Sierra-at-Tahoe is offering discounted lift tickets for Snowsports Week – Feb. 7-10. Tickets are discounted to $35 from $71 for a full-day lift ticket.

Tickets are only valid during Snowsports Week. Lift tickets may be purchased locally, but must be purchased in advance.

Each year money from this event fund five nonprofit organizations — Barton Memorial Hospital Foundation, Lake Tahoe Community College Foundation, Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, and Sierra-at-Tahoe Education Foundation – all within the South Shore community.

Tickets will not be available at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Sales locations:

7/11 on Kingsbury Grade;

Powder House at Heavenly Gondola and Pioneer Trail; Explore Tahoe;

Sports LTD in the Village Center;

Rainbow Mountain Sports;

Super 8 Motel;

CVS pharmacy at Bijou and the Y;

Lake Tahoe Community College Bookstore;

Barton Foundation;

Raley’s at the Y;

Lira’s Market;

Tahoe Paradise Chevron;

Sunrise Ski & Snowboard; or

call Barton Foundation at (530) 543.5909.

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

ASPEN -– Jamie Anderson of South Lake Tahoe put down solid spins and combinations Sunday to take home the fifth X Games slopestyle snowboarding medal of her career with a bronze. Enni Rukajarvi of Finland took the gold, becoming the first rookie to win women’s slopestyle since the sport was introduced at the X Games.

“The competition was great today,” said Anderson. “All the girls rode so well and I am really stoked that I finished with the bronze and that Enni [Rukajarvi] won.”

Anderson took the silver medal at X Games in 2010, and she’s also been on a hot streak, winning the first two Winter Dew tour slopestyle competitions this season.

To score the win, Rikajarvi’s run included a 50/50 and 180 out, another 50/50, a backside 360, front side 360 a backside 540 and a cab 720 over the money booter for a score of 92.66.

With a score of 89.33, the silver medal went to Great Britain’s Jenny Jones, who was attempting a three-peat in the event.

Official results, 2011 Winter X Games Aspen, Slopestyle

1. Enni Rukajärvi, Finland, 92.66

2. Jenny Jones, Great Britain, 89.33

3. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 86.00

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7. Hana Beaman, Salt Lake City, 52.66

8. Janna Meyen-Weatherby, Big Bear Lake, CA, 46.33

By Freddy Perryman, U.S. Ski Team

ASPEN -– John Teller of Mammoth Lakes claimed skicross X Games gold Sunday, marking his first X Games victory. Casey Puckett of Aspen came out of retirement to finish with the bronze.

“I knew exactly what I was planning on doing (in the final). It ended up working and I came home with the win,” said Teller.

Teller’s win was a tight one though as he won by just half a ski length over Ameircan Chris Del Bosco, who skis for Canada. X Games gold is just another addition to the Mammoth native’s historic 2011. Earlier this year Teller won the first ever skicross World Cup by an American in St. Johann, Austria.

Adding to the drama of the day was the return of Puckett to Winter X skicross. The 38-year old had walked away from the sport after eight Winter X Skicross appearances, but came back just in time to take bronze in skicross.

The skiing legend seemed glad to be back at Winter X, even cheekily updating his Facebook page after a good run in qualifiers.

“I got second in qualifying,” said Puckett. “From the couch to the podium!”

In the women’s skicross, Canadian Kelsey Serwa beat out French veteran Ophelie David in one of the most bizarre finishes in the history of the sport. Neck-in-neck going into the final money booter, the two got tangled on the landing and crashed over the finish line. Both arose bloodied and battered, but Serwa had slid across first and won the gold. Switzerland’s Fanny Smith rounded out the podium with bronze.

Official results, Winter X Games, Aspen, Skicross

Men

1. John Teller, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 1:21.167

2. Chris Del Bosco, Canada, 1:21.197

3. Casey Puckett, Aspen, CO, 1:21.979

–

9. Daron Rahlves, Truckee, CA, 1:23.918

Women

1. Kelsey Serwa, Canada, 1:28.830

2. Ophelie David, France, 1:29.162

3. Fanny Smith, Switzerland, 1:29.367

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

ASPEN -– Tyler Flanagan of Mammoth Lakes made it two bronze medals for the U.S. Sunday, finishing third in slopestyle snowboarding to mark the first X Games medal of his career. Canadian Sebastien Toutant took it a step up from his silver in big air to take gold in slopestyle.

