Next Level Women's Freeskiing Camp, 2011. An event you can sign up for this year! Winter Expo is a great place to learn about winter activities!

Are you curious about what’s new for winter gear this season? Wondering what you can do with your family while on a Tahoe winter getaway? Then come check out the North Lake Tahoe 2012 Winter Expo — admission is FREE!

• Get the skinny on winter activities, gear and services from over 50 exhibitors.
• Enjoy a Winter Fashion Show!
• Taste exceptional local food.
• Door prizes!
• Free admission and parking.

When:

November 15, 2012 | 4pm to 8pm

Where:

The Olympic Valley Lodge  | 1909 Chamonix Place in Olympic Valley

The snow has fallen; and it’s the perfect time to get our bodies and souls warmed up for another fun season on the slopes. Get a start on your holiday shopping at the Passholder Village Preview Party, and receive 15%  off your entire purchase when you present your Squaw/Alpine pass! And while you’re in the Village…

…Lululemon has just the thing to get you jazzed for the new season! Join Shaelah Morris from Studio Tahoe and DJ Nate Spross for an après ski DJ’d yoga class in the Mountain Stream Room. After stretching out from your day of skiing or riding,  check out the Lululemon trunk show, replete with Bella Bucha and Uncorked Squaw wines.

The Haps

What:

DJ’s Yoga Class: 3:00pm to 4:30pm

Lululemon Trunk Show: 4:30pm to 8:00pm

Where:

Squaw Valley Resort, Mountain Stream Room

Cost:

Nada! Complimentary.

Have you ever practiced yoga to unwind from a fun day of skiing/riding?

Wanderlust California is back at Squaw Valley for another year of non-stop action; a huge festival that artfully brings together the world’s leading yoga teachers, top musical acts and DJs, notable speakers, renowned chefs, and winemakers for a 4-day event like no other!

Take several days of yoga classes from the best in the industry. Attend a Speakeasy lecture where experts in wellness discuss meditation, nutrition, technology, music, organics, spirituality, yoga, and more. Enjoy a morning meditation hike at the top of Squaw. Watch Ziggy Marley live on the main stage. Sip tea at an outdoor co-op or attend a prix fixe farm-to-table dinner with The Naked Grape.

Tickets are $475/Sage four-day, $395/Seeker three-day, $108/Thursday, $160/Friday or Saturday, $99/Sunday, $24.50/Thursday music only, $29.50/Friday music only, $34.50/Saturday music only, $20/Sunday music only.

Overwhelmed with excitement? We thought so! Check out Wanderlust Festival’s website to learn more!

There are few words to encapsulate the wacky and beloved tradition of the Annual Cushing Crossing!  Squaw would not be Squaw without the Cushing Crossing. This pond skimming spectacle embodies late spring in Lake Tahoe, and although it signifies the end to a ski season, it’s an event you don’t want to miss!

With judges, emcees, and usually Tahoe bluebird weather, you will definitely have some good laughs at the 22nd Annual Cushing Crossing on April 29th at 12pm.  Check out video from last year’s event, and come out to cheer on others as they skim, flip and tumble their way across Cushing Pond.

Also, if you want to participate, arrive early. Registration is limited to the first 50 entrants. Registration begins at 9am at the KT Base Bar.

Only a few weeks left to get some turns in at Squaw Valley! Get some.

It’s a bittersweet time of year.  The time when we sit down, teary eyed, to inform you the last day to get in some good turns at your home mountain.  Sure, the winter of 2010/11 was an epic one.  Mother Nature came up a bit short this year, but Tahoe skiing/riding is all about making the most of what we’ve got.  And we did! We’re not happy to pack away our pow skis, but we know winter will come again.

*And remember, some mountains are reopening for weekend operations through May, even though daily operations will shut down. So be sure to check first before you head up for some deep spring skiing/riding.

Closing Dates (In Reverse Chronological)

*Alpine Meadows: April 29th. Reopening May 4-6th & May 11-13th

Squaw Valley: April 29th

Sugar Bowl: April 29th

*Kirkwood: April 22nd. Reopening every Fri, Sat and Sun as weather permits.

Sierra-at-Tahoe: April 22nd

Mt. Rose: April 15th

Diamond Peak: April 15th

*Heavenly: April 15th. Reopening April 20-22nd & April 27-29th

Northstar California: April 15th

*Homewood: Closed. Reopening April 13-15th

Shane McConkey's quirky alter ego, Pain McShlonkey.

As an on and off mountain event, the Pain McShlonkey Classic is a wacky part of Tahoe culture in which all proceeds from the weekend benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation, along with environmental education programs. The event was dubbed after one of Shane’s funny alter egos, Pain McShlonkey. Hosted on March 23-24th at Squaw Valley, the McShlonkey offers the world’s top winter atheletes a chance to compete for the podium on none other than snowblades! Saturday’s on-mountain antics promise true slope-side entertainment for all ages.

“One thing about Shane is that what you saw is what he was: a man full of stoke, passion, ingenuity, humor and a zest for making your moments on this earth count,” says longtime friend Scott Gaffney. “Shane loved to laugh, play, compete against and make fun of friends and make fun of himself. The Pain McShlonkey Classic is a perfect amalgam of all of these elements that were so important to a guy who inspired us to no end.”

The Red Bull Air Force will kick off the festivities on the afternoon of Friday, March 23 as athletes like Charles Bryan, JT Holmes and Tim Dutton skydive into The Village at Squaw Valley.  Now that’s just the beginning. From there, the party rages on at Rocker@Squaw with a DJ, food and drink specials and poster signings with pro competitors.

