Blue World Blog 3.30.09

March 30, 2009

Spring has definitely arrived at Lake Tahoe. What a difference from last Sunday as I was skiing the nearly 2 feet of fresh powder to glorious sunshine and spring conditions this past weekend.

On Tuesday, I took Howie Nave, Host & Emcee of Harvey’s Improv, up on the slopes of Heavenly to get him on the mountain and give him a few pointers on making turns. It was a glorious spring day with Blue Bird Skies and temperatures in 50’s. Howie and I go back a number of years and the last time we skied together was about 8 years ago after he arrived on the South Shore and we spent an afternoon at Kirkwood. I shot video for the Après Ski Show of the experience and if you know Howie, there’s never a dull moment as his personality and comical antics continues everywhere he goes. We stopped at the Heavenly Sports Rental shop in the California Base Lodge to get him equipped for the day and they set him up with Skis, Boots & Poles although he requested Czech’s instead of Poles. The Ski tech that was setting up his binding setting asked him what type of skier he was, i.e. Type 1, 2 or 3 and his response was, “I’m kind of a Moderate Skier – I don’t fall much. So what ever”…

Riding the Gunbarrel Lift was intimidating for him as he had never skied Heavenly and was wondering if the Gunbarrel run was the only run to come down… I assured him there was more mellow terrain at the top. On his first run down Patsy’s he started turning back and forth and continued to make comments and skied into a patch of soft powder and blew a ski off and went down. After picking up the pieces it took him a few attempts to get the ski back on, but was eventually successful and he headed back up to do it again. He did much better on his second run down, so we headed up to the next level, up the Powder Bowl Lift. We then skied Maggie’s until he was comfortable and did really well. I eventually took him up the Canyon Lift to ski down Heavenly’s signature, Ridge Run. We stopped a few times for him to take photos of the beautiful view of the Lake and surrounding mountains.

We stopped at the Gunbarrel Grill for lunch and enjoyed their Wine Country Array and great lunch menu that they offer. A great Salad Bar complete with fresh fruit, Cheeses, sautéed veggies, fresh baked bread with a variety of spreads and more. You then select either Seafood Chowder or 6-bean soup and an entrée. He chose the Champagne Chicken Pasta and I had the Scallops. Other entrees were a mini filet or lamp chops… For just a couple of dollars more than you would pay for a burger meal at the barbecue, you can enjoy and extraordinary sit down lunch with a beautiful view and table side service. It was a fun day on the mountain with Howie and he enjoyed the opportunity to get out on the mountain at Heavenly. Check out Howie’s Show this week at Harvey’s Improve featuring Johnny Steele and headliner Rocky LaPorte. They’ve recently changed the schedule and perform Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday nights at 9pm, with two shows, 8pm & 10pm on Saturday nights.

On Friday evening, after hosting my Après Ski Show on KMTN TV, to where I had “Gypsy” from the Horizon’s Carnival Cabaret as a guest, I joined the crew of KTHO AM590 at the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s Business Expo in the convention center of the Montbleu Casino Resort & Spa. This is “THE” Chamber function to attend. A great networking opportunity as well as a chance to catch up with many of the local businesses and sample their food and offers. It was well attended and they even hosted a Silent Auction with a variety of offers from the Businesses that were displaying. All in all it was a great event.

Saturday evening I attended the Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra’s annual Ham Bingo at the South Tahoe Recreation Center. This event was attended by up to 60 people, adults and kids, to win Easter Hams and other prizes and was a fund-raiser benefiting the South Tahoe Middle School’s Symphonic Band and String Orchestra. The event raised about $1000 for their program.

