Alpenglow Mountain Festival

by Lynn Richardson

by Tim HausermanA few years ago Brendan Madigan, owner of Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City, and an active member of the Tahoe City Downtown Association, came up with the idea of producing a mountain festival centered to highlight what we love to do at Tahoe. The idea was simple: Introduce the public to human powered winter activities at Tahoe such as back country skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing and do so either free or very inexpensively.

The week long Festival is now in it’s third year and unlike it’s first two years, there is plenty of snow to really get everybody excited about all of the offerings. In fact, some of the events have reached capacity and the rest are filling up fast. The Festival runs from February 20-28th, and every day is packed with fun and educational things to do. Here are a few of the daytime activities:

Classic and skate skiing lessons and tours at both beginner and intermediate level led by experienced local guides and instructors.
Back country skiing and tours as well as avalanche safety and beacon training
Yoga classes almost every day to stretch out those tight muscles you just worked
Recreation information session with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association
Full Moon Snowshoes and a natural history snowshoe with the Tahoe Institute for Natural Sciences
Gear Demo Event
Fitness Skinning-Skiing uphill with skins on your skis with the focus being to increase fitness.

At night the festival has a series of films and events to keep the outdoor vibe going:

Drawn, the Art of Ascent, a screening by critically acclaimed author and film maker Jeremy Collin
Tahoe Style Nachtspektakel- A European inspired event with a moderate uphill backcountry ski to a lakeview location where food and a bonfire await.
Winter Wildland Alliance Backcountry Film Festival
Alpenglow Film Series with world renowned alpinist Kelly Cordes
Wine, Women and Wax-Yep a ladies only wine and cheese event focused on improving waxing technique…on your skis.

If you are around Tahoe or Truckee this week, don’t miss the festival, get online today at alpenglowsports.com for the schedule and to register for events.

THINK OF ME, LYNN RICHARDSON, FOR ALL OF YOUR LAKE TAHOE AND TRUCKEE REAL ESTATE NEEDS!