Shaun White’s Instagram

By Nick Zaccardi, NBC Sports

Double Olympic snowboard champion Shaun White suffered a serious crash in training in New Zealand for the second time in as many months.

White was in the hospital after a “straight up old fashioned face plant” while preparing for the Olympic season, he said in an Instagram post Saturday.

“I’ve always lived my life by pushing the limits,” was posted on White’s Instagram. “Winning is great, but it’s the tough times that truly define you. I took a slam while training the other day, but don’t worry I’ll be back soon and better than ever!!”

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Bikes and roads between Sacramento and Tahoe were much different 100 years ago. Courtesy of the Photo/Center for Sacramento History Eugene Hepting Collection

By Emily Zentner, Sacramento Bee

A group of Sacramento area bicyclists took off on a 150-mile ride on Oct. 20 to commemorate a similar record-breaking ride taken in 1917.

Jeff Barker, 49, of El Dorado Hills organized the Centennial Ride to honor the 100th anniversary of Eugene Hepting and Abbie Budd’s bicycle trip from Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe. The 1917 ride broke a long-standing record at the time for the fastest ride from Sacramento to Myers Station in South Lake Tahoe, according to newspaper clippings from the Center for Sacramento History.

“The whole idea was, let’s commemorate that ride,” Barker said. “Let’s see if we can put it together, because the bikes they rode in 1917 were pretty primitive compared to what we have now. The conditions weren’t all that good.”

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In the annual Ski magazine readers’ poll, Mammoth came out as the best overall California resort.

A slew of criteria is considered, from snow to food to family friendliness.

Deer Valley in Utah took top honors. It will be under new ownership this winter; the same folks who own Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

The publication divides results between the coasts. Mammoth came in 18th for the West. Rounding out the top 30 were Northstar at 27, Squaw Valley at 28 and Heavenly at 30.

The listed strengths and weaknesses for the Tahoe area resorts included:

·      Northstar – strengths – grooming, kid friendly, service; weaknesses – snow, challenge, variety

·      Squaw – strengths – variety, challenge, dining; weaknesses – grooming, snow, service

·      Heavenly – strengths – dining, grooming, kid friendly; weaknesses – character, challenge, variety.

Results for individual categories:

·      Challenge – Kirkwood, No. 10

·      Grooming – Northstar, No. 6; Mammoth, No. 8

·      Variety – Squaw, No. 8; Mammoth, No. 9

·      Kid friendly – Northstar, No. 7

·      Snow – Kirkwood, No. 10

·      Dining – No California resorts

·      Character – No California resorts

·      Lodging – No California resorts.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Aspen medallions dance in the breeze. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

HOPE VALLEY – Vibrant. Dazzling. Stunning. The superlatives runneth over when it comes to describing the autumn colors throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.

While the peak is over, Mother Nature isn’t quite done. There is still some beauty to captivate.

One of the benefits of such a moisture-heavy winter a year ago is the richness of this fall’s colors.

Last weekend driving into Hope Valley, going past Sorensen’s and hiking off Burnside Road it was a feast for the eyes. Bursts of orange and yellow were almost electrifying, especially as the branches seemed to want to scratch the cobalt blue sky.

AJ, Rosemary and Carolyn along Burnside Road. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Burnside Road – that’s about all we had planned. We drove until Rosemary said she had enough. And from there we started exploring. We sauntered onto an offshoot from the main road that we thought looked pretty. It was, but the trail petered out.

We continued on the main trail, which opened up onto some small, glorious groves of aspens. With how the sun was, it was even more magnificent on the trip back. The color was more majestic and worthy of stopping for photographs and to gawk at the splendor before us.

Aspens are super lush because of last winter’s moisture. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Going out we came across a sign that helped us decide if we were to keep wandering toward Burnside Lake or if a side route should be taken. Knowing we had no desire to put in the miles to get to the lake, we went onto Forest Service Road 31053 toward Pickett Peak (9,148 feet).

Good choice.

Red Lake Peak (10,063 feet) was the main mountain we saw on much of the trek. It still has a couple distinct splotches of snow left over from last winter.

Aspens dance toward the sky. Photo/Kathryn Reed

At various points we could look out into Hope Valley, with the mountainside on the other side of Highway 88 looking like a painter’s palette.

We got to the top, which gave us a wonderful view of Pickett Peak. Climbing the peak will be saved for another day.

Vehicles of different types were able to make it up the road. While four-wheel drive was not necessary, a rugged type vehicle would be recommended. Mountain bikers and dirt bike riders were also out.

In all, we did about 6½ miles. It was a steady climb up, but not strenuous. Coming down Rosemary and Carolyn had an easier time navigating the loose dirt because they had poles.

Pickett Peak is the focal point during a stop for lunch. Photo/Kathryn Reed

—–

Getting there:

From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 50 west. Turn left onto Highway 89 in Meyers. At the intersection with Highway 88, go straight. That is Burnside Road. Drive however far you want. Vehicle access is not allowed in the winter.

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
 
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Snow is piling up on the lower reaches of Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe.

Whether it will be enough to meet an ambitious Oct. 27 opening date for skiers and snowboarders remains to be seen.

The ski area started producing snow last week and will continue as conditions permit.

The resort needs a packed base that’s at least 10-inches deep in order to open, said marketing director Mike Pierce.

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The Santa Rosa Flyers, the amateur youth hockey teams based at Snoopy’s Ice in Santa Rosa, will be in South Lake Tahoe this weekend for games against South Tahoe Amateur Hockey Association’s Tahoe Grizzlies.

Thirteen families from the Santa Rosa hockey organization lost their homes in the recent wildfires.

To help support the families, STAHA, the South Lake Tahoe Icemen, and the Tahoe Ice Arena are running a fundraiser for the GoFundMe account that was started by a Santa Rosa hockey mom to provide interim support to these families.

The Tahoe ice arena and Icemen are donating all proceeds from the rink operations during this weekend’s games to the fund. This includes ticket sales, pizza, beer, soda, snacks, and Icemen swag purchases. In addition, STAHA is taking cash donations during its games this weekend for the fund.

The WSHL Tahoe Icemen host the Bellingham Blazers in a three-game series this weekend: Oct. 20, 21, at 7pm and Sunday at 2:30pm. Tickets are $6.

The different age groups of the Grizzlies play Santa Rosa on Oct. 21 at 1:15pm, 3pm and 4:45pm, and on Oct. 22 at 8:45am, 10:30am, and 12:15pm.

By David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee

A Placer County Sheriff’s Office deputy encountered a big bear sauntering down North Lake Boulevard Tuesday night in Kings Beach.

“Hey, big boy. Don’t be breaking into any of them businesses,” the deputy joked from his car. The bear slowly walks down the street from the Taco Bell and then crosses to the lake side of the boulevard.

Placer County Sheriff’s Office posted the video on Facebook, and people had fun interactions in the comments.

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A front end loader operated by Steelhead Constuctors on the 11 Pines Road storm damage project.
Photo/USFS/Jon Jue

Work is in progress to repair the top three road damage priorities in California’s national forests after last winter’s storms, and all three are in the Eldorado National Forest.

The Federal Highway Administration is providing $6.8 million to repair 11 Pines Road and Blacksmith Flat Road in the Georgetown Ranger District and Ellis Road in the Amador Ranger District.

The goal is to complete work on 11 Pines Road and Blacksmith Road before this year’s winter weather sets in. The work on Ellis Road will begin next spring.

An expedited environmental review under an emergency authorization made it possible to put a contract out for bid quickly.

Blacksmith Flat Road is used regularly by Placer County Water Agency to access high hazard dams.  A still-active landslide on Blacksmith Flat Road makes this repair job dangerous and technically challenging.

Severe winter storms in 1997 and 2003 also caused extensive road damage in the Eldorado National Forest and throughout California.

By Nikki Ekstein, Bloomberg

Sometimes a simple $25 accessory can change your skiing or snowboarding experience as much as a $500 private lesson.

At least, that’s what I learned a few years ago in Vail. After a few trips up and down the slopes for an hour with one of the area’s top instructors, the most useful thing she taught me wasn’t to shift my weight or lean forward or commit to my turns earlier—though each of those skills would stay with me for years to come.

More important was another lesson I learned that day: I was wearing the wrong socks.

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By Jim Krajewski, Reno Gazette-Journal

Lake Tahoe Community College has become a soccer powerhouse, thanks to several former local high school standouts.

After 14 years without sports, Lake Tahoe CC brought athletics back in 2014 and is having one of its best seasons in memory, for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams.

Coach Jeremy Evans has helped the Lake Tahoe CC women’s soccer team to a No. 11 national ranking in the NSCAA poll and first place in the Golden Valley Conference. And Lake Tahoe CC men’s coach Nick Arbelaez also has his team in the national rankings, at No. 12, and also in first place in the Golden Valley Conference.

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