Strong winds were reported on the upper mountain, Sunday morning at Heavenly and it looked like the scheduled Lake Tahoe Pond Skimming Championships was going to be a “Blow Out”. By 10am the winds subsided and the entire mountain was opened. I hurried and got up on the mountain after hearing the news and headed to the top of the Gondola to video this fun event. Buck and the Heavenly race department crew were preparing the pond, which was reported to be 10 feet longer than previous years and they were removing ice chips from the surface and getting it ready as over 40 competitors signed up to try their Pond Skimming skills. $360 in prize money was up for grabs with various criteria, made up along the way, including best costume, tricks, creativity, etc. Aimi X from Heavenly’s PR department was also there to award the cash and pass out Springloaded 09 swag to participants and to the hundreds of spectators that lined both sides of the pond. It was a fun event as participants did their best to get across the Pond, to which many did make it. Those on Fat Skis seemed to have an advantage over most riding snowboards. All in all, a really fun event for both the participants and the spectators. Springloaded 09 continues this coming weekend with the Gunbarrel 25, hosted by Glen Plake on Saturday, April 4; followed by the Emily Cloutier Memorial Ski Race on World Cup run, Sunday, April 5 and the Heavenly Ski Patrol Annual Fundraising Party to be held on the roof (top level) of the Heavenly Village Parking Garage from 4pm-7pm. Heavenly plans to stay open through April 19.

On April 1, Sierra at Tahoe will host a Ski Green Day. A day of eco-focused activities that educate skiers and riders about simple steps they can take to make a positive impact on our local environment. With representatives from PG&E and Park 968 Hotel, Ski Green Day is an opportunity to enjoy the slopes and learn how to decrease your environmental footprint. Don't miss out on the "green" give-a-ways from Sierra Resort, SAC Tree Foundation, and PG&E. In addition, at 2pm, participate or just sit back and enjoy the laughs of the on-snow Fat Tire Frenzy bike race presented by Whatta Bike and New Belgium. Sign up in the Base Area. Over the weekend, April 4-5, Sierra will host the 6th annual Telegrass Festival with Telemark Ski Clinics, Free Demos and Bluegrass music. Sierra has not announced a closing date as of today.

Kirkwood is hosting the Marmot 6 Summit Pursuit on Saturday, April 4 and Kirkwood Jammin’ XVI on April 10 featuring Pond Skimming Contest through Easter Sunday and the Burton Banked Slalom April 10-11. They have announced their closing date of April 26.

Spooner Lake Cross Country and Camp Richardson Mountain Sports Center are closed for the season due to the lack of snow coverage, but Hope Valley XC Outdoor Center remains open with 20 miles of groomed cross country and snow shoe trails.

Most all resorts will remain open through Easter Sunday so get out and enjoy the Great Spring Conditions at Lake Tahoe.

Have a Great Week,

Curtis Fong
“The Guy From Tahoe”
tgft@bikethewest.com

Blue World Blog 3.23.09

March 23, 2009

What an action packed week it’s been since my last Blog. Spring-like weather returned to the slopes of Lake Tahoe up until this weekend…

I attended the annual Tahoe Douglas Rotary St. Patrick’s dinner and wine tasting fundraiser held at Harrah’s Tahoe convention center. It was well attended with folks wearing green and corned beef & cabbage was the main entrée, duh. There were many vintners serving their wines - including Tahoe Ridge Winery - and the local Mt. Tallac Brewing Company served their home brewed beer. It was a fun event and music was provided by JJ Music Company.

Saturday was action packed with a Winter Storm Warning was posted to be in effect that afternoon. After completing my daily morning routine of producing my ski report, I headed to Zephyr Cove, along with KMTN TV, to cover the “Polar Plunge”, a fundraiser for Special Olympics. I got there a little early and decided to enjoy breakfast in the historic Zephyr Cove Lodge where groups of Snowmobilers were gathering to head up to Spooner Summit to enjoy Snowmobiling on the crest of the Sierra. The individuals and teams of Plungers started arriving and checking in from 10am ‘til noon. I was amazed that around 300 participants dedicated their fundraising efforts and bodies to the cold waters of Lake Tahoe. Many were dressed in costumes and themes. Teams were from the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department lead by Fire Chief, Lorenzo Gigliotti; Greater Nevada Credit Union, Carson City Probation Department, California Highway Patrol, Nevada Highway Patrol, UC Davis Campus Police (dressed as the Aggie Football Team), Families, Friends, Special Olympians and many more including a combined team from several local Kiwanis Clubs, lead by Lt. Governor Mike Foster and featured George Alm dressed in his Tutu, a pink boa, cowboy hat and knee high white Go-Go Boots… Tom Wendell from KTHO AM590 was dress as a Classic Rocker and played Air Guitar (blow-up) while in the water… even Bubba Gump’s Costume Shrimp was on hand to cheer on the Plungers… Last year they were barely able to muster 40 participants and this year was a resounding success and way too much fun with 300 plungers raising $40,000 for Special Olympics.

