The 2010 Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships are at the Northstar-at-Tahoe Oct. 15-17.
The best collegiate mountain bike athletes will descend upon the largest bike park in Northern California for three intense days of racing. Come on out and cheer for your favorite college or university team as they race hard all weekend.
For more information, go online.
Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News is providing a glimpse into what skiers and boarders can expect at Lake Tahoe area resorts for the 2010-11 season.
Heavenly Mountain Resort: A higher power must have created the view
• Projected opening date: Nov. 19
• Daily adult lift ticket: TBA; last season’s was $82
Heavenly's on-mountain lodge near Tamarack chair will open in 2011. Photo/Kathryn Reed
• What’s new?: Heavenly answered a call from riders in a big way when it broke ground in August on its 14,980-square-foot on-mountain restaurant to open at the top of the gondola in February. The restaurant will offer 500 indoor and 250 outdoor patio seats as the flagship to the South Shore ski resort’s major revitalization.
And, social media meets the ski industry. Heavenly also launches the winter season with the latest in a high-technology ski experience called EpicMix, an online digital application that can be downloaded on a smart phone through the ski resort’s radio frequency scanners.
• What’s special about Heavenly?: No other resort at Lake Tahoe provides the kind of wide scale picture-perfect view like Heavenly, which brought bluebird days to a new level with its top-of-the-face seamless view of blue sky and blue lake. Terrain variety matches the customer service – from the gentle slopes and blue cruiser runs to the hidden powder stashes of the Glades and Milky Way Bowl.
• Last year’s snow total: 367 inches
• Lift hours of operation: 9am to 4pm weekdays; 8:30am to 4pm weekends and holidays
• Skiable terrain: 4,800 acres
• Number of lifts: 29
• Vertical feet: 3,500
• Directions: In the heart of South Lake Tahoe, take Ski Run Boulevard and follow the signs to the resort. Or walk to the gondola at Heavenly Village from a nearby hotel.
• Website
— Compiled by Susan Wood
Celebrating its 48th consecutive year, the North Tahoe Ski Swap, slated Oct. 23 9am-3pm at North Tahoe High School gymnasium, is an annual local event that heralds the beginning of the much anticipated winter snow and snowboard season.
Offering a dizzying variety of snow sports equipment and clothing, this year’s event will not disappoint the masses who enjoy getting a great deal, while also supporting worthwhile programs at North Tahoe High School and North Tahoe School.
The event began almost five decades ago as a glorified garage sale to benefit a Tahoe Community Nursery School. As interest grew, the sale later moved to more spacious digs including the high school gymnasium, as well as Alpine Meadows. Now the swap is under the auspices of North Tahoe’s public high school and middle school and will again be held in the North Tahoe High School gymnasium.
Admission is $1.
Additionally, students will be selling raffling tickets for awesome prizes including ski passes, dining gift certificates and much more.
Interested in selling some equipment at the swap? On Oct. 22, public sellers are asked to register equipment at the middle school gymnasium entrance from 3-9pm. Merchant sellers are asked to register equipment on Oct. 22 from 2-9pm and check out after the event on Saturday afternoon.
For more information, or to volunteer (and get to pre-shop), call (530) 581.7050, ext. 4344.
Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News is providing a glimpse into what skiers and boarders can expect at Lake Tahoe area resorts for the 2010-11 season.
Squaw Valley: Home of the 1960 Winter Olympics for good reason
• Projected opening date: Nov. 20
• Daily adult lift ticket: TBA; last season’s was $83
The flame from the 1960 Olympics still burns at Squaw. Photo/Kathryn Reed
• What’s new?: Right off the top, Squaw begins the season with a new chief executive officer, Andy Wirth, who succeeds Nancy Cushing. The wife of late founder Alex Cushing will remain as chairman of the board.
Squaw excels as a ski resort for big kids and real kids, with the latter touting an overhaul of the Belmont Park section into a children’s fun zone including a snow fort and kid-friendly bumps and whoopty-dos.
In addition, the ski resort is expanding its night skiing capability with improved lighting in the Riviera terrain park and halfpipe.
The resort has also added a “gates” ski clinic designed to enhance a rider’s all-around skills in slalom and Giant Slalom
Also on board is a new ski demonstration center and shop, conference center at the Olympic Village Inn, renovations to Squaw’s base lodge and an overhaul to the ground floor of the Gold Coast Lodge.
On the slopes, improved snowmaking and new state of the art grooming machines provide the finishing touches to a world-renowned resort.
