By the end of summer BlueZone Sports will have four stores in the greater Lake Tahoe area.

The South Lake Tahoe store is slated to open in August. It is located right next to TJ Maxx at the Y.

The Carson City store near Trader Joe’s opened this month.

The Minden-based company first opened a store in Truckee. Shortly thereafter in June 2014 the shop inside MontBleu at Stateline was up and running.

Retail sales and rentals of bikes and kayaks will be available at the South Tahoe store. It will also have apparel, along with ski equipment.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Truckee Tahoe Airport board on July 26 board approved $85,000 to build a multi-feature trail in Kings Beach. 

The project will transform a current OHV trail with major erosion issues into a multi-feature trail for use by mountain bikes, motorbikes, hikers and equestrians.

The U.S. Forest Service with volunteers from the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association will build the trail. The North Tahoe Public Utility District and the Tahoe Fund are also partners in the project.

There will be a trail design workshop in September. Final alignments and engineering work will be completed later this summer. The majority of trail work is slated for the 2018 season.

By Amy Graff, San Francisco Chronicle

Lake Tahoe is brimming, nearly full for the first time in 11 years.

On July 9, the lake level peaked at 6,229 feet, a hair shy of 6,229.1 feet above sea level, the point when it reaches full capacity. The last time it reached near full capacity was 11 years ago.

Tahoe’s water level is slowly going down by 0.12 to 0.24 inches a day.

Read the whole story

Dave Nostrant in August will be teaching another group of kids how to serve. Photo/ZCTC

A six-day tennis class is being offered for youth ages 4-12 at Zephyr Cove Tennis Club.

Instruction is provided by Dave Nostrant, who has been teaching for more than 30 years. Nostrant is a highly sought after pro who is in his first year at Zephyr Cove.

He is popular with youngsters because he is able to effectively blend fun and seriousness on the court. Nostrant also can juggle various ability levels so every child gets the appropriate instruction and individualized attention even in a group setting.

Classes are Aug 1-3 and Aug. 8-10. For ages 4-7 they will play from 1-1:30pm, with those 8-12 on the courts from 2-3pm. Cost of the younger kids is $35 and $75 for the older kids.

Bring a racket, water and sunscreen, and wear non-marking shoes.

Space is limited. Sign up online.

Fire restrictions go into effect today within the Tahoe National Forest.

This means:

·           No open fires, campfires or charcoal fires are allowed on Tahoe National Forest lands outside of designated areas, even with a valid California campfire permit.

·           Lanterns and portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed, unless otherwise restricted, with a valid California campfire permit.

·           No welding or operating an acetylene or other torch with an open flame.

·           No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.

·           Internal combustion engines are restricted to National Forest System roads, trails, and areas. Motorized cross-country travel between roads, trails, and areas is prohibited.

Complete details regarding 2017 fire restrictions, including the list of designated recreation sites, are available online.

Elite sailors spent four days at Lake Tahoe, with races culminating July 23. Photo/Rebecca Hinden

By Jake Fish

Following four days of exciting racing in the sparkling waters of Lake Tahoe, Marek Zaleski (Norwalk, Conn.) became the 2017 U.S. Singlehanded Men’s Champion and Hanne Weaver (Seattle) became the 2017 U.S. Singlehanded Women’s Champion on Sunday.

Held in conjunction with the Laser Class U.S. National Championships and hosted by the Tahoe Yacht Club, the fleets were comprised of experienced and proven singlehanded sailors and an influx of new talented young men and women.

Zaleski’s performance was good enough to claim the overall title out of 43 boats in the Full Rig fleet for the Laser Class U.S. National Championship. Although Jake Vickers was a game competitor all week, Zaleski won five of the seven races and was the clear-cut top performer.