Flanagan threw a humongous frontside 9 to cab 12 to backside 12 to stomp his way onto the podium in run two.

Toutant’s amazing run featured two inverted 12s and some double action, putting him in the lead from the get go of the competition

“It’s crazy just to be back and have a gold in slopestyle – it means so much to me. I’ve been watching X Games since I was nine. It’s really just a dream come true. I’m so stoked to have my buddy [Mark] McMorris in second, too,” Toutant said.

Toutant was followed by fellow Canadian and roommate Mark McMorris whose third run with a backside double cork 10 landed the 17-year old with the silver.

Official results, 2011 Winter X Games, Slopestyle

1. Sebastien Toutant, Canada, 93.00

2. Mark McMorris, Canada, 90.00

3. Tyler Flanagan, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 82.66

–

4. Chas Guldemond, Reno, NV, 81.00

8. Eric Willett, Breckenridge, CO, 19.00

See, winter isn’t over. A powder day can be had for those who venture out on the slopes of the ski resorts, which report at least 4 inches of the fluffy stuff.

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

By Kathryn Reed

Even though decisions about how to proceed about incorporating are still up in the air, Lake Tahoe mountain bike enthusiasts are figuring out a way to have a single, proactive voice.

The realization of those resurrecting Tahoe Area Mountain Bicycling Association is that even if members don’t agree with the trails the U.S. Forest Service has designated for upgrades, TAMBA must be a team player in order to persuade the landowners to work on other trails.

With proper insurance, TAMBA members would be able to apply for permits from the Forest Service to work on trails the feds don’t have the money to work on. That is a goal, but not an immediate one.

TAMBA President Kevin Joell makes a point Jan. 26. Photo/Kathryn Reed

At the Jan. 26 meeting at Lake Tahoe Community College, the nearly two dozen people in attendance agreed the initial annual membership fee would be $10 for individuals and $20 for a family. In the future, tiered levels of membership are likely to be introduced.

Kevin Joell, president of TAMBA, said the board is analyzing documents to decide whether resurrecting the old TAMBA in California is more prudent than starting from scratch in Nevada, where the fees are lower.

He said cost, ease of forming the 501(c)3 and overall all benefits for the group are being weighed.

The website (tambaonline.org) is under construction. It will try to be the catchall location for all things mountain bike related to the greater Lake Tahoe are – including Carson City, Reno, Truckee and Kirkwood. There was talk of having a forum on the site so people could post information.

It was also agreed the board will meet once a month, though it is open to anyone, but is designed to be a meeting about nuts and bolts issues. There will be at least one general membership meeting a year. More may be scheduled, but committing to one will satisfy bylaw language.

Some discussion centered in whether to have a meeting to kick-off the mountain bike season in April and one in November at the end of the season. Some also brought up the idea of having meetings rotate between the North and South shores. The board will make the decision when to have the big meetings. As committees are formed, there will be those meetings, as well.

By Kathryn Reed

Easy, fun, scenic. Scampering up Twin Peaks on snowshoes encompasses all of these elements.

It’s one of those jaunts that is great on a day when you want a little exercise outdoors, but don’t have a ton of time. Of course the snow conditions always play a role in how long an excursion will take.

Hiking Twin Peaks in South Lake Tahoe is worth the views. Photos/Kathryn Reed

But it’s also one of those sojourns when on a warm day it’s worth lingering a bit. The views are some of the best for so little effort. The top is an ideal lunch spot and place to sit with a book or just meditate a while, remembering why Lake Tahoe is so special.

Starting off from the Echo View Estates neighborhood off Sawmill Road in South Lake Tahoe, we follow the well-established trail.

Beneath us the snow is firm. It’s nice to have the claws on the shoes so we don’t slip. Although the route is not extremely steep, it is definitely uphill without any plateaus to change the pitch.

