almost inevitable turn teenagers do into snowboarding.

More skis than snowboards are found in racks. Photo/LTN file

For about two decades, that was the way of the winter world: Snowboarding was by and for kids — at one point it rescued a moribund ski industry in the 1990s — and was seemingly destined to grow forever.

But with Sanchez and thousands of other young people, the ball has taken another unexpected bounce, as snowboarders have been bailing out in droves.

“I snowboarded for four seasons,” said Sanchez. “The skis then were pretty traditional, and the technology was not advancing. But the past couple of years, the new designs have made skiing much easier, especially in powder and the woods. So I went back into skiing.”

The new technology?

It’s called rocker, or reverse camber (tech details later), and it allows skiers to take advantage of another of the sport’s trends: skiers and boarders skiing the groomed trails in sometimes densely wooded glades where making quick turns in loose snow is the required art form du jour.

To Sanchez and other young skiers, the new rocker generation of skis simply work better.

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By John Gibb, Daily Mail

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia and Lake Tahoe will be represented this week as the 2014 Sochi Olympic qualifier for boardercross gets under way in Austria.

Bobby and Jarod Minghini, formerly of Snowshoe Mountain in Pocahontas County, will be two of the 12 American hopefuls for the four-man U.S. BX team. They are the only siblings competing for a spot.

BX is where four boarders start simultaneously and ride over a series of features trying to reach the finish line first.

Jarod and Bobby Minghini are attempting to qualify for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Photo/Provided

BX became an Olympic sport in 2006 and has been a sport at the Winter X Games since 1997. BX has also been referred to as snowboarder X, SBX and snowboard cross.

The brothers were born and raised in West Virginia. They lived near Snowshoe Mountain Resort, adjacent from the slopes. Bobby, 27, began snowboarding as a 5-year-old. Jarod, 25, picked up the sport shortly after Bobby. Both currently live in South Lake Tahoe.

Bobby moved to Lake Tahoe in 2004 upon graduation.

“I visited my brother in Lake Tahoe in 2005,” Jarod said. “I knew I needed to be there with him so I made the move after my junior year. I finished school at South Tahoe High and graduated from there in 2006.”

Bobby said he moved to Lake Tahoe because of the high concentration of snowboarding professionals there.

“I knew that if I were to succeed in snowboarding, I needed to be somewhere with better mountains and training opportunities,” Bobby said. “Lake Tahoe has amazing snow and insane beauty. It’s also a place many professionals congregate so it was just the ideal place.”

Since moving to Lake Tahoe, the two have qualified for multiple Junior World Championships, received first and second overall in North American Cup standings, received wins at NorAms and the Europa Cups, earned spots for World Cups, competed in multiple Winter X Games and began competing on the World Cup Tour. The brothers have received an invitation to compete in the 2014 Winter X Games in Aspen.

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Cold temps mean more fresh and man-made snow at Northstar. Photo/Provided

The low tonight in South Lake Tahoe could be minus 8 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Reno. But it’s going to get worse.

“Extremely cold low temperatures are possible Sunday morning, especially in the Sierra where overnight lows may drop close to 20 degrees below zero,” NWS said in a statement.

Expect mostly sunny skies until the next storm blows in on Friday afternoon. A foot of snow is expected above 7,000 feet and several inches at lake level. The Reno-Carson areas will also see white stuff.

By Sunday the sun should come back out.

In the basin the highs are not expected to be above freezing through the weekend.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will begin prescribed fire operations on Kingsbury Grade and at Emerald Bay on Dec. 4.

Weather and conditions permitting, crews will burn approximately 10 acres per day on Lower Kingsbury Grade near Meadow Lane. Operations are expected to continue through the weekend. In the Emerald Bay area near Inspiration Point, crews will burn approximately 3 acres in one or two days.

Smoke from these prescribed fire project areas can be expected, is normal, and may continue for several days after the initial ignition. All Prescribed fires are monitored regularly for burning and smoke dispersal and action is taken to mitigate concerns as they arise.

Forest Service staff will post road signs around the areas affected by the prescribed fire, send email notifications, and update the local fire information line at (530) 543.2600, ext. 6.

The California Tahoe Conservancy will be burning slash piles now through spring.

