"The race originated by chance," recalled the late Norm Simmons. Simmons was a Palisades Tahoe ski patrolman and groomer who moved to Palisades Tahoe in 1966 after a short stint with the Houston Oilers of the old American Football League. Simmons won the Chinese Downhill four times; he perfected the "ski-to-die" technique" before it became a marketing tool and economic boost to the modern ski industry.

Called White Wolf, the 460-acre parcel he secured in 1989 lies between Alpine Meadows and Palisades Tahoe. It includes 75 acres within the Palisades Tahoe Ski Corp boundaries. Since 1990 Squaw has rented the land from Caldwell. In November 2000, after a decade of legal haggling with his neighbors, Caldwell obtained a conditional use permit to install a ski lift on his land from the Placer County Planning Commission. The permit stipulated that:
--Only 25 skiers could use the lift per day.
--Caldwell could not sell tickets.
--There can be no access from the Palisades Tahoe ridge.

Why couldn't we win more than one game? How could we tie Latvia? Why did we look, sound, and play so pathetic? After all, we won silver in 2002. Now I know. Our hockey players eat too much.

We joined Julia in Torino when she received her medal. It was tear jerking, especially for Jeff who coached her during her junior race career at Palisades Tahoe. Needless to say we celebrated late into the night, Italian style.

Our Olympics are over. It was an amazing time for the five of us. Being part of the alpine action stirred our love for skiing, for the mountains, for each other, and for all our wonderful friends across the world. We are already looking forward to Canada in 2010.

#12 Corporate Ski Challenge
"I never got that much involved in Snowfest events except for the Corporate Ski Challenge, which by the way, was a Bob Everson idea. In the first ten years Snowfest grew quite rapidly and became a massive event. At one point it was slightly beyond our capacity to handle it. There were so many participants...and all the social events. But we made it. Werner Schuster, former Vice-President, Alpine Meadows.

#13 Kiwanis Shovel Brigade

Tamara McKinney: "At Sarejevo I had the fastest second run in the Giant slalom, but ended up fourth. I would have loved to have won a medal. But everything happens for a reason. I didn't need to be consoled. Coming in fourth wasn't the worst thing to ever happen to me."

#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

We finally had a day off from the ski races. It was much needed as the boys have been in ski boots since February 6th. We caught a train into Turin and watched the USA play Russia in hockey at the Palasport Olympic Venue. Russia won, 5-4; it was a great game and high-level hockey. Each player on both teams plays in the NHL.

Afterwards we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant of all things. It was awesome. Nothing like a little Chinese in Italy!

Daron also thought there were a couple spots in the course where his tips tried to cross. Either way, he had a smile on his face and was ready to HAMMER DOWN in the Super G and CS.