mountains

By school day, he's the leader on the hill at South Tahoe High School, but by night, he's leading the field of American custom builders of monoskis.

"He" is Chad Houck, second year principal at STHS. Houck was recently featured in his second Warren Miller ski movie, this time in "Chasing Shadows." His first Miller highlight was in 2006 when his monoskiing was in "Off the Grid."

With a forecast for the Sierra of a significant snowfall over both Donner Summit and Echo Summit, Caltrans issued a statement for motorists to take caution and to alert drivers of tools at their disposal to help them on their trip.

High winds are predicted with heavy snow, creating the potential for white-outs and even blizzard conditions on summit passes between Wednesday night and Friday morning.

The SnowGlobe Music Festival announced Thursday additional artists to the 5th anniversary of the three-day celebration in South Lake Tahoe December 29-31, 2015. Hosted in the heart of California’s breathtaking Sierra Nevada Mountains, the unique outdoor winter festival offers over 50 world-class artists performing multiple stages and culminating in an impressive NYE firework show. By day, time is spent enjoying the many alpine adventures available in the stunning setting of Lake Tahoe.

Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort will all be having job fairs at the beginning of November, and new this year, 15- and 16-year-old teens can now be employed.

They are accepting applications for the upcoming 2015-16 winter season as well as having the job fairs.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, El Dorado County, and members of Tahoe Backcountry Alliance announced today they are partnering to create a coalition of stakeholders to maintain and enhance public access for winter backcountry skiing and snowboarding.

“We’re optimistic about this opportunity to work together to get back some of the access that we have lost in the past, and work to enhance access in the future. Let’s together reclaim and preserve backcountry access in the Tahoe Basin,” said Mike Schwartz and Todd Offenbacher, of Tahoe Backcountry Alliance.

Sky diver Erik Lars Roner, an MTV extreme athlete, was killed Monday when he flew into a tree during a charity golf event at Squaw Valley Monday morning, authorities said.

Roner, 39, of Tahoe City, Calif., was part of a team doing a performance for a charity golf tournament when he hit a tree and became entangled about 9:45 a.m., the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.

Roner was pronounced dead at the scene; all other skydivers landed safely, officials said.

The accident occurred at an annual golf fundraiser for the Squaw Valley Institute in Olympic Valley.

A large illicit marijuana grow in the mountains of Lincoln County, NV was eradicated after law enforcement found 6,476 marijuana plants in the remote area. The plants had an estimated street value of $17 million.

It appears that individuals had operated the site for several years and was capable of producing large quantities of illegal marijuana intended for sales and distribution. In addition to the marijuana plants, law enforcement personnel recovered and removed nearly two miles of black irrigation piping, along with various chemicals, used during the growing process

Winds the are continuing to move smoke from the 85,894 acre Rough Fire burning outside of Fresno, CA into the Lake Tahoe Basin this weekend.

There are 1,967 personnel currently assigned to the fire and containment has now been increased to 31%. It is burning in the mountains between Fresno and Independence, CA.

The Rough Fire burning in the mountains east of Fresno, CA has consumed over 77,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, making it the largest active fire in the state of California.

Smoke from this large fire has made it way up to Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley, creating hazy skies along with a faint smell of smoke.

More than 10,000 acres of scenic meadows, forests and trout streams in the Sierra Nevada 10 miles west of Lake Tahoe have been preserved in a deal in which environmentalists hope to prove that thinning out overgrown forests can increase California's water supply.

The Northern Sierra Partnership, an environmental group based in Palo Alto and founded by longtime Silicon Valley leaders Jim and Becky Morgan, joined with the Nature Conservancy and the American River Conservancy to buy the land for $10.1 million from Simorg West Forests, a timber company based in Atlanta.

Perched around a secluded campfire in the Rocky Mountains, Glenn Martin jerked forward, said, "Ow," and died. The wayward bullet that struck him in the national forest has campers and other users calling for changes in recreational shooting policy.

Martin, 60, died July 3 in the Pike & San Isabel National Forest, 30 miles southwest of Denver. The 3.1-million-acre forest holds the record for the most gun-related violations reported in the country, a review of federal records by the USA TODAY Media Network shows.

Two fires, starting within minutes of each other on Saturday, are currently burning out of control in the Sierra Nevada.

9:30 p.m. update 7/26/15:

The Lowell Fire burning near the town of Alta off of I-80 in the Sierras has burned 1,500 acres and is now 15% contained.

