Cross Country Skiing Returns to Nevada

Cross-Country Skiing Returns to Nevada –In Our Backyard!

By Joseph Shaefer

Your choice: a gentle glide on a perfectly groomed trail or a day of exhilarating exhaustion. Either way, the sunshine and fresh air invigorate and revitalize.

Some years ago, IVGID groomed Nordic ski trails in the high country up in the Old Mt. Rose Highway-Chickadee Ridge area just a few miles outside Incline Village. When that ceased to be, only the most advanced Nordic skiers or most intrepid snowshoers could enjoy the delights—and workout!—of skiing in our beautiful winter forests.

Until now. A coalition of snowshoers, fat tire bike riders and Nordic skiers banded together to form Nevada Nordic (NN), a 501c3 non-profit organization, dedicated to opening the pleasures of our local winter wonderland to more than just a few hardy and experienced skiers. Now there is a community of people who are learning on and enjoying the use of well-groomed trails.

Grooming is a “no trace left behind” winter activity. We can only groom when there is a good layer of snow, but that ensures that we never touch the soil or remove any natural features. Yet it provides an even and slightly packed surface to ski or snowshoe on.

Groomed trails mean that even beginners can have the joy of learning to ski on skinny skis. Nevada Nordic provides this service on a completely “no fee” basis. We exist solely from donations from happy users of our trails. Sometimes that is enough, sometimes—well, not as much. But we soldier on!

IVGID has endorsed Nevada Nordic’s activities to provide winter recreation for residents of IV/CB. NDOT has given a permit to Nevada Nordic to use the unpaved Old Mt. Rose Highway in the area. We await only the approval of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the US Forest Service. We have spent the past nine months providing responses to ever more forms, training, certifications, requests for information and other documentation. We hope now the LTBMU will provide a Special Use Permit (SUP) for NN to provide groomed trails on this public land. (Official USFS maps show motorized access is allowed in this area.)

If you have not tried Nordic skiing, Nevada Nordic’s website (https://nevadanordic. org/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/InclineMeadowsXC) will give you the basics, show the breadth of appreciation from current users, and help you get started.

If you are hesitant to try the above any of the winter sports available where we groom, come on up and observe or chat with those who are enjoying themselves already.

Where We Are

We groom, pending LTBMU issuance of the SUP, in the area on the map below bordered by the blue and green double lines. From the roundabout at Highways 28 and 431, our groomed area begins 5.2 miles east on Mt. Rose Hwy. at the Parking area where Old Mt. Rose Hwy. intersects current Mt. Rose Hwy. and continues to the Parking area at the crest at Incline Lake Road.

Nevada Nordic would like to invite our entire IV/CB community to come and enjoy a morning or afternoon of skiing, snowshoeing or just getting out into the fresh mountain air on a sunny winter’s day. You provide the enthusiasm, Nevada Nordic will provide the grooming that makes for comfortable snowshoeing or skiing, and we will all walk away with a smile on our face. That is the joy of XC skiing. That is the delight of wintertime. That is the pleasure and the privilege of living in the most beautiful place in America.

7th Annual TAHOE FILM FEST

The 7th Tahoe Film Fest will take place December 2–5 with films being screened at Incline Village Cinema, Northstar Village Cinema and the Crystal Bay Casino Crown Room. 100% of proceeds and ticket sales benefit the Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) with several films pertaining to our current environment and climate crisis.

Reflection: A Walk With Water, filmmaker Emmett Brennan takes us on a severalhundred-mile journey on foot along the Los Angeles Aqueduct. His film sets the groundwork for ideas about reshaping society with water in mind. Oscar nominee Lucy Walker’s Bring Your Own Brigade takes a sharp look at the apocalyptic wildfires in California while Tasha Van Zandt’s After Antarctica follows polar explorer Will Steger’s life journey as an eyewitness to the greatest changes to the polar regions of our planet. Invisible Valley which opened this year’s Santa Barbara Film Festival explores the history of Coachella Valley including the ecological tragedy of the Salton Sea. All four filmmakers will be in attendance to introduce and discuss their films.

