King of the Mountain was a special event

The Jeep King of the Mountain ski and snowboard races last weekend at Heavenly Mountain Resort (as it is now named) offered locals a chance to see the new "Y" race format in action.

It's a way to wring more excitement out of racing with two contestants starting on jib-marked courses which join at a Y intersection and continue down a single banked and curved track. On the World Cup run spectators had a good view of it all, thanks to a giant TV screen that showed the races.

A national audience will be able to view the King of the Mountain Series Skiing and Snowboarding World Championship on Feb. 19-20.

Champions are:

Men's Skiing - 1. Tyler Shepherd, St. Paul, Minn.; 2. Markus Wittner, Austria; 3. Martin Fiala, Germany; 4. Casey Puckett, USA

Men's Snowboarding - 1. Jasey Jay Anderson, Canada; 2. Markus Ebne, Germany; 3. Graham Watanabe, Hailey, Idaho; 4. Pete Thorndike, USA

Women's Skiing - 1. Karin Huttary, Austria; 2. Katherina Gutensohn, Germany

3. Franziska Steffen, Switzerland; 4. Kristina Duvillard, France

Women's Snowboarding - 1. Katharina Himmler, Germany; 2. Ursula Smith, Austria

3. Joanie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.; 4. Tanja Frieden, Switzerland

Canada's Jasey Jay Anderson and Germany's Martin Fiala won overall King of the Mountain honors.

HEAVENLY TO MAY 1

With official California Department of Water Resources snow survey results showing Sierra snowpack above normal and resort snow depths reaching up to 10 feet, Heavenly Mountain Resort will extend ts winter season until May 1.

After receiving yet another 4 inches of powder snow in the last 48 hours, resort officials have decided to extend Heavenly's ski and snowboard season by two weeks.

SKI CHALLENGE

The 29th Annual Dick Linkey Rotary Ski Challenge, presented by the Tahoe City Rotary Club, is scheduled for Friday, March 4 at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort. This year, more than 300 Rotarians are expected to participate in the Rotary Ski Challenge, some coming from as far away as Oregon and Southern California.

The event kicks off at 8:15 a.m. with registration at Alpine Meadow's Main Lodge. To register, contact Steve Swigard, (530) 583-5296 or Gary Meadville, (530) 546-7115.

PATROLLERS HONORED

Four Volunteer National Ski Patrollers from Boreal Mountain Resort will be honored by the National Ski Patrol Program and thanked by Boreal Mountain Resort Saturday.

On Nov. 21, 2004, A.J. Chmura, Bill Davies, Hans-Peter Baier, and Charlene McLaughlin saved the life of 18-year-old Matt Neubert, who went into cardiac arrest while visiting Boreal. The four patrollers responded to the emergency. Because of the volunteer ski patrollers' quick response, Matt went on to make a full recovery. National Ski Patrol Representative Ken Bergman will present Chmura, Davies, and Baier with the Purple Merit Star for excellent first-on-scene response, and Charlene McLaughlin with the Yellow Merit Star for excellent scene management and coordination.

VANS CUP

The inaugural Vans Cup at Tahoe will draw the world's best snowboarders including Danny Kass, Shaun White, Marc-Frank Montoya, Andreas Wiig and Tara Dakides to Northstar-at-Tahoe today through Sunday to compete in an innovative competition dubbed the B.A.R., or Best All-Around Rider. The event has a total prize purse of more than $200,000. The Vans Cup at Tahoe will air on Fox Sports Net nationally in two parts at 3 p.m. March 17 and March 24.

Over the past decade, the Vans Triple Crown of Snowboarding has showcased the top snowboarders. Instead of a standard slopestyle course, Vans contest organizers are merging the three major elements of freestyle snowboarding (rails, jumps, transitions) into one. The course starts with a series of rails flowing into a huge kicker and finishing with a quarter-pipe/hip combo.

Those without lift tickets can receive a free gondola ticket, thanks to Tylenol.

FULL MOON TOUR

On Friday Feb. 25, guests can enjoy the serenity of the outdoors and satisfy their thirst for adventure on Northstar-At-Tahoe's Full Moon Snowshoe & Nordic Tour. Complete with bonfire, hot chocolate, s'mores and of course, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, the experience will allow guests to warm their souls while they soak up the breathtaking views of the Sierra and the Lake Tahoe Basin under the moonlight.

The Full Moon Snowshoe & Nordic Tour will begin at 5 p.m. and costs $25 per person. Call (530) 562-2475 for reservations.

VALENTINE'S FUN RACE

For those who have not made Valentine's Day plans yet, Northstar and Sierra offer the Valentine's Fun Race, perfect gift ideas and a dinner.

For the Valentine's Fun Race , grab a sweetheart, a friend, or a sibling and head out to Main Street at Northstar for this couples' fun race from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday. Participation is free with the purchase of a lift ticket or a season pass. Reservations are required for this dinner and can be made by calling (530) 562-2250.