Early this evening, two CAL FIRE and two U.S. Forest Service firefighters suffered burn injuries while battling the Lowell Fire in Nevada County. The firefighters were airlifted from the fire and transported to UC Davis Burn Center in Sacramento.

After years of planing and months of public input, the new Airport Master Plan for South Lake Tahoe was presented to the community on Tuesday. About a dozen people attended to see and hear what the final plan might look like.

Since buying the Tahoe Valley Airport from El Dorado County in 1983 for $1, the City of South Lake Tahoe has been supporting its operation which at one time saw almost 300,000 people a year pass through.

Future pilots for the U.S. Marine Corps Cobra and Huey helicopter fleets will get their training in skies above South Lake Tahoe during a 13-day training mission between July 27 and August 8.

South Lake Tahoe is the optimal training location for the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 out of Camp Pendleton, CA. The high altitude will better prepare the Marines for future missions, such as the recent humanitarian relief efforts in the mountains of Nepal.

A beautiful lake surrounded by breathtaking scenery, Lake Tahoe is a year-round tourist destination located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Nevada and California. A popular area, the towns lining the lake feature some amazing eateries from fine-dining establishments to budget-friendly options the entire family will enjoy. Here we take a look at some of the tasty culinary gems found on the Nevada side of the Lake Tahoe area.

Austin's

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has announced the release of a new tool for those who enjoy backcountry travel in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

Since weather patterns in the mountains can change quickly, those in the backcountry need to be prepared, and there is now a webpage dedicated to year-round Sierra Nevada travel.

Outdoor enthusiasts in Lake Tahoe will soon be able to access one of the North Shore's most popular destinations, Northstar California.

The Northstar Golf Course opens on May 15 with the rest of the extensive variety of summer adventure following with a May 22 grand opening.

Memorial Day Weekend marks the grand summer opening of the mountain bike park, hiking trails, and all activities, dining and shopping offered throughout The Village at Northstar.

Northstar Golf Course tees off Friday, May 15

The consolidation of ski operations in Lake Tahoe continues with news Monday that plans are underway to install a gondola to connect Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski resorts.

The resorts, both owned by Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, reached an agreement with Troy Caldwell, the owner of the property between the base of the resorts, to build a gondola that will run about two miles.

South Lake Tahoe native Aaron Hussmann will share his book, "500 Miles of South Lake Tahoe Hikes" at the South Lake Tahoe Library on May 12 at 6 p.m.

After going away to college, Aaron moved back to the Sierra Nevada mountains for an intentional summer of hiking and backpacking that became the basis for his guidebook.

Just in time for hiking season, Hussmanm hopes his work will inspire others to get outdoors and become better stewards of Lake Tahoe.

Join the Friends of the Library for a motivating hike presentation. Book sale and signing to follow.

Free and open to all.

Location

Heavenly Mountain Resort added summertime activities to the top of the gondola last summer but that was only the beginning if the Epic Discovery Project gets approval from the necessary agencies.

Top women's cycling teams from around the world will converge on South Lake Tahoe for the Amgen Tour of California Women's Race title May 8-9. Fourteen teams will take part in the three stage cycling competition which will have both start and finish lines at Heavenly Mountain Resort's California Main Lodge

The race is sanctioned by Union Cycliste International, denoting the highest level for a non-World Cup event.

The drought has already had a dramatic impact on farmers in the Smith and Mason Valleys, but this year it is going to be even harder to make a living. The state agency that controls ground water in the area decided Tuesday to cut each farmers allocation in half.

On wet year most farmers rely on water from the Walker River, but with little to no snow in the mountains this year there will likely be no water in the river. Ground water is the back-up water supply, but this year even that is being reduced.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

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4:02 p.m. - Search & Rescue - Angora Ridge - SEARCH AND RESCUE RESPONSE FOR A MEDICAL AID AND RECOVERY OF HIKERS ON ANGORA RIDGE RD. THREE FEMALES, AGES 22, 23 AND 23 WERE BROUGHT TO SAFETY.

Travis Ganong, of Squaw Valley, CA and 2014 Olympian, took advantage of a new course for the men's Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour and punched through for his career first victory, winning the Santa Caterina downhill. Austria's Matthias Mayer was the only one who got close to Ganong, finishing in second, nine-hundredths back. Italy's Dominick Paris was third.