National Geographic has provided us with three important new films. The Rescue is Jimmy Chin’s (Free Solo) latest film about the twelve young soccer players rescued from a cave in Thailand which won Best Documentary at Toronto Film Festival. The First Wave recently opened the Hamptons Film Festival with exclusive access to one of New York City’s hardest hit hospitals. Oscar nominated director Matthew Heineman spotlights the everyday heroes at the epicenter of the COVID 19 pandemic. of Mount Shishapangma. Torn premiered at Telluride Film Festival with Max Lowe directing a film about his father, the legendary climber Alex Lowe, who died in an avalanche on the Himalayan peak

We continue to showcase new music documentaries in the Crown Room at Crystal Bay Casino. Summer of Soul won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is the directorial debut of musician Questlove (Jimmy Fallon show). The Velvet Underground is a vibrant cinematic collage that is as much about New York in the ‘60s and ‘70s as it is about the rise and fall of a group that has been called as influential as the Beatles. Bernstein’s Wall is an enlightening look at Leonard Bernstein, one of the greatest music figures of the 20th century. Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over documents a living legend chronicling her New Jersey roots, formative experience singing in church, and early success at Harlem’s famed Apollo theater. Warwick won a special award at the Toronto Film Festival.

In addition to these music docs, we are showcasing two films at Crystal Bay which celebrate the ‘60s generation so bring out your bell bottoms and tie dyed shirts! Going Further is a feature length documentary that shows an on-the-ground account of how Ken Kesey, the Merry Pranksters, and the Acid Tests helped to generate a nonconformist society of freethinkers, artists and altruists who are now pushing the evolutionary envelope of human potential. We Are As Gods offers a compelling deep dive into the many sides of Stewart Brand - creator of the Whole Earth Catalog, an influential member of the Merry Pranksters, a founder of the modern environmental movement, and today a vocal advocate for bringing back extinct species of animals and plants.

Multiple Emmy award winning director Robert Weide (Curb Your Enthusiasm) conducts interviews with one of the most popular literary figures of the 20th and 21st Centuries in Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time.

Other film highlights include Another Round, a film from Denmark which won this year’s Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Quo Vadis, Aida? from Bosnia, which was nominated for the Academy Award and took home the Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film and New Order from Mexico which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Tahoe Film Fest wishes to thank our Founding Partners - North Lake Tahoe, Crystal Bay Casino, Reno Tahoe, Coldwell Banker Select Real Estate, Sierra Sun and UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

for further information, tickets & Passes visit www.tahoefilmfest.com

Work & Play at Diamond Peak Ski Resort

By Paul Raymore

This winter, why not get a job at Incline Village’s own community-owned ski resort—Diamond Peak? The mountain has part-time, full-time and flexible schedule options, with both indoor and outdoor jobs available. Potential perks include free/discounted season passes for the employee (and potentially your spouse/dependents), food/beverage discounts, and more. See positions available on page 13.

SAVE THE DATE

This winter, Diamond Peak and the Incline Village Parks & Recreation team are excited to bring back some of our favorite community events and programs.

December 24-25: Santa & Penguin Pete Visit

Santa Claus and his trusty sidekick Penguin Pete (Diamond Peak’s official mascot) greet kids of all ages on the slopes of Diamond Peak. Catch these two lovable characters in and around the Base Area as well as on the slopes.

January 1–March 15: Diamond Cut Video

Competition Each winter, this annual video edit contest highlights the incredible local talent we have right here at Diamond Peak with an awards ceremony and screening of the top video submissions received throughout the season. Grab your phone, GoPro or video camera, get your crew of friends together, and go film yourself having fun at Diamond Peak. You just might win some fabulous prizes. Find more information and submission guidelines online at diamondpeak.com/events.

February 4: Annual Ullr Fest Party, Bonfire &

Torchlight Parade The 12th annual Ullr Fest, to raise funds for the Diamond Peak Ski Team, will be held February 4, 2022. The action-packed evening includes a torchlight parade, bonfire, and live music. Come dressed in your Ullr attire as prizes will be given for best costumes.

March 20: 20th Annual Dummy Downhill

Participants build a dummy on skis or snowboards that get launched off of a big jump, fly down the hill and crash hard. Even non-skiers will want to come watch the madness! Dummies will be judged on creativity on the Base Lodge deck, followed by the jumping and an awards ceremony.

March 26-27: Luggi Foeger Uphill/Downhill Festival

Lake Tahoe Basin’s premier SkiMo competition and an incredibly family-friendly event - race to the top of the mountain using whatever human-powered method you prefer – skins, snowshoes, running shoes, etc. Then ski, snowboard, snowshoe, or run back down to