ski resorts

Alpenglow Sports has teamed up with Tahoe Cross Country to present the first-ever Lake Tahoe Nordic Festival Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10. All events are free, open to the public and take place at Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area in Tahoe City, California. A full schedule of events is available at www.tahoenordicfestival.com.

North Lake Tahoe pulls out all the stops to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics with the Olympic Heritage Celebration beginning Saturday and lasting through Jan. 21 at venues throughout the region.

The event, which is sponsored by the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association, kicks off Saturday, January 12 with the REI Winter Trails Day at Tahoe Donner Cross Country Resort in Truckee.

Getting to North Lake Tahoe’s snowy ski slopes just got a whole lot easier with the launch of the region's first area-wide free ski shuttle serving North Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Donner Summit.

The service runs between area lodging properties to 9 different ski resorts on weekends and holiday weeks now through March 31. It was formed through a collaboration of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association in partnership with the Truckee/North Tahoe Transportation Management Association and Placer County, the town of Truckee and several ski resorts.

A snow storm blasting Lake Tahoe and the Sierra should arrive in Carson City and the valley floor this morning or sometime this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

A Winter Storm Warning runs from 10 a.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday, with 4 to 8 inches of snow expected, and 6 inches to a foot in areas above 5,000 feet west of Highway 395 and the Virginia City Highlands.

"Looking at it right now, there's a better chance for snow (in Carson City) this afternoon into early evening," said National Weather Service Meteorologist Mark Faucett.

Prestigious snow carvers from around the world will call North Lake Tahoe home February 8-12, 2013 for the region’s first-ever Carve Tahoe competition, with the judging take place February 13, 2013.

The weeklong international snow sculpture contest is specifically geared for spectators who will view firsthand 20-ton blocks of pure snow shaped and carved into breathtaking masterpieces. The competing teams are the best of the best – selected from the event’s top applicants and representing more than 20 countries.

It might have been raining across much of Northern California, but last week’s storm brought snow to Lake Tahoe ski resorts – more than 3.5 feet of the white stuff, making for a great ski weekend.

“You just never know how these storms are going to play out,” said Chief Marketing Officer Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association. “But Mother Nature cooperated and we’ve got new snow on the mountains.”

A traditional Lake Tahoe holiday stay at Granlibakken resort means skiing, snowplay, zipline, board games by the fireplace, spa treatments and relaxing. It’s also a sumptuous feast prepared by resort staff, a rollicking atmosphere of good cheer amid an authentic lodge setting with roaring fire and best of all, no dirty dishes or clean up, rather a take home box for any leftovers.

Camp Richardson, South Lake Tahoe’s only lakefront holiday dining for under $24 is at The Beacon. Recognized for decades as a family destination, historic Camp Richardson is authentic Tahoe. It’s beachfront location, long tradition and hearty holiday menu help keep the meaning alive.

Value-added skiing and boarding has been passed down to three Lake Tahoe area resorts. Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort season passholders can now enjoy free skiing or riding at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows from opening day until December 21, 2012, as well as from April 15, 2013 until closing day.

Lake Tahoe ski resorts are celebrating the arrival of the first snow storm of the season, with several inches having fallen and more on the way. Mother Nature's fall delivery sets the winter season in motion for a promising ski and snowboard season.

Although you might not feel it, the weather is starting to change in North Lake Tahoe. Days are still warm, with temperatures averaging in the 60s, but nights are dropping to approximately 35 degrees. It’s the time of year that the region’s upper elevations may even see a dusting of snow.

“We’ve been reviewing all the long-range forecasts,” said Chief Marketing Officer Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association. “And if Mother Nature keeps up her end, we should have above-average snowfall this winter.”

Vail Resorts, Inc. which has three ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe area, announced Thursday an unprecedented partnership with Verbier, Switzerland, that will enhance the already incredible value of Vail Resorts’ Epic Season Pass, providing three days of free access to the Verbier ski resort, including Les 4 Vallées, the largest ski area in Switzerland, for new and renewing 2012-2013 Epic Season Pass holders.

North Lake Tahoe is gearing up to host the 37th Annual Mountain Travel Symposium, one of the world’s premier ski industry wholesale conferences, April 15-21 at the Resort at Squaw Creek in Olympic Valley, Calif. This is the second time North Lake Tahoe has been the designated conference host, having held the event with its 1,200 attendees back in 2006.

Mother Nature and the lucky Leprechaun found powder at the end of the rainbow with a late season storm that dropped 5-9 feet of new snow at Tahoe South resorts this past weekend, which will provide great spring skiing conditions through Easter and beyond. Forecasts predict sunny skies throughout the week.

(NORTH LAKE TAHOE, California/Nevada) – It just doesn’t get any better. March came in like a lion, with a series of storms leaving 4 feet of new snow at North Lake Tahoe ski resorts’ upper elevations. The National Weather Service is predicting that the weather will change Friday with sunny, clear skies for the weekend.

