Powder Report

Mancuso takes GS title
Three-time Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley captured the 11th U.S. title of her career with a victory in the women’s Giant Slalom to close the 2010 Visa U.S. Alpine Championships at Whiteface Mountain in New York on March 23.
“I actually haven’t skied giant slalom since the Olympics, so it was nice to get back on my GS skis,” Mancuso said.
Mancuso also was the giant slalom champion in 2009, ‘05 and ‘03. With 11 titles, she now moves past U.S. great Andrea Mead Lawrence for the most titles of any American male or female, breaking a record that has stood for 55 years.
The weekend brought some closure to a season in which Mancuso had long worked hard.
“Coming back from a back injury I always had the goal of getting ready for the Olympics. Even going into last season it hurt. I wanted to keep trying. Just being able to see the reward of the plan paying off was really amazing,” Mancuso said.

Mancuso 3rd in Freeride World
Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley took the third place spot in the Xtreme Freeride World Championships on March 23 in Verbier, Switzerland.
Olympic Valley’s Tim Dutton finished eighth in men’s ski, followed by J.T. Holmes, also of Olympic Valley, in 13th position.

Tahoe Trail Trekkers meet
Tahoe Trail Trekkers Club will hold its annual spring meeting on April 9 at the Incline Village Library. This is a planning meeting for the upcoming hiking season from May to October, and for the AVA, American Volkssport Association, Emerald Bay walking event for June 26 and 27.
The meeting is at 4 p.m., with social time at 3:30 p.m. Guests are welcome. For more information, visit www.tahoetrialtrekkers.org or e-mail Diane Morrison at 6tahoe04rose@exwire.com.

Jibbin’ for Jacksons
Squaw Valley USA hosts a Jibbin’ for Jacksons contest on April 10, a night contest held on Searchlight (on lower Exhibition) where competitors and spectators can rock out under the lights to tunes spun from a slopeside DJ booth.
This is a Best Trick jam session with many winners. Each time a judge sees a skier or rider stomp a trick worthy of a Jackson, Monster officials will hand the competitor a $20 bill.
Entry fee for all riders is $20 (it’s about the Jacksons) and helmets are mandatory. Athletes under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian present at registration to sign a liability release form. Jibbin’ for Jacksons is free for spectators, with no lift ticket needed.

Lil’ Air Festival
SnowBomb hosts the third annual Toyota’s Sick n’ Twisted Lil’ Air Mountain Festival at Alpine Meadows on April 11. This unique event is geared toward children 10 years old and under who are interested in getting a start in the competition circuit or just looking for a fun time.
“This is definitely the event that gives back to the community. We have a great time watching tomorrow’s talent throw tricks in a freestyle venue,” says Meredith Stead, SnowBomb’s vice president of operations.
Continuing the huge success of the last two year’s events, SnowBomb is giving kids an opportunity to ride in a professional freestyle competition for the young demographic only. Both skiers and snowboarders are welcome. A special discounted $10 entry fee gets each child a chance in the competition, and gear and prizes will be awarded for every contestant. Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the resort, and helmets are mandatory for all participants. For more information, visit www.snowbomb.com.

High Fives slopestyle contest
The High Fives Foundation, Marker Bindings, Smith Optic, Volkl Skis and Sugar Bowl Resort are hosting the 2010 Trains Invitational Slopestyle Contest on April 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a rider-driven event, featuring top local and pro athletes mixing it up in the Switching Yard Terrain Park. The unique team-oriented format rewards creativity and style in a progressive environment. With music from DJ One Trust and King of Hearts and chicken wings on the grill, this is not an event to be missed.

Ganong Super G champ
Travis Ganong of Olympic Valley was crowned 2010 Visa U.S. Men’s Super G Champion on March 20 at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Ganong clinched his second U.S. Championship title for the 2010 season, winning both the Downhill, which was held in February at Aspen, and the Super G.
“It’s warm out here, so there’s definitely an advantage of running first. When it’s like that, the track is smooth,” explained Ganong. “I skied pretty well, I nailed all of my marks. It was fun.”

Shanley 4th in dual moguls
Olympic Valley’s Laurel Shanley finished in 4th place in the Women’s Dual Moguls at the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships on March 28 at Squaw Valley USA. Shanley finished in fifth place in the Moguls competition on March 26.
Absent from the duals competition, but there watching with friends and family was local hero and Olympic bronze medalist Shannon Bahrke of Tahoe City, who did not race due to an injury.