After producing the Après Ski Show on KMTN TV, the crew went down to the MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa to videotape the Special Presentation of Carnival Cabaret, starring Gypsy, in the MontBleu Theater. This was the first time the full production show was featured in the big showroom as opposed to the intimate setting of the Golden Cabaret in the Horizon Casino Resort. Before the performance Michael & Michelle McKinney, owners of KMTN TV, and I dined at the newly renovated Café Del Soul, which is now set up like a Mediterranean Sidewalk Café and is a 24 hour restaurant. Not only breakfast served around the clock, but a new menu featuring some great Mediterranean dishes. We got to set up the camera in the light booth above the showroom and the showroom was set up in a more intimate setting with curtains behind the audience confining seating to the lower show room tiers. The show opened with Tom Davis, dressed as Elton John, driving Miss Daisy (Gypsy) in his ‘63 Cadillac Convertible. Gypsy was too much as he engaged the audience and introduced the variety of Super Stars with the theme of this being a reunion featuring performances from previous super stars that performed in the show room. Barbara Streisand, Cher, Bette Midler, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Dolly Parton, Reba McIntire, Joan Rivers and more were featured. 300+ folks were thoroughly entertained.

That evening the storm kicked in and to the surprise of everyone, Sunday morning ski reports came in with tons of fresh snow. Even though I was only able to catch 3 hours of sleep, I hurried my report procedures to make it to the slopes at Heavenly by 9am. It was awesome… one of the best Powder days all year. Heavenly reported 14-20” of fresh snow and I started with two untracked runs down Dipper Knob. I moved over to Milky Way Bowl and continued to find three untracked lanes and yet a fourth run along the Kellebrew Canyon rope line. I was there when they opened the gates into Mott Canyon and got first tracks down Sunny Side and headed back up and got first tracks in the Pine Nuts. Soon the word was out and skiers and riders were enjoying cutting powder turns in Mott’s and I was blown away with the lift line at the bottom of the Chair… the most folks I’ve seen in there in a long time with big smiles and frosted mustaches and beards… I continued to ski up tracked powder in the trees on either side of Dipper and Comet and finished my day visiting my buddy, Heavenly’s long time Stagecoach Bartender, Stu Coffey.

Storm totals were reported at 16-20” at Heavenly; 19-33” at Sierra and 24-36” at Kirkwood where they are hosting their Experts Only College Spring Break Party from March 23 through 27. Great tunes, contests, prizes daily, $30 lift tickets with your Kirkwood College Card or better yet, you can purchase a College Spring Pass for $79 and ski/ride every day through April 26. They are continuing to offer their Spring Pass for only $99, good to ski and ride through April 26. Their 2009/10 Season Passes go on sale on March 28. Visit Kirkwood.com for all the details.

Sierra at Tahoe is also hosting college week with discounted lift ticket through Friday with valid college I.D. They have also introduced their 2009/10 Season Passes for sale that include free skiing/riding for the remainder of this season. They have a variety of passes available in conjunction with sister resort, Northstar at Tahoe. Visit SierraatTahoe.com for details or to purchase online.

Heavenly has kicked off their Spring Loaded 09 promotion with the finals of their Jackpot Rail Jam Series Saturday March 28, at the base of World Cup Run from 4 - 7pm. They will follow up with the Pond Skimming Championships of Tahoe on Sunday, March 29; Glen Plake’s Gunbarrel 25 on Saturday, April 4 and the Heavenly Ski Patrol’s Fundraiser, held on the roof of the Heavenly Village Parking Garage, on Sunday April 5. The Heavenly Season Pass is also on sale and is one of the best values allowing free skiing/riding for the remainder of this season through April 19, as well as all next year with a few black out dates. Check it all out at SkiHeavenly.com

Coming up this Friday is the Business Expo sponsored by the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, from 4-8pm at the Convention Center at MontBleu. Saturday evening March 28, is the 47th Annual Lake Valley Fireman’s Ball at MontBleu and the Kiwanis Club of Tahoe-Sierra’s Annual Ham Bingo at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center.

Have a Great Week!

