Archive for the ‘cross-country skiing’ Tag
The community of Tahoe Donner is located on over 7000 acres of land, with 6500 homes and 25,000 members. It has a downhill and cross-country ski area, golf course, several restaurants, fitness center, swimming pool, tennis courts, sledding hill, and thousands of acres of open space for hiking and mountain biking, including a connection to the Donner Lake Rim Trail. How did this immense development, one of the largest in the country, come to be just a few miles outside of little old Truckee, California? It all started with Jack Kirby.
In his 2006 book, “Jack Kirby: Autobiography of a California entrepreneur,” Kirby talks about selling newspapers as a kid before becoming a pilot for the Navy during World War II. After the war he became a football star for USC before going on to play in the National Football League. After his career in the NFL, Kirby purchased 4000 acres of land north of Truckee in 1968.
Although the land which would become Tahoe Donner had recently been the victim of a major forest fire, Kirby was impressed by it’s potential for development. He thought it was rare to find this large a parcel of land in the middle of the beauty of the Sierra that had gentle enough contours to create a development. Kirby also purchased a five acre parcel on the shore of Donner Lake, which could be used to provide access to the lake for Tahoe Donner homeowners. He hired a ski development expert to determine if a ski area could be built on the burned out slopes of the current ski hill, and by 1971 people began buying Tahoe Donner lots for $8000. Kirby said, “I figured if I could develop a resort that was completely different-that offered something to homebuyers, second homeowners and retired people-it would be saleable.”
Looking towards Tahoe Donner ski hill
After developing Tahoe Donner, Kirby went on to develop the Alta Sierra community near Grass Valley, before turning his entrepreneurial mind to the manufacture of golf clubs. In 2006, he told the Sierra Sun about Tahoe Donner that he was “very proud of what we’ve done here. I think it’s turned out to be a great community development.”
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Getting into the spirit of racing in middle school
While in the winter the Tahoe region might be best known for it’s downhill skiing, with Tahoe Donner Cross-Country, Royal Gorge, Tahoe Cross-Country and Northstar’s cross-country venue all right here, the North Tahoe/Truckee area is the greatest concentration of groomed Nordic skiing in North America. People head to the cross-country ski areas for a great aerobic workout and the wonderful views, but once cross-country skiing gets into your blood, it is the great spirit and devotion to the sport that you see from your fellow skiers, and in my case, fellow parents of children who race, that makes this activity such a great part of our community.
Middle school girls racing at Auburn Ski Club
While us Nordic folks have to admit that cross-country skiing is a poorer step child to the big downhill resorts, cross-country skiers are just as devoted and excited about their sport as those who get to the lifts early to catch the powder. And they pass it on to their kids. At Tahoe Cross-Country in Tahoe City, for example, there are over 250 kids in the Strider-Glider’s after school cross-country ski program and the North Tahoe Middle School has over 50 kids on their cross-country ski team, with a total school enrollment of only about 300 kids.
The interest amongst Truckee kids and their parents is equally strong, including my twin children who began cross-country skiing when they were 5 at the Auburn Ski Club, then went on to race for the Alder Creek Middle School, then the Truckee High School Nordic team as well as the Far West Nordic Team. While a busy real estate business has kept me from attending all of their races, I try to get to as many as I can and what I see is the best of what Tahoe and Truckee has to offer. Not only do I see kids with a wide range of abilities doing their best in a challenging sport, but I see parents and other locals waxing skis, helping out with training, and driving car loads full of kids hundreds of miles to watch kids ski. Why? To introduce their children to a healthy, outdoor sport that you can do for a lifetime. Right here, in the best place to cross-country ski in America.
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One of the things that makes Tahoe and Truckee the wonderful places they are is The Great Ski Race. After having to cancel last year due to a lack of snow, the race is back for it’s 37th rendition this year.
At 9:00 am on March 3rd, the first of a number of waves of skiers will set off from Tahoe Cross-Country Ski Area near Tahoe City. The fastest racer will fly over Starratt Pass and make the 30 kilometer jaunt to Cottonwood Lodge just above downtown Truckee in about one hour and ten minutes. Lots of top skate skiers will race to the finish in under two hours, determined to show themselves that they still got it. On the other hand, there are a large group of skiers who are just out to enjoy the day, they stop at the two soup stations along the route to enjoy a snack, and then saunter on down to the finish line. The last of the nearly 1000 racers may take five hours or more to reach the final steep hill before the finish.
Sure, The Great Ski Race is a big cross-country ski race, the biggest in the Western United States in fact, but more importantly it is a great community event. Many skiers do it every year, trying to best their previous times, or those of their friends. For others, they’ve been hearing about it for years, and have finally determined that this will be the year. The party at the end is a raucous celebration of winter, and for many the highlight of the day.
And it’s all for a good cause. The Great Ski Race is the major fundraiser for the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team. Those are the guys and gals that head out into blizzards to rescue lost skiers or whomever else made a wrong turn or found some bad luck at the wrong time. They have saved a lot of lives and the race helps give them the equipment and resources they need to keep their operation running smoothly and effectively. For more information go to www.thegreatskirace.com
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