Category: Outdoors
Guns, skis and the push for biathlon at Tahoe
With the lung-bursting cardio of Nordic skiing and the precise, cool-headed aim of marksmanship, biathlon is a clear case of “opposites attract.” Though biathlon’s origins are rooted in Norwegian military training and its fan following is staunchly European, its coming-of-age took place in Tahoe. The discipline was first included in the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, […]
Getting kids on Tahoe’s slopes
To many families, winter in Tahoe means ski lessons, season passes and bluebird days together at a favorite resort. But not to all: With rising poverty rates, teenage obesity at an all-time high and more single-parent homes than ever before, not all kids have the means or opportunity to learn a winter sport. Fortunately, there […]
Q&A with Julia Mancuso; talking lingerie, tiaras, podiums and Sochi
Raised on the slopes of Squaw Valley USA, skier Julia Mancuso has three Olympic medals (more than any other American female alpine skier) and a fistful of World Championship and World Cup podium finishes to her name. When not flying down a snow-covered mountain, “Super Jules,” as she is known to her fellow U.S. Ski […]
Daron Rahlves gets you pumped for ski season
Four-time Olympian, most decorated American male downhill and Super G skier and winner of the legendary Hahnenkamm, Sugar Bowl Ambassador and Truckee resident Daron Rahlves still hits it hard every winter. But the secret of his success is the off-season: “The more you do in summer, the less you’re going to be sore and get […]
Snowmaking in Tahoe: Northstar and Heavenly Pump up The Best Christmas Snow Conditions
Despite the sparse natural snow, Tahoe’s two Vail-owned resorts are pumping up their snowmaking muscle for Christmas week. We rode both of them on Friday, and have ridden three more resorts since. Northstar California Northstar is rolling out the white carpet to skiers and snowboarders in time for the holidays. Vail’s Sierra Nevada […]
Stars Tee Up on South Shore
Where can you see Michael Jordan going one-on-one against Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, or New Jersey Devils all-star goalie Martin Brodeur trying to fend off the Boston Celtics great Ray Allen? Where can you find New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan giving pointers to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers? And where does one of the greatest baseball rotations […]
Natural Rhythms: Summer is the season of love for local flora and fauna
Summer is when plants and animals go about the business of reproduction. To that end, they employ a dazzling array of communication techniques, appealing to all of our (and hopefully potential mates’) senses in the process. Here is a sampler of the summer’s great communicators. Songs and sounds Territorial vocalizations attract mates and ward off potential competitors, but those performances […]
Bringing About Better Boating Safety
Thirty years ago, a Lake Tahoe boating fatality stunned the West Shore’s tight-knit community so much so that the tragic details remain vividly alive in old-timers’ memories—and serve as a stiff reminder of the dangers of irresponsible watercraft operation. “It’s a horrible story,” says Bev Bedard, who was the director of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce […]
Kissed by Falling Stars
T.S. Eliot’s character, Prufrock, measured out his life in coffee spoons. I’ve been measuring mine in meteor showers. My husband and I waited for last summer’s Perseids’ rain of fire ensconced on lawn chairs outside our home in the foothills of the Sierra. As we searched the sky for the first wondrous flashes, I thought back to earlier meteor […]
This is How We Roll
It seems that cyclists—no matter who they are, where they live or what kind of bikes they ride—will always find a way to get together and pedal. This pair of Tahoe bike clubs brings plenty of two-wheeled fun, while also contributing to their local communities. Slow Rolling on South Shore Chief roller Mark Cutright is pretty clear about the […]