Piles are scattered about on 90 acres in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

These operations are part of the Conservancy’s ongoing program to promote forest health by thinning overstocked, unhealthy trees and reducing forest fuels. The areas include Meyers, Van Sickle Bi-State Park and Sunnyside.

Expect to see smoke from the project areas. Smoke from prescribed burns may continue for several days after the initial ignition and is regularly monitored.

For weekly updates, call (530) 543.6061.

The Nevada Division of Forestry is accepting applications for grants up to $400,000 to purchase private forest land.

Local governments, qualified nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes are eligible to apply for grants to establish community forests through the acquisition of private forest land from a willing seller. NDF administers the pass through of these grants from the U.S. Forest Service, which has $5 million to distribute nationally for this program.

The purpose of the program is to establish community forests by protecting forest land from conversion to non-forest uses and provide community benefits such as sustainable forest management, clean air, water, and wildlife habitat, forest-based educational programs and recreational benefits to the public.

Eligible lands under this program are private forests that are at least 5 acres, suitable to sustain natural vegetation and at least 75 percent forested. The lands must also be threatened by conversion to non-forest uses, not be held in trust by the United States on behalf of any Indian tribe or allotment lands, provide community benefits defined by the Community Forest Program and allow public access.

Applications are due to the Nevada Division of Forestry by Jan. 15. For more info or an application, go online or call  (775) 684.2500.

In the spirit of this Olympic year, Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Center is offering a junior biathlon program led by former U.S. biathlon team member Tom McElroy.

This will be an introduction of skiing and rifle marksmanship for children in grades 2-8.

The guns are specially designed laser biathlon rifles. There will be eight classes on Tuesdays from 3:45-5pm starting Jan. 14. Participants must have basic ski handling skills. The cost is $120.

Clinics for adults are also available.

For more info, call (530) 587.9400.

By Kathryn Reed

Record-breaking cold weather is about to descend upon the greater Lake Tahoe area.

“Today is probably the last nice day. By tomorrow we are looking at a 32-degree drop for Reno and a 25, 26 drop for South Lake. That is for the high, so the low will tank as well,” Edan Lindaman, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno, told Lake Tahoe News.

Icy cold is the forecast this week in Tahoe. Photo/LTN file

The record low for South Lake Tahoe on Dec. 4 is minus 2 degrees. It was set in 2001. The forecast now is for the low temp that day to be 2 degrees.

Truckee is more likely to break a record for Dec. 5, according to Lindaman. The record for that day is negative 7, which was recorded in 1972. And that is the same low temperature that is forecast for Thursday.

“It will all depend if we have snowfall on the ground. If we have 2, 3 inches of snow, it will be that much colder,” Lindaman explained.

The snow is expected to come late tonight and continue through Tuesday evening. By the time the storm blows through it’s possible a half foot will have fallen in the basin. Reno and Carson are also expected to get measurable snow.

A lake wind advisory is in effect through 1am Tuesday.

Highs through the week are not expected to reach freezing.

The good news is this means more snow for the ski resorts and the likelihood of more terrain opening.

By USSA

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta -– Despite another day of flat light and a late start number, Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley) powered through light snow to finish 22nd at the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup super G opener Sunday.

Two-time World Cup overall champion Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.) finished right behind Ganong in 23rd with another promising result in his first super G after missing the 2013 season.

Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal reeled in the victory for his fifth super G victory in Lake Loiuse.

Four-time World Cup giant slalom champion and reigning super G World Champ Ted Ligety (Park City) was knocked off course in the difficult visibility and did not finish.

By Debbie Arrington, Sacramento Bee

Farm to fork? These farmers specialize in field to floor.

“We’re growing something that’s sustainable,” said Dee Kobervig, president of the El Dorado County Christmas Tree Growers Association. “We’re trying to grow something for our (Northern California) Christmas tree market, something that people want.”

On Apple Hill, it’s looking a lot like Christmas, which is just the way tree farmers like it. This weekend marks the official opening of cut-your-own-tree season as dozens of mom-and-pop farms open their gates to city folks who drive up.

“A lot of people are going back to the basics with family traditions,” Kobervig said. “(Looking for a tree) is a fun adventure. You can drink hot chocolate and munch a candy cane. And the trees look fantastic this season.”

Mild fall weather helped the firs and pines develop lots of branches and grow lustrous new needles.

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