Crossing the terrain filled with conifers and boulders, we come to what is a fun 4-wheel drive road in the summer. Being a road, it’s wide enough to walk side-by-side.

Fully exposed, we welcome the sun on this chilly late afternoon January day. Turning around, the views of the Sierra unfold. The ridges look uninviting in some ways. Maybe it’s just me imagining how much more work they are to climb than this little hill that’s practically in my back yard.

In the summer we hit both peaks – it is called Twin Peaks, after all. On the other side is the tower with the warning light for aircraft. From there, is a view to Lake Tahoe Airport, Lake Tahoe Golf Course and Meyers. But it takes a bit of bushwhacking through the Manzanita in summer. That prospect sounds horrible on snowshoes; plus, not enough daylight exists to tempt it this day even if we wanted to.

Instead, we saunter up by the massive granite boulders to take in views of Lake Tahoe to our right. Angora Ridge with her barren trees from the 2007 fire by the same name is stark against the brilliant white snow. Mount Tallac hovers beyond.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been up here. I had forgotten the majestic views it offers. It won’t be long between this visit and my next one.

Getting there:

From the Y in South Lake Tahoe, continue on Lake Tahoe Boulevard. Turn left on Sawmill Road. Park immediately in the lot to the left.

Yes, I start off a neighborhood street, but I’m not going to be responsible for cluttering up a residential neighborhood. And this way, you get even more exercise.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

ASPEN -– Kelly Clark of Mt. Snow, Vt., opened up a new chapter for women’s snowboarding Saturday night, stomping out a huge 1080 to become the first woman to land the maneuver in a competition, and earning her the gold in the Winter X Games halfpipe.

“It’s been an incredible night. To have a victory lap like that and an opportunity to try a trick I’ve been working on for a long time and to set it down here at the X Games, it’s a great night,” Clark said.

Clark was joined on the podium – as well as in a celebratory ground tackle after her historic run – by Kaitlyn Farrington of Sun Valley, Idaho, with the silver and Elena Hight of South Lake Tahoe who took bronze.

Clark, who hasn’t won an X Games gold since 2006, set the tone for the night, landing a solid run one to put her in a first place position that she would carry the remainder of the competition. But everyone in the crowd was waiting for something other than a win – her much anticipated 1080 that she had landed in practice earlier in the week.

After an unsuccessful try in run two, she dropped into a victory lap for run three, and on her third hit she aired out a moment that will go down in the history books of her sport’s progression.

“I’ve been working on it for a long time and it’s just amazing to be part of a sport that’s progressing, and to do that [1080]. I hope it does a lot for women’s snowboarding,” Clark said.

After beating Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright at the European X Games last March, Farrington has been on fire winning her way to the tops of Dew Tour and Grand Prix podiums. And so it was only fitting that the Sun Valley native make her way onto her first X Games podium in Aspen with a silver finish.

Following a tough spill in the pre-competition practice Saturday night, Hight managed to pick herself up, wrap the elbow that was giving her trouble and put down a solid run for the second X Games bronze medal of her career.

“I always come out to here to have fun and it’s just good to do this in front of this crowd,” said Hight.

Official results, 2011 Winter X Games, Aspen, Jan. 29, 2011

1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 92.33

2. Kaitlyn Farrington, Sun Valley, ID, 85.66

3. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 80.00

–

6. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 27.66

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

ASPEN -– Nick Baumgartner of Iron River, Mich., held nothing back Saturday as he put the pain of a broken collar bone on the back burner to take his first Winter X Games gold medal. Reigning X Games snowboardcross champ Nate Holland’s of Squaw Valley five-year winning streak came to an end as he finished in third to take bronze.

Baumgartner was a powerhouse in each of his heats throughout the day. In spite of his injury, he was still able to manage fast pull starts and keep his lead out on the course.

“Fifteen screws and a plate, but nothing was holding me back today,” Baumgartner said.

The day was a special one for Baumgartner, whose son Landon made it out to watch his dad compete in person for the first time. According to Baumgartner, that was a huge motivation for him throughout the day.

