“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.

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!

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 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.

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.

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?

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…

When you’re planning a winter trip to Lake Tahoe there is one thing you want to be sure of before you go. You want the know the conditions! The weather conditions can change in a minute at Lake Tahoe. Still photos of the lake, resort and ski slopes look amazing but what you really need is a live web cam.

Here is a list of some of the best live web cams in Lake Tahoe. They will give you a clear perspective of the lake from all different angles and locations. With these web cams you’ll be able to tell if it’s a white out, just snowing flurries or if there are crystal clear blue skies on the summit.

Sugarbowl Cam
Squaw Uber Cam
Northstar Cam
Mt. Rose Cam
Mammoth Cam
Kirkwood Cam
Heavenly Cam
Boreal Cam
Alpine Meadows Cam
Diamond Peak Cam

Do you have a web cam you want added to the list? Post a comment or contact me and I’ll add it.

The Winter Olympics were last held in Lake Tahoe in 1960 – almost 50 years ago. That’s too long of a time to wait between hosting the Winter Olympics in the best snow city in the world. Nancy Cushing, head of the Squaw Valley Ski Corp. is rounding up a crew to put together a bid on the 2022 Winter Olympics – the bid has to be in by 2012 for consideration. I know, it’s crazy how you have to plan over a decade out to host the international games.

“We’re putting together a bid, which has to be in by 2012,” says Cushing, a board member of the Lake Tahoe Regional Sports Commission, which is just now taking shape. Lake Tahoe is the perfect destination for the Olympics. They have the best slopes and plenty of five-star accommodations to support the thousands of guests.

Part of the plan includes building a new Olympic Museum – something that would win over the hearts of the IOC. “Five sites in the valley are under consideration for the new structure, which will be between 5,000 and 20,000 square feet and cost $20 million to build, Cushing estimates. The display will span the history of skiing in the Sierra, starting with snowshoe mail delivery and going through to snowboarders and freestylers.”

You can read more about the Lake Tahoe 2022 Winter Olympic Bid at the San Francisco Chronicle.

I hope everyone has a great day, spending time with family and friends – eat a big dinner, snuggle by the fireplace and open lots of presents! Or if you’re flying solo this year, be sure to get out and enjoy this wonderful day – hit the slopes, build a snowman or go tubing! Have some fun and savior the holiday free time we have.

Once again, Merry Christmas everyone!