Fresh snow and wind will greet skiers and boarders at Lake Tahoe resorts today. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

Eldorado National Forest dirt roads and trails will be closed to wheeled motorized vehicles starting Jan. 1.

The seasonal closure will be in place until at least April 1.

Surface roads are not part of the closure.

By Lindsey Sine, USSA

BORMIO, Italy — The U.S. Ski Team’s Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) led the way for his teammates Tuesday, finishing 16h during a World Cup downhill in Bormio. Slovenia’s Andrej Jerman won the race to mark the second World Cup victory of his career.

Despite a shortened prep period due to having both knees scoped in late spring, Nyman showed he can be up there with the fastest guys again, marking his career best at one of the most challenging downhill tracks on the World Cup tour.

Marco Sullivan

“It’s a confidence builder for me because I haven’t had the prep period,” Nyman said. “There’s nothing like skiing the World Cup courses. You just can’t train that stuff and every race has been getting better for me. Stuff is ramping up and I am feeling good. Hopefully I can keep the ball rolling.”

“Steven hasn’t had a whole lot of training and he did a really good job. He skied fantastically on the bottom. He was up, and forward over his boots and he did a great job today,” Men’s Alpine Head Coach Sasha Rearick added. “He came out, executed, and that’s a step in the right direction. He’s been building stronger in every race and it’s a move towards where he wants to be.”

While not the longest downhill on the World Cup, Bormio is known to be one of the most grueling with over two minutes of turns and transitions. For Nyman, being able to race it well is considered a success.

Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) followed Nyman for U.S. results, finishing 28th. According to Rearick, Sullivan was skiing well but ran into a bad transition.

“Marco skied much better up top. It was aggressive skiing and it was much better than we’ve been seeing him ski lately,” Rearick said. “Unfortunately, he got kicked going out of a transition into the flats and lost all of his speed in the long flat section.”

The men’s speed group returns to the U.S.  for a short break before returning to Europe for Wengen and Kitzbuehel.

Bormio, Italy – Dec. 29, Men’s Downhill

1. Andrej Jerman, Slovenia, 2:00.32

2. Didier Defago, Switzerland, 2:00.85

3. Michael Walchhofer, Austria, 2:01.35

4. David Poisson, France, 2:01.55

5. Didier Cuche, Switzerland, 2:01.60

–

16. Steven Nyman, Sundance, UT, 2:02.46

28. Marco Sullivan, Squaw Valley, CA, 2:03.20

35. Andrew Weibrecht, Lake Placid, NY, 2:03.78

–

DNS: Scott Macartney, Crystal Mountain, WA

DNF: Erik Fisher, Middleton, ID

It’s a powder day on the slopes of Lake Tahoe. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

By Kathryn Reed

HOPE VALLEY — Walking into the yurt, Joyce Coker greets a family of four by name. They are regulars at Hope Valley Outdoors, even though they visit just once a year.

“We are not downhill skiers. We like the nice family time,” Nancy Vernon said of being able to cross country ski together.

Joyce Coker finds equipment for Isaac and Annabel Vernon. Photos/Kathryn Reed

Joyce Coker

She and her husband, Walt, have been making the trek from the Bay Area to this outdoor playground at the junction of highways 88 and 89 since before their twins were born 12 years ago. They stay at Sorensen’s Resort down the road and then ski on Coker’s trails with her equipment.

“We come back every year at Christmas,” Vernon said. “We love to cross country ski.”

Cocker has been in the business for about 25 years, with this being her third year in the yurt. This season started the weekend before Christmas. Usually she is open until about Easter. Snow dictates actual opening and closing dates.

The yurt -- home to Hope Valley Outdoors.

More than 25 miles are groomed — including Secret and Hope Valley meadows. What’s incredible is that she doesn’t charge to use all this acreage. She takes donations, though.

In the round contraption that takes several people multiple days to erect each year are a slew of snowshoes and cross country skis. They are for rent and for sale.

The lousy economy has helped Coker’s business.

“People come up for a week and can’t afford to downhill ski for the whole time,” Coker said. “My prices are so cheap they can afford it.”

She even posts what it costs to ski/snowshoe at other locations in the basin so people know the deal they are getting at Hope Valley Outdoors.

Inside the yurt is a propone-fueled stove that gives off a little heat. A skylight keeps the place bright — at least on sunny days.

Phone service is nonexistent at the yurt, so Coker returns calls at night when she gets home.

A multitude of activities are planned throughout the season. For more information, go to www.hopevalleyoutdoors.com.

Events:

Dec. 30, 10am-3pm; Learn the history of Nordic skiing and the differences of skiing groomed and ungroomed snow. Meet at the yurt.

Dec 31, 10am-1pm; Snowshoe Day. Learn about different snowshoe styles, technique and safety measures with winter terrain, and Leave-No-Trace principles. Meet at the yurt.

Dec. 31, 5-7pm, Blue Moon Tour. Meet at the yurt. After the tour, return to Starlight lodge to bring in the New Year, listen to music, or hot tub or sit out and enjoy the moonlight.

Jan. 1, 10:30am-3pm, Backcountry Lesson Ski Tour. Let those skis show how they are capable of performing with the terrain that surrounds the center. Meet at the yurt.

Reservations required — call (530) 694.2266.

Directions: From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 50 toward the Bay Area, turn left onto Highway 89 toward Kirkwood, after crossing Luther Pass you descend into Hope Valley; at the stop sign go straight; the yurt will be in front of you on Burnside Lake Road.

Lindsey Vonn of the United States had to be taken to the hospital Monday after crashing on the opening run of the World Cup giant slalom in Lienz, Austria.

Tests showed she has swelling on the bone, but it’s not broken. Vonn may be able to compete on Tuesday.

Kathrin Hoelzl of Germany won the race.

Squaw Valley’s Julia Mancuso, the Olympic giant slalom champion who finished second at Lienz two years ago, did not qualify for the second run. She hit a gate and nearly stopped before ending the run 5 seconds behind Hoelzl.

Expect a mix of clouds and sun today as Mother Nature tries to figure out what she is doing. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

Fresh snow is on the slopes of Lake Tahoe this morning, with more white stuff expected to fall today. Here is the ski report brought to you buy Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

By Guy Rocha

On a Reno television weather broadcast, the weatherman referred to the Sierra Crest and then images of peaks in the Carson Range were displayed in the background. The Sierra Nevada crest line, nevertheless, is west of Lake Tahoe in California. In fact, virtually all of the Sierra Nevada is in California. What’s wrong with this picture?

Most geoscientists would tell you that the Carson Range is a spur of the northern Sierra Nevada and perhaps 80 million years old. The appendage begins in the south at Carson Pass in Alpine County, Calif., skirts Lake Tahoe — a much younger geologic feature — in a northward arc into Nevada, and ends just south of the border town of Verdi in Washoe County, some 52 miles in length (71 percent in Nevada and 29 percent in California). The Carson Range, including Job’s Peak, Job’s Sister, Genoa Peak, King’s Canyon, Slide Mountain and Mount Rose (the highest point in the Nevada portion of the range at 10,776 feet), serves as a majestic backdrop for the Reno/Carson City/Carson Valley metropolitan area. The highest point in the Carson Range is Freel Peak at 10,881 feet on the border of Alpine and El Dorado counties in California and south of South Lake Tahoe.

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Storm clouds are moving into the Lake Tahoe area. Read today’s ski report here. It’s courtesy of Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.