U.S. Singlehanded Men’s Championship results:
1. Marek Zaleski, Noroton Yacht Club, 1-5-1-1-1-1-[7]- ; 10
2. Jake Vickers, Severn Sailing Association, 3-[6]-4-2-3-3-1- ; 16
3. Caleb Robinson, Sail Maine, 2-[22]-5-13-5-7-5- ; 37
4. Cameron Feves, Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club, 6-9-8-9-[16]-4-13- ; 49
5. Peter Phelan, Santa Cruz Yacht Club, 7-11-7-6-7-14-[44/DSQ]- ; 52
Complete Standings

“The altitude and the water quality are two things that are different about this venue,” explained Zaleski. “I’m glad I got here early, because I was struggling when working out on my bike and the water is so clear, the Lasers float a little lower in the water, not a huge difference, but it’s noticeable.

“I am campaigning for the 2020 Olympics nonstop,” said Zaleski. “I have over 200 days on the water since I graduated last year and a lot of time in the gym working on my fitness. So, it’s nice to see good results and that my work  is paying off.”

Weaver won the U.S. Singlehanded Women’s Championship by a 16 point margin over Charlotte Rose. She placed second overall to Chase Carraway out of 55 boats in the Laser Radial fleet.

U.S. Singlehanded Women’s Championship results:
1. Hanne Weaver, RVYC, SYC, 3-12-4-2-10-[18]- ; 31
2. Charlotte Rose, Houston Yacht Club / GCYSA, [23]-14-2-4-14-13- ; 47T
3. Kelly Cole, OCBC, 7-13-5-14-[56/OCS]-8- ; 47T
4. Lillian Myers, GCYSP, [18]-11-17-6-6-9- ; 49
5. Annika Fedde, Ventura Yacht Club, 13-26-16-27-9-[39]- ; 91
Complete Standings

“The wind and how it comes off the mountains and spreads out over the lake is the most challenging part of this sailing venue,” explained Weaver. “You really have to keep your head out of the boat.”

The race committee completed three races for the Lasers on Thursday and Friday and three races for the Laser Radials on Thursday and two on Friday. The conditions were similar both days with winds in the 6-10 knot range, primarily from 225 degrees with violent shifts making it difficult to maintain “squareness’ on the inside-outside trapezoid course.

Lack of any breeze on Saturday forced the race committee to abandon all racing. Sunday looked like a repeat of Saturday, with a slightly better, yet inconsistent, forecast model. A 10 knot westerly burst through the racing area later in the afternoon. The shifts became radical and inconsistent resulting in a postponement and general recall before getting off the Lasers just seven minutes before the warning signal deadline. The wind was brisk resulting in a shorter than expected race duration for both fleets. They completed an important sixth race for the Radials (allowing for their discard) and a seventh race for the Lasers.

Sailors eligible for the U.S. Singlehanded Sailing Championships in the men’s Laser Full Rig and women’s Laser Radial Fleets must be U.S. citizens and at least turn 17 in the calendar year of 2017. These eligible sailors raced in their respective fleets as part of the Laser Nationals competition.

Prizes were awarded to competitors meeting the eligibility rules for the U.S. Singlehanded Championship:

• George D. O’Day Trophy to the overall highest placing eligible male in the Laser Full Rig for the U.S. Singlehanded Men’s Championship.
• Helen Willis Hanley Trophy to the overall highest placing eligible female in the Laser Radial for the U.S. Singlehanded Women’s Championship.

Medals were awarded to the top three positions in each fleet.

Jake Fish is with US Sailing.

By Jay Bouchard, Outside

Ascending Everest may be easier now that one of the most difficult features en route to the summit has crumbled, veteran mountaineers say.

American climbers Garrett Madison and Ben Jones, both of whom summited Everest in the final weeks of May, tell Outside that the Hillary Step has been significantly altered. Their revelations bring clarity to a debate that left the mountaineering world wondering whether or not Everest’s most iconic feature still existed. 

The Hillary Step, which is located at an elevation of 28,839 feet, was a near-vertical rock outcropping 200 feet below Everest’s summit. It has long been one of the most foreboding obstacles on the mountain’s South Col route. Named after Sir Edmund Hillary, who in 1953 used the 39-foot feature to make the first ascent of Everest with Tenzing Norgay, the step was among the most challenging and notorious features on the mountain.

Read the whole story

LTWC is caring for a river otter that came from Modesto. Photo/LTWC

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care’s annual open house is July 30 from 10am-4pm.

The public is welcome to come and see what goes on behind closed doors. This is the one day of the year that locals and visitors can get close to the birds and animals that are rehabilitating for their eventual release back to the wild. 

There is no charge to enter the grounds, however, donations are welcomed and encouraged. People may also donate online. Apparel will also be for sale.

LTWC currently has Emma, the permanent care bald eagle, an osprey, nine great-horned owls, three red-tailed hawks, a baby flying squirrel, four raccoons, a sparrow hawk (kestrel), two river otters and four bear cubs.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is located at 1485 Cherry Hills Circle, off of Elks Club Drive in Meyers.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife wants the public’s input on a proposal to list the foothill yellow-legged frog as a threatened species.

The frog inhabits lower elevation creeks, streams and rivers throughout Sierra and other parts of the state. They can be found in a variety of habitat types such as chaparral, oak woodland, mixed coniferous forest, riparian sycamore and cottonwood forest, as well as wet meadows.

In December 2016, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to formally list the frog as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. The listing petition described a variety of threats to the survival of frogs in California. These include direct and indirect impacts associated with dams, water diversions and development, invasive species, disease, climate change and other activities such as marijuana cultivation, timber harvest, mining, recreation, road building and urbanization.

The Commission followed CDFW’s recommendation and voted June 21 to advance the species to candidacy. The commission published findings of this decision on July 7, triggering a 12-month period during which CDFW will conduct a status review to inform the commission’s decision on whether to list the species.

Comments may be submitted by email to wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov.

Time to look up at the sky to see what else is out there. Photo/Ryan Berendsen

By Tony Berendsen

“The contemplation of celestial things will make a man both speak and think more sublimely and magnificently when he descends to human affairs.” — Cicero (106BC-43BC)

Our view of the cosmos is hidden by the light scattering of the sun during the daylight hours causing the illusion of a blue sky celling. Sunset is the beginning of the transparency of our magic window view into space. We live on the edge of space and can safely lookout into it protected by invisible magnetic fields and transparent gasses. We are so close to the cosmos we can touch it with our minds.

During the month of August find a comfortable dark spot outside on a moonless night with a view of the southern horizon to watch the sun relinquish its grasp on the day and replaced by the dark quiet vision of the stars. A couple bright stars in the south will become visible on the horizon as the sky darkens: a reddish colored star, and a little to the left, a yellowish wandering star.

The reddish star is Antares, the heart of the Scorpion, over 500 light years away. Its volume would swallow the orbit of the Earth and Mars if placed where our star the sun is, and it will end its life someday as a brilliant supernova bright enough to be seen during the day.

The yellowish wandering star really isn’t a star at all, it’s the planet Saturn at 880 million miles away. Even a small telescope will resolve its round disk and beautiful rings. It is the second largest planet in our solar system and revolves around the sun every 29 years.

Stay in your comfortable spot for a while, try to keep the phone and pad a bay, to watch and wait as the hazy band of the Milky Way begins to show up just below Saturn.

Saturn is just above and to the right of the dark center band of the Milky Way and its galactic center. The darkness is caused by thousands of light years of gas between us and the galactic center obscuring our view of it over 25,000 light years away.

Through the eyes of astronomical instruments imaging in the infrared, X-ray, and radio wavelengths we have seen the center of our galaxy. We have watched stars orbit near a gigantic black hole that marks the center we orbit around every 250 million years.

Lean back in your chair and look up to follow the Milky Way to the north. Notice it surrounds us and has wrapped its hazy band upon us for we are inside of our galaxy in-between a couple of its gigantic spiral arms.

Our place in the galaxy is a small place, an oasis for our kind of life, orbiting around a star that will supply us with light and energy for billions of years to come. Our technology has helped us understand where we are within the Milky Way and with that little bit of knowledge, a bright star and a planet in the evening sky to point the way, we can see where we are with our naked eyes.

Tony Berendsen runs Tahoe Star Tours. He may be reached at 775.232.0844 or tony@tahoestartours.com.