New Lake Tahoe license plates are appearing on the vehicle fleets of major ski resorts and businesses in the Tahoe Basin, as support for the Tahoe plate program in California and Nevada continues this winter.

Heavenly Ski Resort helped launch the program in 1996 and has 140 vehicles plated for Tahoe. Northstar Resort, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and Tahoe Dave’s Skis and Boards have ordered new Tahoe plates.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency received a positive ruling in the opening stages of the lawsuit challenging the Homewood Mountain Ski Area Master Plan that was filed by the Sierra Club and the Friends of the West Shore, a Lake Tahoe environmental group.

Winter is a time of cheer and for those who enjoy the snowy slopes it’s a time to carve your way down the mountain.
For many locals and out-of-towners they welcome the winter weather, anticipating prime skiing and snowboarding conditions.
A few different ski resorts and ski areas throughout the Shasta Cascade region that offer excellent skiing and snowboarding opportunities. Skiing and snowboarding is a great winter sport that can be enjoyed by all ages.

The snow forecast to hit the Lake Tahoe region during the next few days is expected to give the Tahoe Fund's Plate for Powder program a boost along with Sierra ski resorts and businesses. Drivers who purchase a California or Nevada Tahoe vehicle license plate will receive two free ski lift or Nordic tickets to the resort of their choice. New Tahoe plates cost $50 in California and $61 in Nevada.

Ski resorts have long battled the problem of bringing first-time skiers back to the slopes. All too often the expense seems to drive them away. So the resorts teamed up to offer first-time lessons on the cheap, and most Lake Tahoe mountain resorts are taking part. Here's Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows take on it all.

Two of Lake Tahoe's most popular ski and snowboarding icons, Daron Rahlves and Jeremy Jones, have finished shooting public service ads this week for the nonprofit Tahoe Fund's Plate for Powder program (photos).

The Tahoe Fund announced today that 12 major Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts are offering two free Alpine or Nordic tickets for every purchase of a California or Nevada Lake Tahoe license plate between December 12 and April 15.

Tahoe's original ski resort, Granlibakken, near Tahoe City, is lodging central in 2012 with various ski and stay packages for seven area resorts.

“How much more warm weather and sunshine can we take,” laughed Kay Williams, deadpanning over last season’s epic seven-month winter and 700+ inches of snow. “Sure, various ski resorts like to be the first to open or last to close, but we want folks to know that we’re ready with early-season offerings.”

By Sam Bauman
First time I went to Burning Man on the Black Rock playa, I slept in my SUV. Not bad but second and third it was in my tent, a very gritty and uncomfortable week. Fourth I weaseled my way into a friend's a fold-out trailer, which was better. But from then on I teamed up with a retired airline pilot, who had a nice 27-foot Winnebago. Four of us the first three times, just two the last.

Squaw Valley USA, the iconic Lake Tahoe-area resort that has been home to some of the country’s top downhill skiers, is joining operations with neighboring Alpine Meadows. See story here. Here is the official press release dated today:

LAKE TAHOE — If another La Nina visits the Sierra this winter – all-time records were approached in 2010-11 with more than 700 inches of snow – Tahoe South ski resorts are ready to roll on another epic season.

Gusty winds and rain will develop early this morning for the Carson City region, prompting the National Weather Service in Reno to issue a wind advisory through 5 p.m. this afternoon.

The storm looks as though it will be heaviest in areas outside of Carson City with a winter storm warning for Lake Tahoe and the Sierra and a high wind warning for areas east and south of Carson City, especially in Mono, Mineral and southern Lyon counties, according to CarsonWeather.com.

PRESS RELEASE — The League to Save Lake Tahoe is voicing its opposition to the size and scale of a large hotel project on Tahoe's North Shore called Boulder Bay, which is slated for a final vote before the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on March 23.

The project violates the intent of the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Compact, which is a Congressionally-approved agreement between California and Nevada to strongly protect Lake Tahoe from the increasing urbanization that is threatening the region's environmental values.

Recent indicators show tourism at Lake Tahoe South Shore is improving, according to the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.

December occupancy was up three percent compared to last year (Smith Travel Research). The No. 1 ski destination in the U.S. (Rand McNally 2011; TripAdvisor 2010) has seen a rise of 1.7 percent through Reno-Tahoe International Airport since July; 14 percent more skiers and snowboarders on the slopes, increased bookings over holiday weekends, and advance reservations for summer.

A week after two storms dropped at least a foot of snow in Carson City and several feet in the Sierra, another storm will move into the area late Thursday into Friday and is expected bring between 3 to 8 inches to the capital city and several feet above Lake Tahoe.

The heaviest snow with the system should be dropping by early Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Reno and Carsonweather.com.