Extreme Tahoe: Sports, Fitness, Outdoors
Coming events in Tahoe outdoor sports
September 2, 2010 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Extreme Tahoe
COMING EVENTS
The 72-mile Tour de Tahoe bike ride is Sept. 12. Circle the lake on a supported ride that begins and ends in South Lake Tahoe. For more information go here.
The Tahoe Rim Trail Association is offering a backpacking course just for women. Led by volunteer guides and experienced backpackers Ellen Goldsmith and Sue Henson, this class will introduce backpacking basic, trip planning, how to pack, bear awareness, campsite selection and set up, meal prep and Leave No Trace principles. Beginners are welcome but must be able to hike at elevation carrying a 20 to 30 pound pack, and all participants must provide their own gear, food and clothing. The total mileage for the two day hike is eight miles. For more information go to tahoerimtrail.org
The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and Gray Eagle Lodge will host a full moon hike on Sept. 23. The family friendly event begins at the lodge, off of Gold Lakes Highway, for dinner, happy hour and an informational talk on the future of trail projects in Sierra and Plumas counties. This will be folowed by a 2-mile round trip hike from Gray Eagle Lodge to beautiful Smith Lake. Participants will need to RSVP and bring plenty of water, layers and a flashlight. Go to sierratrails.org
The Tahoe Sierra Century bike ride is Sept. 25. It starts and ends at Squaw Valley and takes you as far as Donner Summit and Kingvale, if you want to do the whole thing. Early registration closes Sept. 15. Details here.
Tahoe Rim Trial Assn. offers youth backcountry camps
March 10, 2010 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Extreme Tahoe
The Tahoe Rim Trail Association in partnership with Sierra Nevada Journeys is offering three 3-day, 2-night Youth Backcountry Camps for high school students to promote service learning and introduce participants to backpacking. There will also be one 5-day, 4-night backpacking trip focused on outdoor leadership and personal development. Camps are limited to 12 participants, so sign up early to assure a spot.
The camps will be held July 11th-13th, July 16th-18th, and July 21st-23rd. The 5 day trip will be from August 2nd – 6th.
The TRTA Youth Backcountry Camps engage young adults between the ages of 14-17 who love the outdoors and want to learn more about backpacking, trail operations, ecology and outdoor leadership skills in an advanced wilderness setting. Participants learn valuable lessons and gain outdoor experiences that will help them to connect with the environment and infuse environmental stewardship into their lives, allowing them to spread their new found knowledge and skills throughout their community.
Several topics incorporated will be:
* Map and Compass Orienteering
* Leave No Trace: 7 Principles for Minimum Impact Recreation
* Shelter building skills
* Flora and Fauna Identification
* Backcountry survival skills
* Team building exercises
* Leadership skills
* Trail building!
Additionally, participants will perform a day of service learning on the trail and get their hands dirty doing actual trail maintenance under the supervision of an experienced TRTA Crew Leader.
Each camp has the capacity for 12 students with the exception of the 5-day which can accommodate only 10 and will be fully supported by TRTA and SNJ staff. The cost for the program is $99 for sessions 1, 2 and 3 (scholarships are available) and $149 for the longer camp. Through a generous donation from REI, participants are provided with all necessary camping gear and food for the program. Participants only need appropriate footwear and clothing and a passion for the outdoors.
For more information, and for prerequisites for this course, please call the TRTA office at (775) 298-0238 or email programs@tahoerimtrail.org.
Alpine welcomes home Errol Kerr
March 10, 2010 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Extreme Tahoe
Alpine Meadows plans to welcome home and congratulate Errol Kerr of the Jamaica Ski Team for his 9th place finish at the 2010 Winter Olympic Ski Cross competition with a special event and party March 13.
To welcome him home after a phenomenal performance in Vancouver, Alpine has officially deemed Kerr the guest of honor and star judge for the Red Bull Schlittentag competition followed by an after-party in the Last Chair Bar & Grill.
German for “sledding day”, Schlittentag is a day of fun, friends and competitive spirit where competitors zoom down a ski hill in a homemade craft. Red Bull Schlittentag turns a simple day of sledding into a creative masterpiece.
Although Schlittentag has yet to be named an Olympic competition by the I.O.C., Kerr will incorporate Olympic standards to score contenders on each craft’s artistic merit, innovation, team spirit, and race results.
Details:
* Red Bull Schlittentag starts at 12pm.
* Alpine Meadows will host Errol Kerr in the Last Chair Bar & Grill at 4pm with a welcome home party, Alpine Style complete with DJ, congratulating him on an incredible Olympic debut performance.
C.R. Johnson dies at Squaw
February 25, 2010 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Extreme Tahoe
Squaw Valley, and all of Tahoe and the skiing world, has lost another great one. Rest in peace, C.R.
Registration open for Tahoe Rim Trail thru hike
February 17, 2010 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Extreme Tahoe
From the Tahoe Rim Trail Assn:
Make 2010 a year to remember – Join the Tahoe Rim Trail Association for the 10th Annual Thru Hike on the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail. Create your own personal story on this rewarding 15 day backpacking trip on one of the most beautiful trails in the nation. Will you be the next participant to add your story to the ones below?
* Gary’s experience on the Thru Hike was life changing- he proposed to his now wife half way through the hike. He’s now a TRTA volunteer hike leader, and helps to inspire others to get outdoors and have fun.
* Jim thought that this might be has last trail experience, after battling with prostate cancer. After completing the Thru Hike, he now has a renewed passion for life and is planning on hiking the John Muir Trail this summer.
* Dave was a surfer, kayaker, writer and photographer. After suffering a stroke and brain surgery, his next life changing event was the TRTA Thru Hike.
* Rachel had a rough journey with a blister on every one of her toes. She completed the Thru Hike with joy and a smiling face, and blisters on her feet.
* Ellen is one of those extraordinary people that encourage all of us to be better people. This will be her 4th year as a volunteer guide on the Thru Hike. Her love for backpacking, gorgeous views, starry nights and new friendships will ensure that this will be your trip of a lifetime.
Will 2010 be your year? Sign up now for the TRTA Annual Thru Hike. This 15 day backpacking trip will begin on July 24th or 25th, 2010 and end on August 7th or 8th, 2010. This is truly a unique opportunity to do a “supported” 15 day backpacking trip on the Tahoe Rim Trail. There will be two groups of 15 people, and each group will have 2 to 3 experienced guides and some truly remarkable views along the way.
One thing that sets this backpacking trip apart from others is the amazing support you will receive. Your support comes from “Trail Angels” that appear every 1 to 3 days with food, fuel and water. Trail Angels also reward you with cold beer, warm pizza and lots of other scrumptious treats along the way.
This event is also the TRTA’s largest fundraising effort, and the $1,750 from each participant directly contributes to the education, outreach and programs that are offered each year.
So make this your year to complete this life-changing adventure. Take the challenge of backpacking the entire Tahoe Rim Trail in 15 days and helping to ensure the sustainability of one of the most beautiful trails in the world!
Space is limited! Registration is now available online for the Thru Hike at www.tahoerimtrail.org. For more information or questions please call Emily Williams at
(775) 298-0231 or email emilyw@tahoerimtrail.org.
From Tahoe to the English Channel
January 25, 2010 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Extreme Tahoe
Cold water ultra swimmer Catheryne DiPrete talks about swimming in Tahoe in the winter and other aspects of her sport in this short Q and A from the SF Chronicle.
Sugar Bowl to host ski cross event
December 27, 2009 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Extreme Tahoe
Sugar Bowl Resort will host two sanctioned U.S. Skiing FIS Nor-Am Cup ski-cross competitions February 1-3, 2010, the resort announced today.
Top-level ski-cross competitors from around the world will race the new ski-cross course on the Tunnel 41 trail, located off the Mt. Judah Express quad chair. A relatively new discipline to sanctioned ski competitions, Sugar Bowl ambassador and ski-cross competitor Daron Rahlves explained that “ski-cross is four man heats racing head to head on a motocross inspired layout, debuting for the first time in the Winter Olympics this February. I’ll compete in the FIS events and then train with the US Ski-Cross Team at Sugar Bowl leading up to the Vancouver Games”. The two Sugar Bowl ski-cross competitions follow other Nor-Am Cup competitions being held in Sun Valley, Idaho and Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York. Following the two FIS Nor-Am Cup ski-cross races, the US Ski-Cross Team will train at Sugar Bowl February 13-17, 2010. The ski-cross course will then be detuned and opened for public skiing and riding.
For the FIS ski-cross races, United States competitors must have both a current USSA membership and a FIS license, while international competitors are required to carry a FIS license complete with inscription by their home nation. Entry fees are $185 for both days, or $115 for single-day racing. February 1st will be a training day, with sanctioned competitions scheduled for February 2nd and 3rd. Spectators are welcomed and encouraged to attend, with numerous on-course viewing areas to enjoy the action. For more information on the International Ski Federation, visit www.fis-ski.com. For more information on Sugar Bowl Resort, visit www.sugarbowl.com
Sugar Bowl plans to open new lift Dec. 23
December 22, 2009 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Extreme Tahoe
Sugar Bowl plans to open its new Summit Chair on Mt. Judah Wednesday, Dec. 23, resort officials said Tuesday. Skiers and riders can access the new chairlift by riding the Mt. Judah Express lift, then skiing a short distance to the new lift’s bottom terminal. Accessing the expert-only runs of the Judah Bowl, the new chairlift also improves lift service to Sugar Bowl’s side-country terrain, with the new Backcountry Adventure Center taking skiers and riders on professionally-guided powder tours, teaching the skills needed for safe backcountry travel. The Summit Chair was installed at Sugar Bowl this past summer, employing environmental installation techniques that helped earn Sugar Bowl an “A” rating in this year’s environmental review from the Ski Area Citizens Coalition. The Summit chair is the resort’s 13th lift and the first to be installed at Sugar Bowl since the Mt. Lincoln Express upgrade in 2000.