Curtis Fong
“The Guy From Tahoe”
tgft@bikethewest.com

Blue World Blog 3.16.09

Monday March 16, 2009

Skiing and Riding conditions held up this past week with several days of glorious sunshine and light winds. I was able to get out on the mountain at Heavenly last Tuesday and it was a beautiful day and the great weather seemed to bring out all the long time locals to enjoy the slopes. I skied all over the Nevada side and everywhere I went conditions were good… Milky Way Bowl, Mott’s Canyon, Comet Trees and even down North Bowl. The snow was mid winter with chalky packed powder, especially on the north facing runs.

It turned out to be a social day recalling ski days of the past with local long-time skiers. Mitch from Mitchell’s Jewelers, Rich Botini from Pyramid Peak and Bill Killebrew, former owner of Heavenly, Mark Gant from Tahoe Sports Ltd, Jerry Raye and others were also enjoying a relaxing no pressure day on the slopes. Beth Gebhardt was in town this past week hanging out with all the old time bump skiers and Steve Peache was working his new High Def video camera and shooting video in the Comet Little Dipper bumps preparing a promotion piece to air on KMTN to promote the upcoming Glen Plake’s Gunbarrel 25 event at Heavenly scheduled for April 4.

Spring like weather continued thru out the week and Thursday, I found myself along with Michael McKinney meeting my buddy, Dan Giesin from the SF Chronicle and On the Snow, at Homewood Mountain Resort for a day of re-discovering their slopes. It has been many years since I have had a chance to ski Homewood. With Emerald Bay Road (Hwy 89) open, the journey around beautiful Emerald Bay and along the West Shore was scenic and only about 20 miles from the South Tahoe Y. McKinney brought the infamous Slope Cycle along and after a discussion with Homewood’s Ski Patrol, was allowed to take it up the Mountain. I must say that this Bike Board does draw a lot of attention with lots of folks watching in awe and many asking questions about it. Even their Ski Patrol took turns riding the Slope Cycle. The runs were surprisingly fun and scenic as well with beautiful views of the Lake, and from highway, 2/3rd of the Mountain is “Out of Sight”.

I continued to test my new VIO helmet cam and shot video of many of our runs and even mounted the cameral backwards and had Dan ski behind me so he was skiing towards the camera and not me shooting down from behind… the video came out great. Look for it soon.

Heavenly hosted it’s second in their series of Jackpot Rail Jams on Saturday evening on World Cup with another event coming up this Saturday, March 21 and the finals the following Saturday, March 28. Heavenly re-introduced their Heavenly Season Pass Sale this past weekend, rolling back pricing to the 2007/08 rates… with the offer to purchase now and ski / ride for the remainder of this season as well as all of next year. Check out the great season pass deals at SkiHeavenly.Com.

Sierra at Tahoe had several events this past weekend as well with their Highlander Event, a USASA Super Pipe competition and their “Flaunt it Like a Girl” Slopestyle and Rail Jam. They will be hosting their 3rd Annual “Buckle Up Big Air” event on Saturday, March 21, in Memory of Greg Smith and to help spread Seat Belt Safety Awareness. This also benefiting the Sierra Education Foundation. Sierra has also kicked off their 2009/10 Season Pass sale so check their website for the early-preseason prices at SierraAtTahoe.Com. It’s also College Week thru March 20 and again March 23-27 with $51 lift tickets with College I.D.

Kirkwood continues to offer “Screamin’ Deals” on their website as well and they are hosting the North American Free Skiing Champions this week with some of the best professional Free Skiers and Riders competing in the infamous “Cirque”. Competition kicks off March 19 and continues thru this weekend. They will host their “Experts Only Spring Break” College Week, March 23-27 with $35 Lift ticket with valid I.D. Check out their website at www.Kirkwood.Com.

This past Saturday evening, David Spade was performing at the MontBleu Theater and it was a great comedy show. Prior to the show, I decided to try dining at the Horizon’s Town Square Buffet, now open Saturday, Sunday & Monday. It was all good and you can’t beat the price, only $9.95 for adults and $5.95 for kids. David Spade was scheduled to be a guest on my Après Ski Show but went skiing at Heavenly all day and was too tired to join me in the Studio. His show was fun and looked to be pretty much sold out. After the show, I was fortunate to be invited to meet him back stage and I had to give him some S**@! about not making the TV show… He said he had too much fun skiing at Heavenly and needed to rest up before his performance. He was kind enough to take pictures with me and the other invited guests.

