By Tim Hauserman
March 5, 2017 will be the 40th Anniversary of The Great Ski Race. The race, which travels from Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area on Dollar Hill near Tahoe City to the Cottonwood Restaurant above downtown Truckee, has in the past attracted up to 1000 racers. It’s a major fundraiser for the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team and after a few years of less than stellar snow conditions, it looks like the TNSAR Team will have a deep snow base to work with to make the race spectacular.
For many local cross country skiers, The Great Ski Race is the iconic event each winter. The 30 kilometer point to point course takes the skier on a long climb to the top of Starratt Pass, where they find Soup Station One for drinks and snacks. Then the fun begins as a fast downhill rolls over a series of whoop de doos and “S” turns. While it is mostly downhill after the pass, there are a few hills that can be a gut buster after you get used to cruising the downhill. Just before the end, racers can see Truckee as they slide along the narrow Chute, before reaching the wide steep hill above Cottonwood. Once part of a small downhill ski area, the face is pretty dang steep for folks on skinny skis, but if you crash at the bottom, the crowd with beers in their hands will cheer you on. Once you get up and dust off the snow, you can grab some grub and a beer yourself and cheer on the next folks trying to tuck the hill.
The Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team are a great group of guys and gals who head out into blizzards in the middle of the night to save folks who get lost in the snow. Over the last 40 years they have saved dozens of lives in the backcountry. Money from The Great Ski Race provides the all volunteer organization with the tools they need to successfully do their mission safely. One of the founders Doug Read is profiled in this article that I recently wrote: http://thetahoeweekly.com/2017/02/doug-read/
For information and to register for The Great Ski Race go to: The Great Ski Race
THINK OF ME, LYNN RICHARDSON, FOR ALL OF YOUR LAKE TAHOE AND TRUCKEE REAL ESTATE NEEDS!
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By Tim Hauserman
The Sawtooth is a trail built for mountain biking just a stone’s throw from the Sierra Meadows neighborhood south of Brockway Drive. I hadn’t ridden it in years when I made the good decision to give it another go recently.
Sawtooth is a ten mile loop trail, which begins just off Forest Service Road 06. This major dirt road is part of the route for The Great Ski Race. If you were to keep following it south, you would eventually hit the Fiberboard Freeway near Watson Peak and Watson Lake. The Fiberboard is a Forest Service Road between Brockway Summit and Tahoe City, from which a host of popular single track trails spins off, including the Tahoe Rim Trail.
The Sawtooth trail is not difficult when it comes to the amount of ups and downs you will encounter, but most riders will find it challenging because of the rocky terrain and the numerous quick, sharp turns. The trick is to keep enough speed to make it over the rocks, while going slow enough to survive the hairpin turns. It’s a fun ride.
Fairly quickly, the trail makes it’s way over to the top of the Truckee River canyon, where a series of ridge top views of the Truckee River and Highway 89 await. Past the views the trail winds through Jeffrey pine and fir forest, with a thick understory of manzanita and ground hugging squaw carpet. You reach the southern most point on the trail at a crossing of FS 06. Now the trail becomes smoother, with fewer rocky sections and you have a chance to step on the pedals and get some speed going. You will also find a few decent climbs to get your heart pumping. The trail eventually hits FS 06 a second time and you are given an option: Cross the road and reconnect with a portion of the trail you have already ridden, back over a mile of rocky terrain to the trailhead, or roar down FS 06 back to your car. The entire loop should take the average rider about an hour and a half.
Trailhead: Drive through Sierra Meadows to Thelin. Follow it to the dirt and then find the trailhead on your right.
THINK OF ME, LYNN RICHARDSON, FOR ALL OF YOUR LAKE TAHOE AND TRUCKEE REAL ESTATE NEEDS!
www.lynnrichardson.net
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