The month of January is National Learn to Ski & Board Month and Tahoe is celebrating by allowing first-timers the ability to ride their 51 open lifts and 88 freshly groomed trails without emptying pockets.

Endless blue skies, fresh corduroy, and savings adding up to over $60 per person… there’s really no better time than the present!

Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows
$39 per person (ages 13+) through January 29
Includes beginner half day lesson (10am – 1pm), lift ticket and equipment rentals

Homewood Mountain Resort
$44 per person (ages 13+) through January 31
Includes 2.5 hour beginner lesson, lift ticket and equipment rentals

Diamond Peak Ski Resort
$29 per person through January 13
Includes 1hr 45min beginner lesson, lift ticket and equipment rentals

Sugar Bowl
Through January 31
Ticketed guests (ages 13-69 and all season pass holders ages 4+) enjoy free rentals for the day and a free two-hour group lesson at any level.

Mt Rose Ski Tahoe
$10 lift tickets (17 and under) through January 20
$69 Learn to Ski Packages include beginner lift ticket, 90 min lesson and equipment rentals

Boreal Mountain Resort
Boreal Mountain Resort offers its popular 1-2-3 Ride Free program. Participants taking lessons at Boreal have their days tracked. After the third lesson, skiers and snowboarders (valid for 4 years and older) get a free season pass. Lessons are intended for beginners only.

We love skiing and boarding. There is something about cutting through fresh powder on a blue-bird afternoon, sharing the epic moments of each run on the chairlift and relaxing in one of Reno’s resorts’ spas after a long day on the hill, that stirs a feeling through your bones; cultivating a new addiction.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to ski/board (without spending an arm and a leg) so here it is. North Lake Tahoe is giving you a weekend to get it all – lift ticket, equipment and lessons – all for only $30! You’ll cruising down the slopes in no time.

The 12th Annual Learn to Ski and Board Weekend, scheduled for December 10-11, is geared for beginners, costs only $30 and includes an all-day beginner lift ticket, group lesson and gear rental.

Pick from one of our top resorts  which includes Alpine Meadows, Boreal Mountain Resort, Granlibakken Resort, Homewood Mountain Resort, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Squaw Valley USA and Sugar Bowl. Several resorts are also offering guests a bounce back offer with unbeatable savings good on a return visit to show off your newly learned skills to all your friends!

Reservations are not required, but participants should arrive early. Lesson packages can be purchased at each individual resort the day of lessons. Students should contact resorts directly for resort-specific information.

Some restrictions apply. Resorts not open December 10-11 due to early conditions may offer a Learn to Ski Weekend later in the season when weather permits.

For more information about Learn to Ski, the best deals on lodging, events, dining and winter activities, click to www.GoTahoeNorth.com.

North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento International Airport and just over three hours from San Francisco International Airport. For lodging reservations, recreation and event details, call North Lake Tahoe at 1-877-949-3296 or visit www.GoTahoeNorth.com. Visitor information centers are located at 380 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village. The North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus, Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, work together to promote North Lake Tahoe as a premier, year-round destination.

Heavenly Mountain Resort has proudly announced its resort improvements for the 2011-2012 ski and snowboard season! Pushing all its chips to the middle of the table and going “all in” for fun for the entire family or group. Heavenly made enhancements to virtually every aspect of the guest experience, priming the resort to rival last year’s record-breaking season.

Ski School

Heavenly has long operated one of the country’s finest ski and ride schools. This year’s installment is boasting three members of the Professional Ski Instructors of America’s National Demonstration Team and six members of the Western Demonstration Team – literally the best ski and snowboard instructors in the country. Heavenly will add a new, 2,022-square-foot kids’ ski and ride school facility at the top of the Heavenly Gondola. Styled after the stunning Tamarack Lodge, this beauty will hold about 100 students per sitting and will serve fresh, wholesome food on site that kids will really enjoy.

Black Bear Hollow

Also new this year, Heavenly will open a kid’s adventure zone called Black Bear Hollow at the top of the Gondola.  Black Bear Hollow is a meandering, low-angle skiing and riding trail with groomed whoop-de-dos (extremely technical), wood carvings of local animals, and wildlife fact signage. The adjacent entry-level progression park features small rails, gentle jumps and boxes designed to help youngsters explore.

