By Linda Williams, Willits News

Despite the crowds of skiers and snowboarders on the slopes in the Sierra-at-Tahoe it took a Willits firefighter and his daughter to save a life two weekends ago.

Chris Wilkes and his daughter went skiing on a one day trip to Tahoe and on their last run of the day heard a cry for help off the groomed slope. With no one from the ski patrol in sight and none of the other hundreds of skiers slowing down to help, Wilkes went to investigate. They couldn’t find the injured man at first as he was buried in the snow, but they could hear him call.

The off trail snowboarder had fallen through the deep snow into an eight feet deep hole into an icy creek. Wilkes could only see a waving glove to direct him to the stricken man. Wilkes and his daughter carefully approached the victim and pulled him from the creek. The man was soaked in the icy water and already suffering from hypothermia. They covered him with their coats and then tried to flag down one of the other skiers zipping by.

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By Jim Krajewski, Reno Gazette-Journal

It took a long drive, but Chas Guldemond is making his dream come true.

Six years ago, Guldemond had a goal of becoming a world-class snowboarder.

With $3,000 in his pocket, he drove from his home in New Hampshire across the country to Lake Tahoe, to take advantage of myriad snowboarding opportunities.

Guldemond, 23, who now calls Reno home, hit it big when he won about $20,000 in the U.S. Open in March 2009. After that win, Guldemond acquired several sponsors and he now travels the world to compete almost year-round.

This week, he is one of a handful of area skiers and snowboarders competing in the 15th Winter X Games.

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It clearly is not 1937, when 31 inches of snow fell in Truckee on this date. But the National Weather Service in Reno is calling for a chance of snow Saturday night and into Sunday.

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

By Ted Parkhill

It was another amazing weekend of ice hockey in South Lake Tahoe. This past weekend featured teams from San Jose and San Francisco playing against South Lake Tahoe’s Grizzlies.

The San Jose Junior Sharks Pee Wees (ages 11 and 12) faced the Tahoe Grizzlies Pee Wees in a double-header. The first place Grizzlies solidified their lead league by sweeping the series against the Sharks. Both games were really close and could have gone to either team. The Grizzlies dug deep and took advantage of their opponent in the third period of both games as the other team tired out up here in the fresh air.

Carson Bailey, left wing for the Pee Wees, carries the puck over the blue line. Photos/Provided

Game one on Saturday, the Grizzlies won 3-2 with Reiss Jensen of Reno leading the scoring with two goals.

Game two on Sunday morning was just as close with the Grizzlies winning 4-3.

Highlights included Matt Newberger of South Lake Tahoe opening the scoring early in the first period with a wicked slapshot to the top shelf. The game winner, late in the third, came from a strong effort by Spencer Lloyd of Reno.

The Tahoe Grizzlies Squirts (ages 9 and 10) faced the San Francisco Sabre Cats. The undefeated Grizzlies Squirts cruised by the Sabre Cats on Saturday afternoon 10-1.

On Sunday morning, the Sabre Cats returned refreshed and played a much stronger game, although the Grizzlies triumphed by winning 4-0.

The highlight of the season was the all new “Mick Trick”. Mickey Sullivan of South Lake Tahoe scored a double hat-trick (a hat trick is scoring three goals in a game) by scoring six goals in Saturday’s game. An unbelievable effort that was worthy of any Gretzky or Crosby. Special mention goes to defenseman Axel Sorenson of South Lake Tahoe who scored his first goal as a Squirt. He did it again on Sunday by scoring a Power Play goal.

Travis Wood, defense with the Grizzlies Pee Wees, clears the puck from his zone.

Nick Ilvento earned his second shut out of the season.

The Pee Wees and the Squirts are in first place in their respective NORCAL divisions. This weekend the Tahoe Grizzlies Pee Wees are headed to Fresno for two games against the Fresno Falcons. The Tahoe Grizzlies Squirts do not play again until early February in San Jose and Roseville.

The next home games are Saturday afternoon Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena (1176 Rufus Allen Blvd.). Admission is always free.

Ted Parkhill is with South Tahoe Amateur Hockey Association.

By U.S. Ski Team

PARK CITY – Vancouver Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Vonn of Vail and Bode Miller of Franconia, N.H., are among 19 athletes named to the 2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Team announced Wednesday. The biennial event opens Feb. 8 and continues through Feb. 20 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

The strong group also features fellow Olympic gold medalists Ted Ligety of Park City and Julia Mancuso of Squaw Valley, in addition to 15 other 2010 Olympic athletes.

NBC and Universal Sports will carry a full broadcast package of the World Championships.

Vonn, a three-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall champion, is seeking to defend the double gold she captured in downhill and super G from 2009 and contend for medals in three other events including super combined. She is currently leading the World Cup standings for downhill, super G and super combined.

For Mancuso, the event will serve as a continuation of the resurgence she started in Vancouver with a pair of silver medals to become the most successful female Olympic alpine skier in the U.S. Thus far, she has stood on the 2011 World Cup podium for super G and downhill, plus added three top 10 results in giant slalom – the discipline that brought her Olympic gold in 2006

Miller will seek to put down medal inspiring runs similar to those that produced a full spectrum of medals in Vancouver and made him a four-time World Champion and two-time World Cup overall champion. He enters the championships having recently landed his sixth podium finish at the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbuehel, Austria, with a downhill second.

