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By Tim Hauserman
After a few rough years when it was cancelled due to lake of snow, The Great Ski Race is set to roll once again on March 6th. The largest cross-country ski race in the western United States usually draws around 1000 skiers who take on the challenging 30 kilometer course from Tahoe Cross-Country Ski Area near Tahoe City to The Cottonwood Lodge above downtown Truckee.
The race attracts everyone from world class racers who chew up the course in just over an hour, to those who have the simple goal of enjoying the views and crossing the line before the cut off time. In-between is a huge mass of local and out of town skiers who are doing their best to beat their friends, or their personal bests.
The race’s first wave of top seeded racers leaves at 9:00 am, with more waves hitting the trail every few minutes after. The route follows the Yellow, Green and Orange trails of Tahoe XC, before starting to climb in earnest up to the Fiberboard Freeway. Now a long steady uphill brings the racers to Soup Station One, at about 12 kilometers from the start. Then it gets interesting: A series of long downhills, some quite steep and rutted by the time the later racers get there, interspersed with a few short uphills. The last kilometer is a narrow fast downhill followed by the Big Hill just above the finish line which is the steepest part of the course and provides boundless entertainment for those who have already finished. Once the finish line is crossed the party begins with food, drink and merriment.
The Great Ski Race is the major annual fundraiser for the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team. These are the folks who go out in a blizzard in the middle of the night to rescue those who are lost. They have a remarkable record of bringing folks back to their loved ones, as well as carry out a valuable program of education on winter survival to local children. For more information on the TNSAR check out this article:
For information on the race go to thegreatskirace.com
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
By Tim Hauserman
Eight year old North Tahoe resident Julian Gaube suffers from cerebral palsy and a rare form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. For a time, Julian suffered up to 30 seizures in a day, and his parents began desperately searching for an answer to reduce the number and length of Julian’s seizures. They discovered, CBD, a compound produced by marijuana which doesn’t have the “get you high” effect of the THC portion of the plant, but which has been shown to help kids living with seizure disorders. While Julian still has seizures, they are much less frequent and less devastating then they were in the past.
Julian’s mom, Moonshine Ink Associate Editor Kara Fox, will tell her son’s story as the introduction to a special presentation by the Squaw Valley Institute on the medical benefits of cannabis, and the research that is being done to use cannabis to improve people’s health.
Following Fox, a panel discussion on the topic will be led by Denver Relief Consulting co-founders Kayvan Khalatbari and Ean Seeb. Denver Relief is a cannabis dispensary which regularly serves several thousand patients in Denver, Colorado. According to the Squaw Valley Institute “Khalatbari worked with entrepreneurs pursuing business in the cannabis field who are interested in social responsibility and like minded endeavors.” He was also a founding board member of the Board of Directors for the Medical Marijuana Assistance Program of America (MMAPA), and works with at-risk kids through the Denver Kids program.
The event will be held at the Resort at Squaw Creek, on January 29th. Door open at 5:30 and the presentation begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $15.00 for adults and free for SVI members. For information go to squawvalleyinstitute.org.
Upcoming Squaw Valley Institute event: On February 4th, Meg Crofton, Retired Walt Disney Executive, will share her amazing experience of working for Disney for 35 years.
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
Photos courtesy Laura Read.
by Tim Hauserman
Here it comes again, my favorite Lake Tahoe area bike riding experience: The Tour De Manure. It combines a beautiful ride around the Sierra Valley with great friends, music and delicious food.
The Tour De Manure is a metric century ride (62 miles) which begins in Sierraville, CA. The ride starts with a valley crossing on the lightly traveled A-23 to the junction with Highway 70 at Beckwourth. A right turn brings you in a few miles to A-24, where you recross the valley to Loyalton. There, you get your one and only climb of the day, up Smithneck Road, before returning to Loyalton and the last 13 miles on Highway 49 back to Sierraville.
There are a number of factors that make this ride so special. First, while a 62 mile ride is nothing to sneeze at, this one is about as easy as you can make it. It’s mostly flat and the views of wildflowers, cows and a wide variety birds make for a pleasant spin. Find a peloton that matches your speed and ride with a new group of friends. The event is a fundraiser for the Sierraville Fire Department, which brings out a host of friendly volunteers dishing out food, signing up participants or whatever it takes to make things run smoothly. Speaking of the food, not only is it delicious and filling, but given the difficulty of the ride, most people actually get to eat it right about lunch time. And finally, the ride was the original brain child of long time Tahoe local Doug Read. He has got the word out among the North Tahoe cross-country ski and bike community that this is the place to be in June, and I always find a ton of great Tahoe buds to ride and eat with.
The Details: The Tour De Manure is on Saturday, June 20, 2015. The ride begins and ends at the Sierraville Volunteer Fire House.
Directions: From Truckee, take Highway 89 north 25 miles to it’s intersection with Highway 49, turn right and you are at the start.
Riders should start pedaling between 8 and 9 am.
Register online for the 62 or 42 mile version at tourdemanure.org
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
YOUR FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES 