Lake Tahoe’s Shannon Bahrke Wins Bronze

Lake Tahoe’s Shannon Bahrke became the first U.S. women’s mogul skier to win multiple Olympic medals when she grabbed a bronze in the 2010 Winter Games. Shannon is no stranger to the Olympics. She was a member of the 2002 (silver medal winner) and 2006 teams.

“This is the last hurrah,” said Bahrke, who has plans to get married on 10/10/10. “What a way to finish it. I worked my butt off, I’ve been in the gym and I’ve left no stone unturned coming into these Games. I had a rough start to the year, and feel like I had to get ready mentally, and I did that.”

The conditions were less than optimal during the runs. It’s been rainy in Vancouver and causing the snow to melt and get slushy – but that might have played to her advantage. “I’m from Lake Tahoe,” she said, “and sometimes it’s been known to rain there.”

So from all of us at Lake Tahoe Way, we’d like to say Congratulations Shannon!

There are several other Olympians from Lake Tahoe, so we’ll be sure to update you if any of them medal.

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority Contest

Sorry for bringing this contest to your attention so late, but I guess it’s better late than never. The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority is running a contest on Facebook.

Tell us about the time you got married on our sandy shores, had a special moment on one of our lakefront restaurants, or the time you fell in love on our ski slopes or over a drink at one of our many poker tables. Never been to Tahoe – then tell us a romantic spot you’d like to visit? The winner is to be chosen at random this Friday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. PST. You will be notified by message that you won and will have three hours to respond. When did you fall in love visiting Lake Tahoe South Shore?

A random winner will receive 2 tickets for Kevin Nealon’s comedy show, Saturday Feb. 13, 8 p.m. at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa PLUS a $100 voucher at the Fr…esh Ketch lakefront restaurant.

To enter, visit their Facebook Page and be sure to post your story as a comment to their wall post “CONTEST ALERT” – you’ll have to scroll down for it. Good luck!

What is Tahoe Stash?

Ever want to avoid the tourists while on the slopes? Do you want to know where the locals ride? Heavenly Ski Resort (you know they’re one of my favorites based on how many times I blog about them) set up a website called Tahoe Stash that secretly tells you where you need to go on their mountain for the spots that only locals know.

It’s a pretty simple site. At the top you will see the Heavenly trail map with 6 red dots on it. Hover over a dot and it will reveal a secret stash. Each reveal has a description on how to get there, the difficulty level and a video of what to expect. You can also submit comments with other riders and skiers.

I think it’s a pretty cool site that could be expanded on with other mountains in Tahoe. But by posting some of the secret stashes, aren’t they opening them up to everyone – in the process not making them so secret? I wonder if they had thought about making the site accessible to members only, verifying viewers are in fact locals? Probably not. My guess is it was set up as an additional way to create buzz about Heavenly. They do a great job at this and are really active on Heavenly TV, their blog and Facebook.

The California Trail at Heavenly

Lake Tahoe has miles of amazing ski trails – but I think one of my favorites is the California Trail at Heavenly Ski Resort. The California Trail starts at just under 10,000 ft in elevation. It gives you amazing views of the lake, takes you through some trees and gets narrow at certain points. Trail maps list it as an intermediate run.

The video gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect on the California Trail. It is a little shaky because the guy is riding and trying to film at the same time.

The Lake Tahoe Backcountry

The backcountry is one of those places most tourists never go. Some areas are unexplored and rarely ever visited by humans. It’s the place to go to get away from it all… and Lake Tahoe has some of the best backcountry skiing and exploring this country has to offer.

Check out this video of the South Lake Tahoe Backcountry. I know the music is awful… I promise you won’t miss anything if you watch it on mute. Just take a look at the country side and the mountains. Absolutely stunning.

Have you ever explored in the Lake Tahoe backcountry? What are you experiences? Post a comment and let me know.

Lake Tahoe UFO’s – You Decide

I was looking through YouTube for some of the latest Lake Tahoe videos when I came across a video title “UFO at Echo Peak in Lake Tahoe.” That definitely caught my interest. Could it be true? I’ll let you watch the video for yourself and let you decide. Skip to about the 1:37 mark for the action.

I’m not quite sure if it’s a UFO. Could be the setting moon for all I know. But I don’t know a lot of strange activity goes on in this part of the country, especially with the secret air force bases close by.

What do you think?

Lake Tahoe Snowmobiling

If you have never been on a snowmobile then you don’t know what you’re missing. We all know it looks fun as hell, but words can’t even describe the adrenaline and excitement you get when on the back of a snowmobile cruising at 30-40 mph in packed powder snow. The weather is rough when snowmobiling, but the rush makes that chill an afterthought.

Lake Tahoe is home to some of the best backcountry snowmobiling in America. There are hundreds of miles of trails, some of which take you on a journey through National Forests while others give you amazing views of the lake. It’s really a can’t miss destination for snowmobiling.

There are two Lake Tahoe snowmobile companies I wanted to highlight in today’s post. There are several other operations, just be sure to check reviews on TripAdvisor or something before booking.

Lake Tahoe Snowmobile Tour Prices
www.laketahoesnowmobilingtours.com
Located in North lake Tahoe. General rates run at about $120 for a 2 hour ride. Of course they do offer private tours and half-day adventures for a lot more money.

Lake Tahoe Adventures
www.laketahoeadventures.com
Located in South Lake Tahoe. They offer scenic tours and off-trail riding. Riders must be at least 15 years-old, call them for pricing details.

Snowmobiling is definitely expensive, but I guarantee you it’s worth every penny. Would you rather spend $300 for a pair of football tickets and 3 hours of yelling at your team or for a 5 hour action packed adventure on a snowmobile? I thought so…