Reno-Tahoe

The snow is falling at Reno Tahoe’s ski and board resorts, and the powder hounds are getting itchy with anticipation. The region should start seeing some openings in the coming weeks. Here are some tentative dates (conditions permitting):

• Alpine Meadows: Dec. 5
• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: TBD
• Squaw Valley USA: Nov. 21
• Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort: Nov. 21
• Diamond Peak: Dec. 10
• Sugar Bowl: TBD
• Heavenly: Nov. 20
• Boreal Mountain: TBD
• Homewood Mountain Resort: TBD

For complete listings of Reno Tahoe resorts, visit us online.

(Photo taken today courtesy Alpine Meadows)

When the fall weather cools down on the Sierra summit Boreal Mountain Resort turns on the snow guns. After a several days of intense snowmaking effort, the resort is ready to fire up the Castle Peak Quad for its earliest season opening ever this Saturday.

• UPDATE: Boreal moves opening day to Friday

In keeping with tradition, Boreal will also host the 5th Annual Jibassic Public Invitational Event, Oct. 10-11. This year’s event has been cooked up to feature all shredders willing to throw down great tricks for cash. Boreal is primed with $2,000 cash to be handed out both days of the competition at the public park. Judges include Robbie Sell from FUEL TV and the Boreal park crew.

This year’s JPI.5 event also includes a Team Video Challenge. Registration is sold out, but come out and watch the private video session on Saturday from 5- 9p.m. An additional $2,000 will be awarded the team with the best video, and $500 cash to the most viewed video.

Boreal’s lift will operate from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Lift tickets for ages 5-12 will be $15, while ages 13 and older are $30. The park will include 6-10 features. Season pass holders are welcome.

Resort services will be available including food, beverages, rentals, and limited availability on lessons and retail. Gated access to the mountain, valid lift tickets and passes permitted in the gated area only. Poaching is not cool, nor tolerated. Educate yourself on helmet use. Helmets recommended. Lift tickets subject to sell out.

After opening weekend, Boreal’s early season operation is tentatively weekends only (Friday-Sunday) until further notice, or as conditions permit. Stay tuned for details at VisitRenoTahoe.com’s resort site.

Click here for video of Boreal snowmaking from earlier this week.

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.

This week is feeling a little more like winter than spring in the Sierra Nevada, with several inches of new snowfall, and powder conditions. That means great conditions for skiers looking to get a last-gasp trip in before the season winds to an end.

Resorts have marked their calendars preparing to close up for summer, so be sure to get to the mountain before its too late.

A sample of Tahoe-area closing dates for the 2008-2009 season:

• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: April 19 for daily operation; the resort will be open for weekend operation April 24-26 and May 1-3
• Alpine Meadows: April 19
• Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort: April 19
• Squaw Valley USA: May 10
• Diamond Peak: April 19
• Heavenly Lake Tahoe: April 19
• Sugar Bowl: April 26
• Boreal: April 12
• Kirkwood: April 26

To book your spring skiing getaway shop online.

Spring is in the air, and Squaw Valley – traditionally one of the more expensive resorts in the North Lake Tahoe/Truckee region – is making the late-season affordable.

For $179, skiers and boarders get unrestricted access with a spring pass from March 29 until the end of the season, currently projected for May 10. Basically, use the pass three times and it has more than paid for itself.

As a bonus, the pass also includes free use of the pool and spa at High Camp.

For more information, call the resort at (530) 583-6985.

The world’s best snow sports athletes brought their high-flying antics to Northstar-at-Tahoe last weekend for the Toyota Championship, the final stop of the Winter Dew Tour. The event featured men’s and women’s slopestyle and half-pipe events in snowboarding and skiing disciplines, with local athletes making a strong showing … and we got some pictures. Check out the slideshow below and log on to the Alli Sports Web site to view results:

Returning for a second year after a successful inaugural race, Rock-n-River in Reno has expanded its format to include options for runners looking to enhance their skills, train, qualify or just have fun.

The famous Reno Arch provides the starting gate for the May 3 races that include a new marathon, a half marathon option, and a new 10K and kids fun run with the course traveling along the Truckee River and winding through downtown Reno. A large portion of the race proceeds will be given to a local non-profit foundation focused on bringing awareness, preventative education and support to people suffering from a variety of eating disorders in the Truckee Meadows.

In 2008, more than 800 runners participated and event producers are anticipating more than 1,500 registrants this year. A pre-race dinner with guest speaker Tim Twietmeyer, a Western States Endurance Run record holder from Auburn, Calif., is scheduled for Friday, May 1 at the Eldorado Hotel Casino.  Advance registration and a pre-race expo starts on Saturday, May 2 at Harrah’s Reno.

Registration is available online at Rock-n-RiverHalfMarathon.com with fees starting at $50 for the full marathon, $45 for half marathon and $30 for the 10K and a free kids fun run.  Each participant receives a t-shirt, finisher medal, race goodie bag and post-race massage.  Additional festivities include live entertainment, food and beverages. Top runners also have the chance to receive cash prizes, hotel packages compliments of Eldorado Hotel and Casino and more, as well as first-, second- and third-place awards for all age group categories.

Need a perfect way to cap off your second day at the Winter Dew Tour at Northstar-at-Tahoe this week? Common and Tweak Bird will be playing live at the Village at Northstar on Friday, Feb. 20 from 5-7 p.m.

COMMON

An easy trap to fall into when talking about rapper and producer Common is to get started with how impressively prolific this elder emcee is. Now, anybody who makes this point is certainly right, but it seems most anybody we talk about Common inevitably interrupts us, “So I had to did, what I had to did, Cause I had to get duh-ough….!” Yep, that’s a proper butchering of Common’s “The Food”, a Kanye West collaboration from his excellent 2005 Be, which earned the Southsider a ton of cross-over appeal — no small thanks to “Chapelle’s Show.” And while we’ll never get tired of the loping tale of good people doing not so great things for honorable reasons, Common has been quick to make new tracks. In 2007, he released Finding Forever, and at Northstar we’ll catch new material from his late-2008 album, Universal Mind Control.

TWEAK BIRD

Brothers Ashton and Caleb (last name Bird) are purveyors of a heavy, almost psychedelic brand of rock and roll. These two Carbondale, Illinois, natives moved to Los Angeles a couple years ago and have created a niche for themselves as turgid rockers. Late last year they released the Reservations EP [Volcom], after releasing a couple seven-inches to critical acclaim.

For more information on the Winter Dew Tour and the Toyota Championship at Northstar-at-Tahoe, visit their site online.

(Courtesy of Winter Dew Tour)

The Sierra Nevada is getting a fair dusting of storm as a cold front moves through. We hit Alpine Meadows on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore on Saturday and enjoyed some powder turns. Sunday should be great at ski and board resorts throughout Reno and Tahoe. If you are planning a trip to the area, be sure to check out our searchable resort finder to get up-to-the-minute snow and weather reports, as well as maps and pricing information.

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.