97 Trails

For the larger kids, Heavenly has added three new trails in the Galaxy “trail pod” on the Nevada side of the mountain, bringing the massive resort’s total run count to 97. These solid intermediate trails provide 20 more groom-able acres for skiers and snowboarders to enjoy on one of the less-traveled portions of the mountain. Two of the new trails will connect the top of Stagecoach Express Chairlift with the bottom of Galaxy Chairlift, allowing the resort to open more terrain on the lower portion of the mountain on days where wind may impact the upper mountain.

The Beast

When you talk about the finest snow surfaces at Lake Tahoe, that conversation begins and ends with Heavenly. Heavenly has purchased two more Prinoth Beast grooming machines, bringing the world’s largest fleet of the most technologically-advanced snow cats to four. The Beast is equipped with the most state-of-the-art technology to date, allowing it to groom 30 percent more acreage per hour than traditional grooming machines.

More Snow

Already home to the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system, Heavenly is on a continuous capital program to improve overall snowmaking efficiency, this year adding more snowmaking resources in the form of energy-efficient stick guns to lower Olympic Downhill, and to the High Roller Terrain Park. High Roller has doubled in size, giving Heavenly’s Terrain Park Crew, partnering with Snow Park Technologies, even more room to arrange some of the Lake Tahoe’s most innovative jibs, jumps and terrain features.

With Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort’s winter getaway packages, visitors to Lake Tahoe will find it easy to pick out the best lift and lodging deal, making planning a weekend of skiing and riding a simple affair. 

Kids Ski Free! 

Starting at just $219 per night Sunday through Friday ($279 on Saturday night), based on a family of four, the Kids Ski Free! package includes lodging in a one-bedroom condo with a loft, full kitchen, fireplace, and private balcony at Lakeland Beach & Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, plus a deluxe continental breakfast, private shuttle around town, access to the outdoor heated pool and fitness room, two adult lift tickets valid at Sierra Resort and two FREE child lift tickets valid at Sierra™ Resort. This package is valid for the entire 2010-2011 winter season, excluding holidays.

Relax and Romance

Starting at just $85 per person per night, based on double occupancy, the Relax and Romance package includes lodging in a fireplace queen room at the mountain boutique Tahoe Valley Lodge, plus one adult lift ticket valid at Sierra Resort, 20 percent off services at Tranquility Massage, and free tanning at Tahoe Valley Tans. This package is valid for the entire 2010-2011 winter season, excluding holidays.

Stay, Ski and Save Green

Starting at just $99 per person per night, based on double occupancy, the Stay, Ski & Save Green package includes lodging at the upscale eco-chic 968 Park Spa with a bottle of regional wine upon check-in, plus one adult lift ticket valid at Sierra Resort, a $4 donation to the National Forest Foundation, and 15 percent off Sierra Mountain Sports, which carries a variety of eco-friendly clothing and accessory lines. This package is valid for the entire 2010-2011 winter season, excluding holidays.

Away from it all

The Historic Camp Richardson Hotel offers a serene escape in the mountains for just $249 per room per two night stay, based on double occupancy, and includes two adult lift tickets valid at Sierra Resort plus a $50 gift certificate to use at The Beacon Bar & Grill, and two breakfast vouchers valid at the General Store.

Get the family together

Bring all the generations to the Historic Richardson House for just $150 per person per night, based on a group of 20, and get one adult lift ticket per person valid at Sierra Resort. Both packages are valid from Opening Day through March 28, 2011, excluding holidays. 

Spring Fiesta

Come party at Mont Bleu this spring for just $156 per room per night, for single or double occupancy. The Spring Fiesta package includes admission to either Blu or Opal plus one adult lift ticket per person valid at Sierra Resort, one lunch voucher per person valid at Sierra Resort and 15 percent off at Sierra Mountain Sports. This package is valid from March 1, 2011 through April 15, 2011.

Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort: Keepin It Real

With over 100 acres of dedicated beginner terrain, four beginner-only conveyor lifts, a $35 adult beginner package, and a full compliment of multi-lingual PSIA Certified Instructors, Sierra Resort is one of the top places to learn to ski or ride in the western states. For freestylers, a commitment to innovative terrain parks has led to Sierra Resort being recognized by TransWorld SNOWboardingas a Top 10 Overall Resort as well as among the Top 10 Best Parks and Pipes in the nation. And for all-mountain skiers and riders, wind-protected slopes, incredible tree skiing, and 320 acres of backcountry terrain out the Huckleberry Gates make Sierra Resort a bastion of the authentic California ski experience. Easy to get to and always welcoming, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort embraces skiers and snowboarders who want to escape from everyday life and enjoy the simple pleasure of winter in the mountains. Sierra Resort is a partner in recreation with the Eldorado National Forest.

The closest major resort to Sacramento, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort is located just 12 miles west of Lake Tahoe and receives an annual average of 480 inches of snowfall.

For more information, visit www.SierraAtTahoe.com or call 530.659.7453.

Honoring wounded warriors returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

As part of a week of skiing and celebration, 25 active-duty U.S. soldiers and marines will hit the slopes March 17, March 19 and March 20 for the Wounded Warrior Ability Camp at Disabled Sports USA Far West, located at Lake Tahoe’s Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, for ski and snowboard lessons.

The Wounded Warrior Ability Ski/Snowboard Camp was established during spring, 2009 through a partnership between the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project and Disabled Sports USA Far West.  For a second year, soldiers disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan will visit Disabled Sports from the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System; the Naval Medical Center, San Diego; and the Naval Health Clinic, Hawaii at Pearl Harbor – three major rehabilitation centers for service members who have been injured or disabled.  Ski and snowboard instruction at Disabled Sports is part of their rehabilitation program.

“It’s important that we reach recently disabled service members early in the rehabilitation process,” said Haakon Lang-Ree, Program Director at Disabled Sports.  Disabled Sports specializes in ski/snowboard instruction for students with physical and mental disabilities; and the visiting military students have all incurred disabilities during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan ranging from limb loss to brain trauma.  “It’s important to expose them early to what they can do.  Last spring was the inaugural Wounded Warrior Camp at Alpine Meadows and the soldiers and marines who participated were skiing and snowboarding like pros by the last day.  We’re excited to host another camp this March,” Lang-Ree added.

A full week of Disabled Sports USA Events
In addition to the Wounded Warrior Ability Camp, Disabled Sports has scheduled a full week of skiing, snowboarding, racing, and parties – all open to the public – from March 16 through March 21.

Friday, March 19 – The Phil Bocks Memorial Ability Challenge ski race will team donors, sponsors, and disabled skiers for a fun day of ski racing and on-hill activities.  An après ski party and awards presentation follows in the Alpine Meadows Base Lodge.  A former resident of Truckee, California, Marine Corps Sergeant Bocks was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2007.  “The Phil Bocks Memorial Ability Challenge race is our way of recognizing the ultimate sacrifice made by Phil as well as all fallen warriors,” Lang-Ree stated.  Race registration is open to all.

Saturday, March 20 – The 17th Annual Ability Bash will offer guests an evening of gourmet cuisine, live music, and a silent auction starting at 7pm at the Alpine Meadows lodge.  Individual tickets are $100; and V.I.P. tables for 10 can also be purchased.

For more information about the Disabled Sports USA at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, visit DisabledSports.net or call 530.581.4161.  To learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit WoundedWarriorProject.org.

Besides making fun of your friends for your other friends’ amusement, Twitter has other great uses. For those of us who ski or snowboard, getting real-time snow conditions, as well as on-the-hill and event updates at our favorite ski resorts connects us using micro-blogging technology.

We have a few twitter accounts — @renotahoe, @renoevents, @renotahoeski and @renotraveldeals are a few of them – and we follow a bunch more in the Reno Tahoe area.

Here are some great Sierra Nevada ski and board resort accounts:

• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: @MtRoseSkiTahoe
• Diamond Peak: @DiamondPeak
• Alpine Meadows: @SkiAlpine
• Northstar-at-Tahoe: @NorthstarTahoe
• Squaw Valley USA: @SquawValley1960
• Homewood Mountain Resort: @SkiHomewood
• Sugar Bowl: @SugarBowl1939
• Boreal Mountain: @BorealMtn
• Heavenly: @SkiHeavenly
• Tahoe Donner: @SkiTahoeDonner
• Kirkwood Mountain: @KirkwoodMtn
• Sierra-at-Tahoe: @sierra_at_tahoe
• Royal Gorge: @RoyalGorgexc
• Camp Richardson Resort: @CampRichardson
• Granlibakken Resort: @Granlibakken_CA

Of course there are a ton of excellent ski-related Twitter accounts representing resorts, shops, visitor services organizations and individuals. Add your favorites to the comments section.

Epic powder days are back in the Sierra Nevada, following a series of storms that has brought more than a foot of new snow – and counting – to Reno Tahoe-area resorts.

The snow started falling on Sunday and has continued into the day on Monday. The result? Epic conditions at the early opening resorts, some of which are boasting top-to-bottom openings.

Resort storm totals as of Monday morning:

• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: 15-17 inches
• Northstar at Tahoe Resort: 24 inches
• Alpine Meadows: 24 inches
• Squaw Valley USA: 22 inches
• Sugar Bowl: 22-36 inches
• Boreal Mountain: 24-36 inches
• Heavenly Lake Tahoe: 15-25 inches.

For a complete conditions and snow reports, go online.

Also, check out some of these Reno Tahoe Web cams online to see live shots of the big December snowfall:

• Siena casino river cam
• Reno Aces baseball stadium Web cam
• Whitewater park Web cam
• KTVN News
• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
• Diamond Peak
• Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort
• Alpine Meadows
• Homewood Mountain Resort
• Sugar Bowl
• Boreal
• Squaw Valley USA
• Heavenly Mountain Resort
• Kirkwood

Don’t forget the Santa Crawl

Mother Nature is playing along for the annual Reno Reindeer Games and Santa Pub Crawl this weekend.
The event returns Dec. 11-13 with an expanded slate of events highlighted, of course, by the Reno Santa Pub Crawl, where visitors flock to the watering holes of downtown Reno for a night of holiday revelry.

This year, the charity event gets even bigger with a holiday pajama party, discount skiing at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe and discounts for attendees who book a hotel room. In 2008, event organizers estimate as many as 3,000 Santas crawled Reno’s pubs, and 2009 is expected to be even bigger. There is NO EXCUSE to miss a party this fun. Read More

The Rock-n-River Marathon seeks individuals 18 years old and older for race crew traffic positions for the May 3 race. The race crew secures and monitors the race, including road closure support, directing runners, detouring traffic and calling for support for participants if needed.

Volunteers check-in at the Harrah’s Plaza at 5:30 a.m. and are expected to work between one to four and a half hours depending on assignments. To volunteer call Catherine McFeely at (775) 846-0706 or e-mail CateMcF14@aol.com.

To register for the race or for more information, visit online at Rock-n-RiverHalfMarathon.com.

After what seemed like an eternity for powder snow-seeking powder lovers, the Sierra Nevada dry spell may finally be coming to an end. A new weather system is predicted to bring snowfall to higher elevations — and as if the snow gods were looking down on us, it looks like it will start clearing out on Saturday, the perfect prescription for weekend warriors. (Photo is a screen grab of the weekend forecast for Truckee/North Lake Tahoe from Weather.com)

Check out updated snow and weather conitions at the searchable Reno-Tahoe resort finder and get ready to strap on those skis and boards.

Diamond Peak Ski Resort, located high above Incline Village on Tahoe’s sunny North Shore, is inviting couples to “Take your love to a higher level” this Valentine’s day.

For $285 – two people, all inclusive – lovers young and “mature” will be treated to an incredible five-course dinner paired with fine wines at the fabulous Snowflake Lodge at the top of the Lakeview Chair. There may be no better sunset view in all of Tahoe (and maybe the world).

Diamond Peak is located at 1210 Ski Way in Incline Village, Nev., just 45 minutes from Reno. To make reservations go online or call 775-832-1177.