• What’s special about Squaw?: The resort boasts legendary terrain that’s enough to stimulate Olympic skiers and guest service worthy enough to call it an Olympic resort.
• Last year’s snow total: 560 inches
• Lift hours of operation: 9am to 9pm (weekends); 9am to 7pm (weekdays) from Dec. 19, 2010, through March 27, 2011
• Skiable terrain: 4,000 acres
• Number of lifts: 33
• Vertical feet: 2,800
• Directions: Head north on Highway 89 and turn left at the Olympic torch and follow the Squaw Valley road that empties out to the resort.
• Website
— Compiled by Susan Wood
By Kathryn Reed
Sam Borges won’t be at the dedication of Viking Bowl next year when the South Tahoe High School football team takes the field on its lighted artificial turf field. But his three sons – Don, Dave and Dwight — likely will be, along with his widow, Rosie.
Sam and Rosie Borges talked for a decade about putting lights on the gridiron. Unfortunately, Sam Borges died earlier this year before the dream was realized.
Speaking to the Lake Tahoe Unified School District board of trustees on Tuesday, Don Borges became choked up talking about his parents’ dream. As athletic director of the school, he will be instrumental in pulling off this endeavor.
Don Borges, right, holds a rendering of the football field while architect Brett Long talks about it. Photo/Kathryn Reed
On Oct. 12, the board voted 5-0 to go forward with the nearly $1 million project that could be completed by the 2011 season.
Temporary lights have been brought in twice this season. The inaugural event drew out about 1,000 people, and last week’s romp over Sparks saw about 800 in the stands.
Principal Ivone Larson read an almost poetic account of how those two games have brought the school and community together, and then delved into what a renovated, permanently lighted facility would mean to the school and town.
Besides being a moneymaker at $6 a ticket, the vision is the field could be rented to outside interests.
Chuck Leonard, president of the local Pop Warner association, said he has had calls from semi-pro leagues wanting to have games in South Lake Tahoe. Today, no field can accommodate them.
What the board approved Tuesday will allow Leonard to say “yes” in the future when people call.
Leonard spouted figures of 22 weekends a year being available to athletic teams wanting to use this as a football or soccer field that could infuse $150 million to $175 million into the economy.
The turf and lighting are expected to cost about $1.057 million. The district has a donor lined up to contribute $120,000, and will work on a match of $120,000 from the community. Until the agreement is signed, the donor’s name is not being released. This brings the cost to the district for phase one to $817,000.
The plan is to do phase one and two simultaneously. Phase two includes a concession stand that is likely to be LEED certified with ADA compliant restrooms. Spectators now use bathrooms at Mount Tallac High or the new building on STHS’ campus. But the American with Disabilities Act compliant facilities were going to need to be built sooner rather than later, which is why the district wants to expedite that aspect of the plans.
The anonymous donor has pledged $180,000 toward phase two.
Total for the district for the two phases would be $988,050. The money would come from developer fees. Those dollars can only be spent on construction projects. Less than $1.5 million is in that account now.
The third phase, which does not have a timeline, would get rid of the current bleachers. It would provide 1,000 seats on the home side, and 500 for visitors at a cost of $407,000.
Brett Long of Brett T. Long Landscape Architecture had a rendering of what the field could look like – including the Viking logo in midfield.
The footprint would encompass about 95,000 square feet. The oval would not be a regulation size track, but could be used for training – not meets.
School officials envision the artificial turf providing more opportunities for physical education classes because the field could be plowed in early spring. Plus, spring sports would now have a place to practice instead of going to the Carson Valley.
When it comes to raising money from the community, the plan is to sell blue and gold bricks (school colors) for $100 and $200, respectively, that will have the donor’s name on it. They will be incorporated into the design of the revamped stadium.
When the track and field at South Tahoe Middle School was constructed a few years ago about $700,000 in cash was raised and roughly $400,000 in in-kind services provided. District officials realize that kind of giving isn’t likely to happen in these economic times, but they are confident the town will come through with $120,000 to seal the deal.
To donate, call Angie Keil at (530) 541.2850, ext. 225.
Construction of the long-awaited Rim to Reno Trail System gets under way at 9am Oct. 16 at the Mt. Rose Trailhead near the summit of the Mt. Rose Highway.
Representatives from the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, United States Forest Service-Carson Ranger District, Great Basin Institute and Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space will join volunteers in breaking ground on the new trail that connects the existing Tahoe Rim Trail to Reno.
The Tahoe Rim Trail circles the mountain ridges above Lake Tahoe, through the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Mount Rose Wilderness. The Rim to Reno project will build new trail segments connecting the existing trails and creating a new system that includes loop trails along with the connector trail to Reno.
