By Ron Dicker, Huffington Post

Call it the new slide trombone.

Los Angeles-based musician Sean Pawling played “Ride of the Valkyries” while downhill skiing in Lake Tahoe recently.

Watch Pawling carve out turns and hit the right notes in the best (well, only) trombone gig we’ve ever seen on packed powder. Next time we’d like to see him play on a slalom course.

Pawling is a Lake Tahoe native and South Tahoe High grad who writes trombone music inspired by his hometown, according to his website. But for this run, he borrowed a classic by Wagner.

His YouTube video, which was posted on Jan. 10, has collected more than 225,000 views and caught the attention of the Trombone Forum.

While Pawling’s stunt is fun and somewhat impressive, it isn’t exactly Black Diamond in ambition compared to another musical skiing performance we spotted. In 2006, the entire UC Davis marching band played while skiing downhill.

If you’d like to take Pawling’s sequel for a run, you can view it below.

By USSA

MEGEVE, France – After battling weather delays and multiple schedule changes John Teller (Mammoth Lakes) took the top spot Jan. 16 at the Audi FIS Freestyle Ski Cross World Cup in Megeve, France.

Teller, an X Games champion, won his first World Cup nearly two years ago to the day in St. Johann, Austria. Teammate Joe Swensson (Niantic, Conn.) finished in seventh for the team USA Ski Cross.

The Tahoe Tri Club meets for swimming at the South Lake Tahoe Parks and Recreation Complex on Fridays from 4:30–5:30pm and 5:30–6:30pm, as well as Sundays from 5:30-6:30pm.

Cost is $6 per hour at the city pool located at 1180 Rufus Allen Blvd. All ages, kids and adults (in different lanes) are welcome, but must be independent swimmers who can comfortably swim 25 yards.

Tri Swim is a training program targeted specifically toward the swim portion of triathlons: efficiency, endurance, and open water swimming. A coach prepares drills that emphasize the building blocks of a swimming style suitable for triathlons.

For more information, contact Alex Furrer at alex@tahoetriclub.com or (530) 208.9758.

Snow is for skiing, snowboarding and snowball fights, among other things. One of the most creative uses for the white stuff will be showcased Feb. 8-12 at Northstar ski resort, at the inaugural Carve Tahoe competition. It’s free to spectators.

At the snow-sculpture contest, expert snow-carvers from more than 20 countries will shape 20-ton blocks of snow into imaginative figures.

On Feb. 13, judges will decide which entries are the best. The sculptures will be on display “until the sun melts them away.”

While you’re there, take a free spin on Northstar’s ice-skating rink, which will operate into April (skate rental is $10).

To learn more about Carve Tahoe, go online.

 — Sacramento Bee

South Tahoe has had overnight lows of below zero for several days.

Twenty years ago, in January 1993, we hit minus 28 degrees in South Tahoe. Emerald Bay froze over. That occurred also in February 1989 at minus 29.

At such temperatures, many frozen pipes and subsequent water damage wouldn’t be realized until those cracked pipes thawed, sometimes many days later and then flooding homes.

The least cold January since 1969 was last year’s January at 9 degrees.

Emerald Bay becomes a block of ice in 1993 and 1989. Photos/Bill Kingman

— Bill Kingman

Tahoe Derby Dames are recruiting new skaters.

The South Lake Tahoe roller derby team is having a recruitment meeting Jan. 21 at 7pm upstairs at Steamers Bar and Grill, 2236 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

Practices are open for all to check out and/or participate this month on Sunday and Tuesdays at 8pm at Kahle Community Center in Stateline.

By USSA

ST. ANTON, Austria — Lindsey Vonn (Vail) came ever so close to the podium Sunday in St. Anton, finishing fourth — just one-hundredth of a second out of third. Slovenia’s Tina Maze continued her total dominance on the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup with the win to join Vonn as one of six athletes to win in all five World Cup disciplines.

Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley) was sixth, Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) 17th and Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain) 25th.

By Kathryn Reed

A Nordic center at Lake Tahoe Community College is expected to open next month.

The college board of trustees on Jan. 8 approved the creation of the South Lake Tahoe Community Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Club. This will be a pilot program run through the college’s Connect Community Education.

Megan Waskiewicz, who runs Connect Ed, told Lake Tahoe News after the meeting that when people think of alpine locations, they assume Nordic and hockey will be part of the mix.

Until now there had been no groomed cross country trails in South Lake Tahoe.

A 5-kilometer course that will go behind the college starting at the Ledbetter Terrace will be groomed. This is where the parking will be, too.

U.S. Forest Service employees will practically be able to get on the trail from their office’s front door. Forest Supervisor Nancy Gibson submitted a letter of support for the center.

Garrett Villanueva, trail building expert with the U.S. Forest Service, is part of the volunteer team of community members helping make the center a reality.

It has been quick process to get the center off the ground this season, as well as a collaborative effort.

Tyler Cannon bought equipment from the now defunct operation at Spooner Summit. He has volunteered to do the grooming.

This Google map image has the route of the LTCC Nordic trails drawn in white.

Pete Fink and Jonathan Moore with the city’s Recreation Commission spoke in favor of the center at the board meeting. Fink said he believes there is room for growth by possibly adding the Bijou meadow in the future.

He even said the college should think about having a Nordic team in the future. To which a college official said LTCC did in the past.

Waskiewicz said Lake Tahoe Unified students have gotten wind of the idea and want to start using the trails. Right now South Tahoe High School trains at Kirkwood.

Waskiewicz told the board her future goals are to have 10 kilometers of groomed trails, skate skiing and a walking path for snowshoers.

While it will cost money to use the trail, the goal this season is to see what type of interest there is. It will be an honor system to use the trails – much like parking areas have with an envelope to pay the fee. Passes will be available during the week at the Connect Ed off on campus. Day use will be $5, with an individual season pass costing $29.

Feb. 1 is the target date for the Nordic center to be open.

By USSA

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. -– Under clear skies and chilly temperatures, Luke Mitrani (Mammoth Lakes) and Olympic champion Kelly Clark (West Dover, Vt.) led the United States on Jan. 12 by finishing second at the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain.

Australia’s Nathan Johnstone and Torah Bright took the wins.

It was the first domestic stop for athletes to gain Olympic qualifying points and 5Star World Snowboard event points.

Five American men finished in the top seven including Zach Black (Breckenridge, Colo.) in fifth, Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes) sixth, and Benji Farrow (Ludlow, Vt.) seventh.

Similarly, five U.S. women cracked the top seven including Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) fourth, Kaitlyn Farrington (Bellevue, Idaho) fifth, Ellery Hollingsworth (Darien, Conn.) sixth and Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe) seventh.

Cold doesn’t even begin to describe the weather in Tahoe.

Bone chilling, icy, record breaking — that’s the kind of cold South Lake Tahoe residents are experiencing today. The 1993 record of minus 7 degrees for Jan. 12 was broken. The new record for Jan. 12 is minus 12 degrees.

Truckee nearly set a record with its minus 14. The record of minus 15 was set in 1963.

The National Weather Service says to expect another record in South Lake Tahoe on Jan. 13. The 2007 record of minus 7 could be eclipsed because the forecast is for a minus 10 in the early hours of Sunday.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

That’s ice floating on Lake Tahoe on Jan. 12 near Regan Beach in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed