Do your athletic abilities get better with age? Are you in denial that you qualify for the “senior” group? Does the phrase “friendly competition” get your adrenaline flowing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, whip out those spectacles and keep reading…

The Reno-Tahoe Senior Winter Games is a program dedicated to promoting and implementing fitness programs and activities for people 50 years and older. Participants compete within age groups to win gold, silver, and bronze medals. The games include ski racing, table tennis, pickleball, baggo, poker, bowling, ice skating, hockey slap shot, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing.

The events take place February 4-14, 2013 at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino, Sky Tavern Ski Resort, Mt. Rose Ski Resort, High Bowling Sierra Lanes, and the Rink on the River.

The cost of participation is $20 before January 25, $30 after January 25. The participation fee includes the cost of the Reno-Tahoe Senior Games competition bib, entrance and dinner at the Valentine’s Day dance, and a Reno-Tahoe Senior Games t-shirt. In addition to the registration fee, each competition event has a $10 cost, except for cross country skiing which is $15. For more information or to register, please call (775) 344-2262 or visit www.reno.gov/seniorgames.

Lake Tahoe competitors did the region proud with a dozen of the Sierra Nevada’s best taking part in the 2012 Winter X Games held at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado January 26-29.

Reno native, David Wise won his first Winter X Games gold medal in the Ski SuperPipe, unseating two-time defending champion Kevin Rolland of France.

One of the most notable runs at the 2012 Winter X Games was two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, whose home mountain is Northstar California, taking home his fifth consecutive gold medal in the men’s Snowboard Superpipe with an unprecedented perfect score of 100.

Squaw Valley athlete Nate Holland claimed his sixth Winter X gold medal in the men’s Snowboarder X January 28, bringing his total Winter X Games medal tally to nine with five consecutive gold victories from 2006 to 2010.

Jayson Hale, of Sugar Bowl Ski Resort on Donner Summit, proudly represented North Lake Tahoe, taking home bronze in the men’s Snowboarder X on January 28.

The ladies of North Lake Tahoe were fierce competitors as well at Buttermilk Mountain.

Northstar California’s Elena Hight won silver in the women’s Snowboard Superpipe and Torstein Horgmo won silver in the Snowboard Big Air.

Squaw Valley athlete and Squaw Valley freestyle coach Brita Sigourney (a silver medalist at the 2011 Winter X Games) received a bronze in the women’s Ski Halfpipe and landed the competition’s only 1080.

It’s a great time to ski and board North Lake Tahoe, alongside the Winter X Games athletes. Sun’s bright, snow’s bitchin’.

For more information about North Lake Tahoe ski resorts, the best deals on lodging, special events, dining and winter activities, click to www.GoTahoeNorth.com.

This Independence Day, Reno Tahoe is giving you the chance to love the good ol’ U. S. of A. in a whole new way. Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley USA and Sugar Bowl Resort are re-opening their slopes for the 4^th of July weekend and hosting Independence Day parties you’ll never forget. C’mon, how often do you have the chance to ski/board in July? With near-record breaking snowfall this past winter, we can’t pass up the opportunity to utilize what Mother Nature has given us.

Just because you’re snow skiing doesn’t mean you won’t be able to show off your summertime bikini bod, it will be 70 degrees on the slopes! Between runs take a plunge in Squaw Valley’s High Camp Swimming Pool and Hot Tub or enjoy a cold beer and live music on the slope-side decks of Alpine Meadows.

Locals know what happens, eh around noon, on most ski hills in summer time – slush. But don’t worry; the resorts will be well prepared back at the lodge with t-shirts, food, games and tunes to keep the party going all day long.

No matter what hill you choose, you’ll be riding out your 4^th of July weekend with an experience only a handful of people can say they’ve done.

Check the list below for brief event details each mountain has to offer.

Alpine Meadows

Ski, snowboard and party from 9am to 4pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday with après-ski* festivities happening from noon to 4pm daily. *Drinking, mostly.

Lift Tickets: $37 in advance, $50 day of.

Squaw Valley USA

Friday, July 1:

• KT Concert Series – Stung 6-8:30pm
• 4th of July Fine Arts and Crafts Festival 10am-6pm

Saturday, July 2:

• DJ at High Camp, 1-3pm
• Live Music at Gold Coast, 12-2pm
• 4th of July Fine Arts and Crafts Festival 10am-6pm

Sunday, July 3:

• DJ at High Camp, 1-4pm
• Cushing Crossing 2-4pm
• Big Head Todd and the Monsters KT Sundeck 7:30-9:15pm
• Fireworks show 9:15pm
• 4th of July Fine Arts and Crafts Festival 10am-6pm

Monday, July 4:

• DJ at High Camp, 1-3pm

Dogs are welcome in the base Village but for their safety, dogs will not be permitted on the Cable Car July 2-4

Lift Tickets: $49 for adults, $12 for kids 12 and under. All tickets include a commemorative T-shirt on July 4, while supplies last.

Sugar Bowl Resort

Season Pass holders for 10/11 or 11/12 seasons only. Disney Express Chairlift from 8:30am to 12pm on Monday, July 4, with skiing and boarding on all trails off Mount Disney. Festive holiday BBQ and bar on the Lodge at Sugar Bowl deck from 10:30am to 2pm.

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa is proud to host the 11^th Annual Winter Wine & Ski Expo. The event will take place on Thursday, February 3, 2011 in the Grand Ballroom at 6:00pm. Experience Reno Tahoe’s best wineries, microbreweries, restaurants and ski resorts at this one of a kind fundraising event!

All proceeds from the Winter Wine & Ski Expo benefit CAN DO MS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) through wellness programs and ongoing research.

“I helped to create this event to fund wellness programs for people with Multiple Sclerosis because I had a good friend with MS,” said Terry Hurt, Winter Wine & Ski Expo event director. “I want the event to increase knowledge of the disease and the programs that help so many people.  My goal is to raise funds and awareness for this amazing program.”

The Winter Wine & Ski Expo is a premier winter fundraising event in the Reno Tahoe area. There will be a silent auction with items ranging from snow gear, to amazing dining, lodging and spa packages! Tickets are available for $55 in advance or $65 at the door. Purchase tickets at www.mscando.org, www.atlantiscasino.com/wineski, Bobo’s Mogul Mouse Ski and Board, Atlantis Casino Gift Shop, or by calling 888-551-7007.

Must be at least 21 years old to participate.

- Ashley Brune

For the second year in a row, Grand Sierra Resort and Casino (GSR) is offering its all-inclusive Winter Break Package starting at $399 for Jan. 14 – 17, 2011. GSR kicks off the snowy season with a four-day offer of skiing/boarding along with complimentary cocktails, deluxe accommodations, decadent dining and more

Winter Break Package includes:

• 72-hour open bar in Xtreme Sports Bar + Lounge featuring select  draft beer, shots and well drinks 
• Three daily meals at The Lodge Buffet
• Three-night stay in standard accommodations with luxury suite upgrades 
• One two-day ski or snowboard lift pass and shuttle transportation to Northstar and Alpine Meadows
• A 200,000 gallon midnight hot pool party with a Beanies and Bikinis Contest at The Beach pool club
•  Daily poker tournaments, late night bowling and beer pong tournaments  

The largest and most luxurious hotel in the greater Lake Tahoe and Reno area, GSR is 145-acre resort featuring wide selections of amenities from food and drink to entertainment and nightlife. With its nearly 2,000 guest rooms and suites, The Beach pool club, Xtreme Sports Bar + Lounge, winter breakers also have access to additional GSR attractions including its Sierra Bay Aqua Range, Fun Quest, an arcade filled with laser tag and other virtual reality games, the Ultimate Rush thrill park, Grand Sierra Cinema and Grand Sierra Bowl. Exclusive winter break deals are also available at Charlie Palmer Steak, Fin Fish, Briscola and the Health Club & Spa at Grand Sierra.

Reservations can be made by calling 1.800.648.5080 or by visiting www.grandsierraresort.com or www.collegewinterbreak.com.     

Restrictions may apply. The $399 package price is per person based on quad occupancy in standard rooms.  Guests must be age 21 or over at time of check-in to participate in casino games or be served alcoholic drinks.

Mt. Rose ski resort’s annual tribute to the birth of “The King” is slated for this Saturday, Jan. 10. Resort employees – from ticket sellers to lift operators and instructors – will be in full Elvis regalia for this fun annual event. Visitors also dress for the occasion, and show off their Elvis chops.

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe is located just 25 minutes from Reno, and features the highest base elevation of Lake Tahoe’s 18 ski and board resorts. With nearly 1,200 acres and eight lifts, including two high-speed six-seaters, it offers some of the best, most convenient terrain in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

For weather, resort and ticket information for Mt. Rose and other regional ski resorts, log on to our searchable ski page.