The Mt. Rose Summit Trail and the Tahoe Rim Trail have seen a dramatic increase in popularity since the trailhead at the Mount Rose Welcome Plaza, was completed in 2004. One of the goals of the new trail system is to provide quality recreation opportunities while minimizing impacts and reducing the potential for wilderness use conflicts.
The new trail system will be accessible through the Mt. Rose Summit Trailhead, U.S. Forest Service’s Thomas Creek and White’s Creek Trailheads, and Washoe County’s Galena Creek Regional Park, Lower White’s Creek and Lower Thomas Creek Trailheads. Ultimately, the trail system will be accessible from other Washoe County Trailheads, including the new Ballardini Trailhead, which is scheduled for completion in 2011.
By Kathryn Reed
In every burned forest a line clearly marks where the fire was put out. That contrast of charred wood and lush green gets me every time.
I know for the people who call Gardner Mountain home and who re-create there regularly, the Angora Fire of 2007 has forever changed this little part of the South Shore. Maybe I need to ride there more often to get used to it. Or maybe that’s just not possible.
Sue Wood rides through burned Gardner Mountain. Photos/Kathryn Reed
Sadness fills me every time I go there. Maybe it’s being immersed in dead, black trees. This same reaction does not befall me when I see the scar every day I drive in town or even when I go where those 254 houses were destroyed. It’s being outside, among the trees. It’s a feeling so hard to describe.
Mountain biking behind South Tahoe High School will continue to be one of my favorite places to pedal – no matter what it looks like. With so many offshoots, it seems I never take the same route.
Sometimes I start at the end of the football field near Mount Tallac High, other times I ride in from the side of St. Francis of the Woods condos.
I would say it’s impossible to get lost. Just keep heading north and the route always lets me out on Fallen Leaf Lake Road.
It’s not a technical route and it’s not all that long – perfect for me. But it’s fun. And it’s scenic.
As gut wrenching as it can be to see so many charred trees, it’s been interesting to watch Mother Nature heal herself in these three-plus years. Some vegetation has come back. Lake Tahoe is visible in the distance – one of the byproducts of the fire.
It’s not a route to fly over because it’s so popular with runners, walkers and dogs. But it will give you a bit of a workout depending on if you choose one of the uphill routes or stick to some of the flatter terrain.
At times it’s wide enough for the two us to ride side-by-side. This is the area where U.S. Forest Service contractors came in to rid the area of dangerous trees.
Carrying forward the black turns to green. It’s almost like another world. Soon a gate is in front of me, with Fallen Leaf Lake Road close by.
It’s decision time – ride through the campground to the lake and then on trails in that area, or head down the road and catch the paved trail that leads to Camp Richardson. This time it’s the latter.
ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)
Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News is providing a glimpse into what skiers and boarders can expect at Lake Tahoe area resorts for the 2010-11 season.
Sierra-at-Tahoe: Friendly vibes and fun rides provide the smiles
• Projected opening date: TBA
• Daily adult lift ticket: TBA; last season’s was $69
Pillows of powder on Castle at Sierra. Photo/Provided
• What’s new?: Sierra-at-Tahoe throws out the red carpet again with two new conveyor lifts for beginning skiers and boarders going to the top of Broadway on a 700-foot-long rug over expanded beginner terrain.
It’s easy to make sense of playing on the slopes as Sierra adds to its long list of deals – with computer alerts going out announcing the latest including private lessons, T-shirts, food, preferred parking and demo equipment up for grabs.
• What’s special about Sierra?: This ski resort is long known for its homespun guest service. During the storms, the best kept secret is finding wind protection at West Bowl and some of the finest tree skiing in the West. Stashes can still be found hours after the virgin powder falls and sometimes the next day.
Terrain includes high-speed cruisers and split groomed and ungroomed runs on powder days, allowing all riders access to the conditions of their choice. For behind the gates and freestyle snowboarding challenges, Huckleberry Canyon and nationally known snowboard parks including the South Shore’s only superpipe spawn the likes of Olympic boarders such as Hannah Teter.
• Last year’s snow total: 550 inches
• Lift hours of operation: 9am to 4pm weekdays; 8:30am to 4pm weekends and holidays
• Skiable terrain: 2,000 acres
• Number of lifts: 12
• Vertical feet: 2,200
• Directions: Head west on Highway 50 to Twin Bridges and turn left on Sierra-at-Tahoe Road to the resort.
• Website
— Compiled by Susan Wood
Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News is providing a glimpse into what skiers and boarders can expect at Lake Tahoe area resorts for the 2010-11 season.
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: Dropping in is easy; dropping in the chutes isn’t
• Projected opening date: early November, weather permitting
• Daily adult lift ticket: $69 off-peak; $74 peak (Dec. 18-Jan. 2); last year’s was $65
Bring your A-game for the Chutes at Mt. Rose.
• What’s new?: Top-to-bottom snowmaking on the Silver Dollar Trail on the Slide Mountain side of the resort provides more access to a popular section that now includes the sun-baked Winters Creek Lodge from last year. Renewable energy makes Mt. Rose greener this year with three new wind spires to power the lodge.
Also, Mt. Rose is adding to its list of daily specials with the third consecutive day free in the group package.
• What’s special about Mt. Rose?: The ski resort deemed closest to the Reno-Tahoe International Airport touts its chutes, with an unrivaled degree of difficulty from a 1,500-foot drop and 40- to 55-degree angle to the bottom. Hold on to your hat.
• Last year’s snow total: 281-plus inches
• Lift hours of operation: ranges from 8:30am to 4pm, depending on the lift
• Skiable terrain: 1,200 acres
• Number of lifts: 8
• Vertical feet: 1,800
• Directions: Take Highway 50 to Spooner Summit then head north on Highway 28 to Kings Beach and turn right on Mt. Rose Highway (Highway. 431) to resort driveway.
• Website
— Compiled by Susan Wood
By Elizabeth Karam, U.S. Ski Team
PARK CITY – The 2011 U.S. Revolution Tour is taking on a new look this winter showcasing freeride skiing as well as snowboarding events. The 2011 season marks the U.S. Revolution Tour’s seventh year and first time including freeride.
The U.S. Revolution Tour, a qualifying event series for the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, is known for featuring the up-and-coming stars of snowboarding and now will also include the future standouts of freeride skiing. The long success of the Tour was started by U.S. Snowboarding with the goal of progressing athletes to Junior Worlds, U.S. Open, Grand Prix and beyond. Past Tour stand-outs include U.S. Snowboarding’s Halfpipe Pro Team Rider Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley) and Rookie Team rider Zack Black (Breckenridge).
“It’s fun to see the up-and-coming stars of snowboarding,” said tour manager Nick Alexakos. “It’s kind of the ‘who’s next’ in snowboarding. It’s fun to watch and see who will step up. It will be great to add freeride to the mix.”
The 2010 summer kicked off the freeride and snowboarding pairing with U.S. Snowboarding’s Project Gold Camp including both freeride and snowboarding athletes. More notably, the 2010 Snowboarding and Freestyle Junior World Championships marked the first FIS event where both sports were showcased at the same venue with the U.S taking home an impressive 11 medals from New Zealand in August.
The 2011 Revolution Tour is picking up where summer left off with four stops all including both freeride skiing and snowboard disciplines including halfpipe, slopestyle, and cross competitions. Following the positive response from the 2010 FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Junior World Championships in New Zealand, the Revolution Tour is moving with the progression of the two sports.
“After six years building the U.S. Revolution Tour as the premier mid-level snowboard contest, we recognized the opportunity to grow the series as part of our development within freeride,” said Snowboard and Freeride Director Jeremy Forster. “With the possibility of slopestyle snowboarding and halfpipe skiing being included in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, beginning to conduct these events together and share resources makes sense.
“The host resorts have been stoked on the direction along with positive feedback from the freeride community. Hopefully, the athletes will have fun competing together and it will be a great season for the Revolution Tour.”
The U.S. Revolution Tour is set to make its 2011 debut in mid December at Copper Mountain, Colo. The Tour leaves the Rockies, heading north to Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore., before moving to Boreal. Riders will make their final stop at Olympic medalists Kelly Clark’s (Mt. Snow, Vt) hometown.
“Expect to see continued progression in the sport for sure,” said Alexakos. “I’ve been involved with the Rev Tour for three years and every year I’m amazed at the level and progression of riding from winter to winter.”
For 2011 U.S. Revolution Tour event and registration information contact Tour Manager Nick Alexakos at nalexakos@ussa.org.
2011 U.S. Revolution Tour Schedule
Dec. 13-17 Copper Mountain (Halfpipe, Slopestyle)
Jan. 10-14 Mt. Hood Meadows (Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Cross)
Feb. 7-11 Boreal (Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Cross)
March 15-18 Mount Snow (Halfpipe, Slopesyle)