Don’t miss all the fun – Corned beef & Cabbage Feeds, Parties and Pub Crawls on St. Patrick’s Day. Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club is hosting their annual St. Pat’s Celebration at Harrah’s from 6pm-10pm; Montbleu’s Opal Ultra Lounge is hosting a party with Blue Turtle Seduction performing; Of course, Murphy’s Irish Pub is hosting a Party and helping to celebrate the 46th birthday of KTHO AM590. McP’s Irish Pub & the Tudor Pub are also hosting St. Paddy Day parties with live music as well.

Also don’t miss the Northern California Special Olympics “Polar Bear Plunge” coming up Saturday, March 21 at Zephyr Cove Marina at 10am.

Spring will officially arrive this weekend and there’s plenty of skiing & riding offered. There are no announced closing dates from any of the resorts, as of this week, and all resorts are expected to remain open through at least Easter Sunday, April 12.

Have a great week and be safe.
Curtis Fong
“The Guy From Tahoe”
tgft@bikethewest.com

Blue World Blog 3.09.09

Monday, March 9, 2009

Another Punxsutawney Phil week with anywhere from 6 to 8 feet of snow dropping on the mountaintops around Lake Tahoe since my last blog. Up to 4 feet fell Tuesday night thru Wednesday morning and powder hounds rejoiced to find the first big dump and deep powder on upper mountain runs and bowls. Many reported it was too deep and heavy and was a lot of work to ski and ride in it. But, then again, we’ve not had one of those 4-foot dumps all season and I’m sure those other muscles that haven’t been used all season, got a good work out.

On Tuesday, after Heavenly reported 30” of new snow overnight, Michael McKinney, the owner of KMTN TV decided to head up and get some freshies riding a Slope Cycle Bike Board, a new snow riding device that is like riding a bike on the slopes (www.slopecycle.com). He went up with a couple of friends to ride Heavenly’s Nevada Side and said, “I had the best day of my life on the slopes and the worst day…” About 3:00pm he found himself lost and down a canyon that was difficult to get out of. Luckily he had a cell phone and cell coverage, as he was able to communicate with his friends. He attempted to hike out, but was waist deep in snow and it made it extremely challenging to post hole out. McKinney continued to hike as the snow started to fall and darkness started to descend. Douglas County Search and Rescue teams were called out to search for him. He found refuge in a rock formation, but continued to pace a path in and out in hopes that he would be visible to searchers. He was able to communicate with the Search & Rescue team and after a series of calls and audible cues (sirens), they were able to center in on his location. He saw a light beam a couple of ridges over and was lucky to direct the rescuers to shine the beam towards his direction and for them to hike towards that area. Around 10:30pm, Ryder Evans, who was leading the team, was the first one to find him.

The next day, we dedicated a 15-minute segment on the Après Ski Show for me to interview McKinney about his experience - and what to do and what not to do… He was glad to have a cell phone and recommends always skiing and riding with a buddy and if one was to find themselves lost or in an unfamiliar terrain, not to wait, but to call for assistance immediately. Michael publicly, on the air, thanked the efforts of Douglas County Search & Rescue team and was glad they had found him and promises never to place himself or their search teams in that predicament again. Lesson learned!

Douglas County Search & Rescue is a volunteer organization and works off donations. Most use their own personal equipment for searches and put themselves in harms way every time they are called upon. For more information and to make donations please visit: www.dcsar.co.douglas.nv.us

Thursday night was the 23rd annual Kiwanis Sunrisers Mid Winter Beach Party and Crab Feed and I found myself stuffed with all the cracked crab I wanted. The event looked to be a huge success as it was well attended and their Silent Auction won me a couple items to include 20 games of bowling from Tahoe Bowl and some Oakley Goggles and a couple of Heavenly Hoodies from Sunrise Ski Shop.

Saturday morning started early, not as early as Sunday morning (daylight savings time) as I hurried to get my ski report updated, radio report and website as well as the podcast done to make it to the base of Heavenly’s World Cup Run by 9:00am. Northern California Special Olympic held their Annual Celebrity WinterFest, and I was asked to be their on-hill announcer for this great event. I donate as much time as I can to Special Olympics as it is a great cause and I enjoy working and assisting in training their athletes. It was an absolutely beautiful “Blue Bird” day as Celebrities from the big screen as well as most popular television series were on hand, along with Special Olympians and Sponsoring Corporate Teams to race head-to-head in their fund raising efforts. Buck and the Heavenly Race Department did an outstanding job to prep the racecourse and set up the finish arena. It is always a fun event as the celebrities play to the crowds and have fun competing down the racecourse.

Actor, Andy Lauer joined me during the Celebrity/Corporate Challenge race, in-between rounds, to add some color to the announcing. By the end of day I was starting to lose my voice from the non-stop play-by-play announcing, but it was rewarding for me to do my part for Special Olympics. For more information on the results and how you can help Northern California Special Olympics, please visit: www.celebritywinterfest.com

Northern California Special Olympics will also have their Fundraising Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday, March 21 at Zephyr Cove Marina starting at 10:00am. Individuals that register and participate and raise at least $100 will receive a Special Olympics Polar Plunge Sweatshirt and enjoy the after party on the M.S. Dixie II. I’ve been asked to make the plunge. Come out and Support Special Olympics. Visit: www.sonc.org/polarplunge.

This week, Sierra at Tahoe, who reported 37-64” of new snow last week, is offering a $25 Learn to Ski/Ride package thru March 13. You must reserve your beginner lesson package online at SierraatTahoe.com. The package includes 2.5-hour beginner lesson, equipment rental and beginner lift ticket – what a deal!

Kirkwood, who reported 78-92” storm total this past week, continues to offer their Mid Winter Season Pass for only $259 for adults, $199 for Juniors and $129 for kids… all unrestricted with no blackouts thru the end of the season. They also offer the Tahoe/Kirkwood Upgrade: Bring your season pass from any other Lake Tahoe Resort and purchase 3 lift tickets for $99. Tickets good only in the pass holders name and are non transferable.

Conditions are awesome at Tahoe. Come on up so you can get down on plenty of mid-winter snow!

Have a great week and we’ll see you on the slopes, on TV or on the Radio. Be safe and please stay on the opened “IN-BOUND” runs only.

Curtis Fong
“The Guy From Tahoe”
BikeandSkiTahoe.Com
tgft@bikethewest.com

Blue World Blog 3.02.09

March 2, 2009

I keep going back to Ground Hog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and 6 more weeks of Winter was predicted. He wasn’t wrong…

In this past week, Heavenly reported another 15-17” of new snow; Sierra-at-Tahoe got 23-29” and Kirkwood picked up another 34-38” of new snow.

Just keeps coming.

As of this morning a Winter Storm Warning is posted from 10am today all the way thru Wednesday morning at 4am. According to Snowforcast.com there is the potential of snow accumulations above 8000 ft. predicted to be 14-22” today, 16-24” Tuesday with 36”above 8000 ft, 3-5” on Wednesday, a break Thursday and 5-6” on Friday. Could be a total of 5 to 6 feet by this coming weekend with still unsettled weather coming thru. March is definitely coming in like a LION with a ROAR! Or is that the wind?

This past Saturday, Heavenly hosted their first in a Series of 4 “Jackpot Rail Jams” on World Cup Run. Results of the competition.

Online registration is open for the next event scheduled for Saturday, March 14, followed by the 3^rd of the series on March 21 with the Finals slated for Saturday, March 28 by invitation. Go to www.skiheavenly.com for more info.

Prizes for the qualifying events include: Automaton snowboards, Moment skis, Solstice clothing, Neff gear, VonZipper goggles, Skullcandy headphones, DaKine bags, Freeskier gear, Bern helmets and items from Ride, Flatline, Eesa, Smith, Landing, Girl Powder and BettyRides.com.

Also I will be Emceeing the Special Olympics Celebrity Winterfest Race and Activities this Saturday at the Base of Heavenly’s World Cup Run. Calling the Play by Play along with both AM590 KTHO Radio Personalities and KMTN TV will be catching all the action to be played back on Channel 9 & 19 on the South Shore. This a THE fundraiser for Northern CA/NV Special Olympics and everyone is invited to come out and support the cause, meet the celebrities and root on your favorite teams.