It was another America’s Adventure Place weekend for Adventure Grrl. We kicked off the weekend with dinner at the Circus Circus in downtown Reno, where we ate some delicious Hawaiian food.

We were then treated to the circus act of J.R. Johns and his ‘clever canines’. I like to call him the dog man. He does all kinds of tricks with numerous dogs, from a Great Dane to a Jack Russel Terrier and a black lab. The dogs do hand stands, back flips, magic tricks — you name it! Even though it’s a show for kids, all of the adults in the audience were enamored with the dogs. It’s hard not to be, I mean look at this:

After dinner, we headed to Brew Brothers in the Eldorado, where we danced to an incredible band from Arizona called Tate. They were playing all of today’s alternative hits, and I sang along to every song!

We crashed in our mini-suite at the Circus, and on Saturday, we headed to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe for another day on the slopes. The hubby made it down a gnarly bumps run, and then as he skied onto a catwalk at the bottom of that run, he did an impressive fall. It was hilarious!

The trees were all flocked with snow on Saturday, making for some very scenic views.

After skiing, we re-fueled on Thai food at the Thai Royal House (pumpkin curry is to die for!), and then we headed to the Reno Hilton for a dance party featuring the disco cover band Bootie Quake out of L.A. We pulled out our best disco moves, and danced until our poor legs just couldn’t take anymore.

On Sunday, we slept in to recover from the night before, and then headed to Prison Hill Recreation Area just outside of Carson City for a bit of hiking. When you reach the summit of Prison Hill, there is an incredible view of Carson City and the Sierras. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that day, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Beautiful!

Stay tuned for stories from next weekend, when I’ll be skiing three days in a row… Can my legs take it?!

Adventure Grrl is back, and man, did I have a true America’s Adventure Place weekend.

It all started on Saturday, when the hubby and I ventured back up to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. It had snowed a few inches on Friday, so we were treated to what the hubby was calling ‘dust on crust’ conditions.

We went back to ski the Chutes, and honestly, I think I was getting a big ego because I had skied them so much last weekend.

But just when you start getting over confident, the Chutes will serve to knock your confidence right back down a notch.

That knock was a double diamond trail known as Detonatator. (See the trail map here.) I skied in there thinking I was tough stuff, and next thing I knew, I was on a really steep pitch, looking at about a 6 foot wide path between a rock and a tree.

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I won’t claim that I got down Detonator with any style or grace at all… I had to take the wimp’s way out to get around that hairy part, but all in all, it was still a great time.

After skiing, we went to see the Sled Fest 2005 freestyle snowmobile competition, where guys were doing back flips on their snowmobiles.

Back flips! How insane is that?!

Anyway, we left Mt. Rose and headed into Downtown Reno for a night on the town. We had a lovely early Valentine’s Day dinner at Roxy’s. Mmmm….. Mushroom raviolis, lobster, and a bottle of wine later, we were ready for the magic show of Darren Romeo, presented by Siegfried & Roy. Darren Romeo is called “The Voice of Magic” because he sings his way through the magic show, and he has an incredible voice. Not hard on the eyes, either!

Here we are at Roxy’s… Notice the dog chef painting that observed our meal:

On Sunday, the hubby and I headed for Alpine Meadows. A storm happened to blow its way in, and at times, it felt like we were on an expedition to Mt. Everest instead of skiing… But, with the right clothes and a hunger for fresh tracks, skiing in a storm can be quite enjoyable.

Here is the chairlift, which looks like it was taking us up into the clouds:

Another view from the lift. Brrrrrr!!!!!

After skiing, we treated ourselves to a Couples Massage at the Cal Neva Resort Health Spa in North Shore. The massage room was overlooking the lake, so we enjoyed the sunset, and then some true pampering. We then hit the hot tub, and practically collapsed into our beds at the Cal Neva. Here are some pics:

Here’s me being a dork and taking my picture in the mirror of our room:

Here is the view from our room:

The thing I love about the Cal Neva Resort (besides the incredible views) is its rich history. The resort was owned by Frank Sinatra, and was frequented by the Rat Pack and the likes of Marilyn Monroe. The resort has an old Tahoe feel, making me feel like a Hollywood A lister back in the 50s.

OK, maybe not an A lister, but you get my drift.