The real throw down begins Saturday, March 24 at 9 a.m. as the athletes line up atop the legendary KT-22 chairlift for an all-out snowblade banzai. The pros will take on 30 of McConkey’s biggest fans in an anything-goes battle to the finish on Squaw’s GS Bowl. It’s a sight to see, especially the costume choices you’ll see whiz by.

To top off the weekend, don’t miss the 80’s after party at Squaw’s Olympic Village Lodge. Guests must be 21 or older to attend with valid ID required. To find out more, purchase tickets to the after party on March 24th ($25/each), or make a donation to the Shane McConkey Foundation, click here!

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An American St. Patrick's Day tradition: Chicago River dyed green.

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks,
May your heart be as light as a song,
May each day bring you bright, happy hours,
That stay with you all the year long.

In Ireland most natives pin on a sprig of green, attend morning mass, and drink a pint in the afternoon or feast with family at dinner in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Until the 1970s, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland was a minor religious holiday. But in the United States, rivers are dyed green, there are large parades to celebrate the Irish, and millions don green for the day.

For Lake Tahoe locals and vacationers, we may have more than a sprig of green – more so a white and powdery day on the slopes! But why not capture the essence of the above Irish blessing, and grab some friends, enjoy the coming of spring, drink a pint, listen to some live tunes, dance a jig and find out how the Irish keep life so light and lively!

There are all kinds of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations happening around Lake Tahoe on Saturday, March 17^th.  The question is how do you want to celebrate? We’ve included a few choices!  Just remember to wear green, stay safe and tip your hat to St. Patrick!

Squaw Valley

Celebrate the holiday at Squaw Valley with all of your favorite Irish traditions! Ski the green slopes, hang out at the KT Base Bar for our pig roast and listen to L.A.vation, The World’s Greatest Tribute to U2 while you enjoy festive beer from Guiness, Harp and Smithwick’s. From 3pm-5pm in the Village Events Plaza, The Blarney Band will perform traditional Irish music. Catch Lenny the Leprechaun on the slopes for a special treat from his pot of gold!

Be sure to check out Auld Dubliner at Squaw if you want a taste of traditional Dublin on this Irish holiday!

Alpine Meadows

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Alpine! Come dressed in your best St. Patrick’s Day costume for a chance to win a CamelBak full of swag! All costumes will be judged at the St. Patrick’s Day Après Ski Party taking place on the Sun Deck from 1pm to 4pm. Enjoy Irish food and drink specials and live music by the the Nibblers!

Tahoe City

The fun starts at Jake’s on the Lake with traditional Irish food all day (also serving lunch/café/dinner), Happy Hour Specials 4:30pm-6:30pm, Live Music: Mark Wilson at 6pm. The party continues at Hacienda del Lago (upstairs) with live funk “Terraplane” from 9:30pm-2am, and L.A. DJ Dre Tuna at Lakeside (next door) from 10pm-2am. Bounce around from bar to bar; Bushmills Girls, music and drink specials all night at all three venues!

What’s your favorite way to spend St. Patrick’s Day?

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Get ready for a day full of hilarious fun as the legendary Shane McConkey is remembered in all his glory.  The tribute will take place on Saturday, March 26 as professional skiers & boarders and fans of the superstar skier participate in wild and crazy events at Squaw Valley USA.

This memorable memorial will feature the Extreme Snowlerblading Small Mountain Invitational where 30 professional athletes from around the world will navigate Squaw on K2 Fatty snowblades.  Cheer on favorites like Daron Rahlves, JT Holmes, Scott & Robb Gaffney and Jeremy Jones.

Next up is the Snowlerblade Chinese Downhill race, an anything-goes snowlerblade banzai.  Celebrity judges will add to the entertainment and comedy.  McConkey’s peers will select the 30 amateur competitors via an online contest.

Save energy to rage it at the after party in the newly remolded Bar One at Squaw Valley’s Olympic House.

For more information, visit http://www.shanemcconkey.org/pain-mcshlonkey/.

Don’t forget to book your hotel room early for this special day of events at the Squaw Valley Lodge.

Saturday, February 26, 2011 – 8 pm

Bar One, Squaw Valley

Head over to the new and improved Bar One for the ski party of the year.  This year’s Squaw Valley Prom features a 007 theme, so get ready to dance in style.

Proceeds benefit Biking for a Better World and High Fives. 

Biking for a Better World uses the power of pedaling to bring bicycles to people who need them. Through charity bike tours, day rides, and annual fundraising events, we raise awareness and funds for communities in need of bicycles to improve their quality of life. We share our passion for the bike, inspiring and enabling others to ride. In essence, we transform the act of pedaling into a force to make the world a better place. – www.bikingforabetterworld.org 

High Fives, a Truckee-based non-profit, assists athletes in the winter sports industry that have suffered life altering injuries. High Fives has established a scholarship program to help these athletes with the cost of recovery from such injuries and/or returning to the sport they love.  - www.highfivesfoundation.org.

To find out more information and to purchase tickets for this classic annual event, go to www.squawvalleyprom.com.

Friday, February 18 – Saturday, February 19, 2011 – 5:30 pm 

Friday, March 18 – Saturday, March 19, 2011 – 5:30 pm

Enjoy a stunning perspective of Squaw Valley as it is lit by the winter moon.  Experienced guides lead you on a hike to incredible views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada.  Mountaintop Tubbs Moonlight Snowshoe Tours begin at High Camp, elevation 8200 feet at 5:30 pm.  Guests should take the 5:15 pm or earlier Cable Car ride to High Camp.

All ages are welcome on the tour.  Prices include snowshoe rentals.  Dress appropriately in layers and jackets and wear snow boots.

Make a reservation by calling 530-452-7123 or visit the Squaw Valley Special Tickets Office.  Dinner packages are available.

For pricing and more information about the hikes, call 530-583-6985 or visit www.squaw.com.