Sierra at Tahoe is offering some great deals in March.

Learn To Ski/Ride for just $25

From March 8 through 13, would-be skiers and snowboarders can get a heck of a deal with Sierra Resort's Learn to Ski/Ride special. The package includes a 2.5-hour beginner lesson, ski or snowboard rental equipment for the day and a lift ticket that accesses the beginner chair lifts. Package must be reserved online in advance. With snow conditions as good as they are, learning how to ski or snowboard in March will be a piece of cake!

Backcountry Lessons for as low as $33

With the incorporation of Huckleberry Canyon inside the Sierra Resort boundary this winter, expert skiers and snowboarders jonesing to experience extreme terrain but cautious enough to want to do so with a guide can take advantage of the new Backcountry Lesson. This 2.5-hour lesson covers both technique for skiing/riding extreme terrain and route finding skills. All necessary equipment, including avalanche beacon, probe & shovel, are included in the lesson price, which is $49 or $33 with a 3-Pak! The opportunity to experience some of the premiere backcountry terrain in North America at this price makes this one of the best deals in the ski world.

Kids Ski Free

Book an overnight ski package with one of our partners in South Lake Tahoe and you'll receive a free child's lift ticket with each adult lift ticket. Packages represent an average savings of nearly $80 per person per night and are valid through March 31, 2009.

The Snow keeps piling up at Kirkwood and they have some great events and money saving deals offered as well.

Starting March 5-8, they are hosting:

THE NORTH FACE MASTERS OF SNOWBOARDING

Professional and up‐and‐coming snowboarders from around the globe gather at Kirkwood for the final stop along the tour of The North Face Masters big mountain competition to battle it out in the

Legendary terrain of The Cirque, home to the resort’s most challenging cliff drops and chutes.

Male and female snowboarders over the age of 18 years are welcome to participate in the event

and can register online at www.thenorthfacemasters.com.

Big name riders expected to be seen at The North Face Masters this year include Laura Dewey, Shannan Yates, Rachel Sheidow, Jonathan Penfield, Korey Kaczmarek, Ralph Backstrom, and

Ryland Bell. Champions of the tour will be crowned at Kirkwood following the conclusion

of competition on March 8; each winner will receive a portion of the tour’s $45,000 cash purse

and a chance to compete in additional circuit events.

Kirkwood also has a bunch of Screamin’ Deals offered this month to include:

Their Mid Winter Season Pass, good every day thru the end of the Season for only $249. And if you are a Season Pass Holder of any other Lake Tahoe Resort, you can purchase the Tahoe / Kirkwood Upgrade… Bring your Season Pass out to Kirkwood and receive 3 Lift tickets for only $99. Lift Tickets are good for the holder of the pass only and are non-transferable Call their pass office at 209/7254 or visit Kirkwood.com.

On another note, Lake Tahoe Radio is Back… KTHO AM590, kicked off its new format this morning with your “Weekday Wake up” with the team of Tom & Bill in the morning from 6am-9am, weekdays. Tune in for all the local news, information and my Mountain Resort Reports each morning. What’s cool is the KTHO has changed their music format to CLASSIC ROCK… Oh yeah… with other news programs such as “Tahoe FYI” hosted by Paul Middlebrook and Bill Kingman on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:15am, Tom Wendell is hosting “Tahoe Perspective” on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:15am; The Insane Darrell Wayne and the Knuckleheads are hosting their Classic Rock Show on Wednesday evenings from 7pm-10pm. Other music programming includes Grateful Dead selections with “Dead Reckoning” with Timmy, Saturday night from 10pm till Midnight, but wait there more and more changes coming in the next weeks so tune in and get all the local information and great classic rock music you want. You can also hear them world wide with live streamed music on the internet at kthoradio.com. Yes indeed. Local information radio is back serving our community with local news, road & weather, talk shows and great Classic Rock. Tune it in at AM590 – KTHO – Serving America’s All Year Playground.

Have a great week and don’t put away the shovel just yet.

See you on the Slopes.

Curtis Fong

The Guy From Tahoe

tgft@bikethewest.com