Thanks to some extreme ice removal efforts, Palisades Tahoe's annual Lake Cushing Crossing has avoided cancellation this year, and will take place Sunday, May 9th.

Palisades Tahoe crews used cables to cut the frozen pond into three large pieces on Wednesday, and an excavator was brought in on Thursday morning to break the ice and pull the pieces out. Sunny days through Saturday are expected to clear the pond completely in time for the event on Sunday.

"It was quite an operation," commented Syd Crockett, Palisades Tahoe's Race Department Manager. "At one point, with the cables, we had the entire iceberg from the pond pulled three feet up on the bank."

The pond, which is usually clear and surrounded by grass this time of year, has been frozen late into the spring as a result of the recent string of late season cold storms.

Registration for the event begins at noon on Sunday, May 9th, and is limited to only fifty participants. For more information, visit www.squaw.com.