“Knowing that my boy was at the bottom was so phenomenal,” Baumgartner said as he held Landon in celebration of his victory. “It got me down here every time just coming around the corner knowing that he would be watching. To win is unreal. I am so happy to do this in front of my boy.”

Holland’s reign as the master of the SBX course would come to an end at some point, and that was today for the two-time Olympian who held an X Games record for the most consecutive wins in any sport winning his fifth X Games gold medal in 2010. This year, he’ll be adding bronze to the collection and says he is just fine with that.

“It is kind of bittersweet, but I can’t complain.” Holland said. “I had an amazing streak there – five-in-a-row – and I am on the podium today. I gave it my all and that is all I can ask of myself.”

Holland’s day started out in classic form for the X champ as he took the first spot in heat one. But out of the gate in heat two, he sat in fourth position the entire run before a wobble threw third-place Graham Watanabe of Sun Valley, Idaho, off course and allowed Holland to move to the big final.

In that final heat, Holland sat in fifth about half way through the course before throwing it into another gear and making up two spots for the third-place finish.

Following Holland in fourth was two-time Olympic champ Seth Wescott of Sugarloaf, Maine, and completing the stack of U.S. men in the big final was Jonathan Cheever of Saugus, Mass. According to Wescott, his plans to take in a first X Games gold medal were thrown off by a board switch-up.

“We tried running a new board for the last run and it just did not move. It was an all or nothing choice, and it ended up being nothing. I couldn’t even pull up on them in the draft,” Wescott said. “It’s time to ride powder and just enjoy snowboarding because it’s fun.”

Official results, 2011 Winter X Games, Aspen, Jan. 29, 2011

1. Nick Baumgartner, Iron River, MI

2. Kevin Hill, Canada

3. Nate Holland, Squaw Valley, CA

–

4. Seth Wescott, Sugarloaf, ME

5. Jonathan Cheever, Saugus, MA

8. Graham Watanabe, Sun Valley, ID

10. Shaun Palmer, South Lake Tahoe, CA

11. Ross Powers, Stratton Mountain, VT

15. Jayson Hale, Sierraville, CA

17. Alex Deibold, Manchester Center, VT

By Freddy Perryman, U.S. Ski Team

CALGARY, Alberta -– Olympian Scotty Bahrke of Squaw Valley earned his first World Cup podium Saturday, finishing third. His career best finish came on the eve of the World Championships in Deer Valley Resort.

After finishing on the bubble in qualifying, Bahrke competed in Saturday’s finals throwing first a full double full-full, which he followed up with a stellar double full full-full.

“Its pretty wild, standing up there,” exclaimed Bahrke. “I don’t know if it’s really quite hit me yet. I’m really excited.”

“He has made a lot of impressive changes to his jumping and his takeoff over the summer,” said Freestyle Aerials Head Coach Todd Ossian. “It’s nice that all that hard work can pay off.”

For the World Championships, Bahrke intends to keep his aerial assault plan the same with the two different quad twisting doubles.

“I want to keep the same mindset,” said Bahrke. “I was really happy with landing the two jumps.”

Bahrke was the only U.S. male to make the finals in Calgary. Just missing this 10 person final were Americans Dylan Ferguson of Amesbury, Mass., in 11th and Ryan St. Onge of Winter Park, Colo, 12th.

Following her top qualification for Saturday’s finals, the two-time Olympian Emily Cook of Belmont, Mass., had a tough final. She finished sixth after two sketchy landings. Despite not getting the result she was hoping for, Cook had an excellent week in training and qualification. She was the only American woman who qualified for the finals.

Official results, FIS Freestyle World Cup, Calgary, Jan. 29, 2011, Aerials

Men

1. Warren Shouldice, Canada, 244.90

2. Renato Ulrich, Switzerland, 243.01

3. Scotty Bahrke, Squaw Valley, CA, 229.57

–

11. Dylan Ferguson, Amesbury, MA

12. Ryan St. Onge, Winter Park, CO

21. Matthew DePeters, Hamburg, NY

Women

1. Shuang Cheng, China, 187.23

2. Mengtao Xu, China, 186.65

3. Olga Volkova, Ukraine, 175.40

–

6. Emily Cook, Belmont, MA, 127.95