#9 Snowfest Spirit
"It's not any one individual event, but the whole Snowfest spirit. I get a feeling of happiness and good cheer that I really appreciate." Steve Risko, a.k.a. 'Snow Slippery.'

#10 Mr. North Lake Contest

#7 Family Affair
"The first carnival was in a tent in the Safeway parking lot next to the State Park. It was pretty experimental but the tent didn't fall down! The North Shore has always lacked attention, so Snowfest was an attempt to get something started. It was very much a family affair...and still is." Fritzi Briner

#8 Fireworks

Even regular days of sunshine come with a price; we feel we must "do something" to take full advantage of the rays and ease of movement. The good news is that we have at hand the perfect antidote for stress from any source. We have the lake and the river, which are one in the same, really.


"Yes, as everyone knows, meditation and water are wedded forever." --Ishmael in Moby Dick.

#5 Lasers
"It was the year they handed out 3-D glasses for the laser show on Opening Night. I was watching all the skiers come down off KT, listening to the music, and spinning out with the lasers. It was so festive and so wonderful to have such a well-done event, and I thought just what a cool place Tahoe was to live." Dave Wilderotter, owner of Dave's Skis And Boards.

#6 Miss Sierra Snowfest Pageant

#3 Snow Sculpture
"One year there was hardly any snow. I had to bring in tons of snow by loader and shovel it onto the River Ranch back deck. It was so warm that I thought everybody's entry was going to melt before the judges could look at them." John L. Weedn, organizer of Snowfest Snow Sculpture Contest.

#4 Warm Welcome

It is a unique ski club in that it has both Alpine and Nordic programs. The club does not sell daily tickets. People join the club to gain access to the area, and they pay a small fee for a season pass. The club's 14KM system of cross-country trails is well groomed for skating and striding, and it provides excellent views of Castle Peak. The interesting network has lots of up hills and down hills, and given its location on a north-facing slope just shy of the top of Donner Summit, the network is almost always a safe bet for snow.

Most Tahoe resorts didn't even allow them on their slopes until the mid-1980s. The almost surf-like form, with one foot forward and the trailing ski carving, attracted a cult-like following quite foreign to the smug, hip set at alpine resorts.

How wrong we critics were.

Freeheel (Telemark and Randonee) Skiing

There are four such huts built and maintained by volunteers: Bensen, built in 1949; Peter Grubb built in 1938-9; Ludlow built in 1958; and Bradley (Pole Creek) re-built in 1998.

Bensen Hut

By the 1980s, North American resorts were beginning to feature pedestrian villages with multiple attractions for families, including large day-care centers. Many resorts had low-rise buildings snuggled discreetly into their surroundings and plenty of open space, largely free of automobiles. Baby boomers and social trends favored the environment and plenty of interaction. Alain Lazard saw what was occurring and hoped to fulfill his dreams in Coldsteam Canyon.

Where is the Canyon?