Monster Energy Spring Series
Squaw Valley USA hosts the Monster Energy Series with The Lower Mountain Jib at 5 p.m. on April 24. Register at Dave’s Deli from 3 to 4:30 p.m. with a $10 entry fee. The series wraps with the Monster de Mayo Pool Party at High Camp on May 1. Visit www.squaw.com for details.

Professional Ski Patrol Olympics
Squaw Valley USA hosts the first U.S. Professional Ski Patrol Olympics on the mountain from April 16 to 18. Squaw Valley is assembling professional patrollers from across the continent for an epic, weekend-long patrol competition. East Coast, Rockies, Intercontinental and Sierra patrollers have all been invited, to attend in addition to a handful of international patrol teams.
The competition will host an array of events from sled races and beacon competitions to simulated bomb throws. Registration costs $89 per patroller, and tickets include a two-day lift ticket to Squaw Valley USA, two mid-mountain, on-snow barbecue lunches and admission to the Sunday night Awards Ceremony with live music. Discounted lodging is available for patrollers and spectators through Squaw Valley Central Reservations at (800) 545-5585. For details or to register, visit www.squaw.com or call (530) 452-7124.

Spring It On
Help Northstar bid Old Man Winter a good-bye and welcome the warm weather of spring on April 10 at the annual Spring It On. Pull out a fat pair of skis or your widest snowboard and make the daring attempt to skim across our pond without falling into the bone chilling waters.
The Pond Skim takes places from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and don’t forget to don your craziest costume. Register from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the top of Gondola. Space is limited.
Think your park skills are solid? Try the Infinity Box at more than 140’ of out Terrain Parks boxes combo-ed together. The competition is from 2 to 4 p.m. Register from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the top of the Gondola. There also will be live music from 1 to 3 p.m. with Darin Talbot on the Lodge at Big Springs Deck and from 3 to 6 p.m. with Truckee Tribe on the Village Stage along with drink specials and roller skating.

Mad Cow Downhill
Alpine Meadows hosts the annual Mad Cow Downhill on May 16. Racers will start from the top of Summit Chair and must find the fastest way down to the lodge. Whoever makes it through the finish line first will win a 2010-11 Midweek + Sunday Season Pass. There will be divisions for skiers and riders and entry is free to everyone. Helmets are required. Visit www.skialpine.com for details.

Billy Dutton Uphill
The Billy Dutton Uphill is Squaw Valley’s original “run what ya brung” uphill race – an answer to the famous Chinese Downhill of the 70s.
The course climbs 2,000’ and more than 3.2 miles from the base of KT-22 to High Camp on April 11. This fun annual event is a memorial race for Billy Dutton, a longtime friend of North Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley, and a former employee of Squaw Valley Ski Corp.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. outside of Dave’s Deli or pre-register with the Auburn Ski Club. The $20 entry fee includes t-shirt and goodies. The race begins at 8 a.m. at the Funitel. There will be prizes for all age categories – skating, diagonal stride and snowshoe divisions. Visit www.squaw.com.

Whitewater competition opens
Athletes are invited to compete in the 7th Annual Reno River Festival on May 7 to 9 on the Truckee River in downtown Reno. Don’t miss the action as some of the world’s top whitewater athletes hit the rapids at the Truckee River Whitewater Park for professional and open competitions including the freestyle, boatercross and downriver contests, and new for 2010, the Stand Up Paddle Board Race, set for May 9. Entry fees range from $30 to $40 per race. For more information or to register, visit www.renoriverfestival.com or call (775) 784-9400, ext. 119.

Quicksilver Tahoe SUP race
The Lake Tahoe Paddleboard Association and Ta-Hoe Nalu, both nonprofit organizations, combined their stand-up and prone paddleboard events to create the 2010 Quicksilver Tahoe Stand-Up Paddleboard Race Series.
The series features a series of five races between May 29 and Sept. 26, with two of the five being elite races and offering a combined purse of $40,000 in cash and merchandise.
The 2nd Annual Donner Lake Memorial kicks off on May 29, with the Thunderbird Run Lake Tahoe on June 5, the 3rd Annual Jam to the Dam on July 10, the Ta-Hoe Nalu Stand-Up Festival on Aug. 21 and 22, and the Tahoe Fall Classic on Sept. 26. Visit www.laketahoepaddleboardassociation.com or www.ta-hoenalu.com.

Northstar hosts Sunchaser Challenge
The North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus and Chamber of Commerce recently secured the Sunchaser Challenge, a multi-discipline adventure challenge set for May 22 at Northstar-at-Tahoe.
The Sunchaser Challenge is a sporting event from sunrise to sunset that features orienteering, running, mountain biking, road biking and kayaking. About 1,000 competitors are expected for the challenge. For more information, visit www.sunchaserchallenge.com.