Notably absent from the Team is Olympic bronze medalist Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid), World Cup winner Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley) and Olympian Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, Colo). All three are currently sidelined with injuries.

The 2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Team:

Men

Will Brandenburg (Spokane, WA)

David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, CO)

Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT)

Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV)

Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley)

Tommy Ford (Bend, OR)

Ted Ligety (Park City, UT)

Bode Miller (Franconia, NH)

Warner Nickerson (Gilford, NH)

Steven Nyman (Provo, UT)

Women

Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA)

Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA)

Chelsea Marshall (Pittsfield, VT)

Megan McJames (Park City, UT)

Laurenne Ross (Klamath Falls, OR)

Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO)

Leanne Smith (Conway, NH)

Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY)

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO)

Best to stay on the groomed runs.

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

By Kathryn Reed

Although the dollars to put the final touches on the Van Sickle Bi-state Park have been allocated, the actual opening of the park still teeters on securing funds to operate it.

Lisa O’Daly with the California Tahoe Conservancy told her board, “Currently, the Nevada budget doesn’t have the money to open the park. Behind the scenes we are working on private money for the park.”

What the board approved last week was to spend $165,000 to establish the day-use facilities for the park that straddles California and Nevada on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. Improvements will begin this spring as conditions allow.

Day-use facilities for bi-state park users will go in this spring near the old Van Sickle barn. Photo/Kathryn Reed

CTC staff and private contractors will install the prefabricated restroom, fencing, signs, interpretive material, create a decomposed granite trail around the parking lot, and put in picnic tables.

The goal is for the park to open this year.

All along the Conservancy anticipated California State Parks would take over as the main partner with Nevada State Parks. Funding has prevented that from occurring. Nonetheless, CTC Executive Director Patrick Wright told the board Jan. 20, “It makes more sense to be part of State Parks.”

Explore Tahoe, dubbed an urban trailhead in the Heavenly Village, wants to run interpretive programs that would take people to Van Sickle. The bi-state park, the only in the country, is walking distance from the major bed base on the South Shore.

On the site is the old barn belonging to the Van Sickles. It is said to be oldest standing barn in the Lake Tahoe Basin. It has been secured with the hope of one day being on the National Registrar of historic places.

Besides the day-use facilities, a short ways up the paved road are numerous trails, some of which are part of the Tahoe Rim Trail routes.

Members of the Lake Valley Fire Protection District are taking part in avalanche rescue training this month. Avalanche danger has been higher than normal this season, and personnel from Lake Valley FPD as well as surrounding agencies have already been involved in one rescue incident.

Lake Valley personnel would like to remind the public of the following avalanche safety tips:

• When enjoying the outdoors on snowshoes or skis, never travel alone. Know the capabilities of your companions, what equipment they have and their ability level, make a plan for your day, and let someone know where you’ll be going and when you plan to return.

• Be familiar with the terrain, and know the snowpack conditions for the area where you’ll be travelling.

• Check the weather forecast, and be prepared for fast changes in the weather.

• Wear an avalanche beacon and know how to use it; carry a shovel and a probe.

• Visit the Sierra Avalanche Center website for information regarding current avalanche danger and more safety information.

Lake Tahoe continues to prove it receives more than 300 days of sunshine a year.

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

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE — Construction on the Stateline-to-Stateline bike route may begin this year if permitting goes through and funding is secured.

The 3.2-mile segment that could be built this year is out for public comment – a necessity of environment documents being prepared by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and U.S. Forest Service. This section would go from the casino area at Stateline to about 0.3 miles north of the entrance of Round Hill Pines Beach.

Ultimately, the Stateline-to-Stateline trail will go from the California-Nevada state line at Stateline to the California-Nevada state line in Crystal Bay.

Part of Rabe Meadow may be incorporated into the Stateline-to-Stateline bike trail. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Public hearings about the project started last week. The first was Jan. 20 before the Douglas County Commission. The next day the Tahoe Transportation District board was briefed on the plan. On Feb. 3, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board will take public comment.

Nancy McDermid, county commissioner and TTD board member, said the county is behind the project.

Comments may also be submitted in writing by Feb. 14 to Garrett Villanueva, assistant forest engineer, U.S. Forest Service LTBMU, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150-4500.

The goal is to have the final document completed in the spring, with permitting to begin shortly thereafter.

Several routes were looked at, with a shoreline route ruled out because of private property issues.

Two main routes are part of the documents under review. One parallels Highway 50 on the mountain side. The other crosses Rabe Meadow, merging with the Watah Trail for a short while, before meandering around Round Hill.

Proposals call for more parking at Kahle Drive and Highway 50, along with signage, bike racks, picnic tables and restrooms.

Patrick Rhamey, director of real estate development for Edgewood Companies, said golf course officials support the project, but talks are not finalized.

“Our board will have to take action if an easement is requested,” Rhamey told the TTD board on Feb. 21.

More information about the proposed project is online.