National Championships set for Mammoth

The alpine skii season makes its final stop at Mammoth Mountain, March 31-April 5 for the Oroweat 2005 U.S. Alpine Championships.

Races will begin everywhere from the Gondola Building near Mammoth's 11,053-foot summit, to mid-mountain.

Participating racers include recently crowned World Cup overall champion and two-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller, and Olympians Daron Rahlves and Julia Mancuso, as well as America's leading speed specialist on the World Cup circuit Lindsey Kildow, to up-and-coming athletes climbing their way to the World Cup.

The championships will ignite with an opening ceremony at the Village at Mammoth at 5 p.m. on Saturday April 1. The ceremony will feature an athlete parade, athlete recognition and awards, and a fireworks display, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

PASS RESTRICTIONS LIFTED

All Northstar and Sierra season pass restrictions are ended for the remainder of the season. This means all Double Whammy and Sierra-only passes will be valid every day at Sierra and Northstar.

Call Sierra-at-Tahoe's season pass office at (530) 659-7453 or Northstar-at-Tahoe at (530) 562-2267.

ALPINE MEADOWS HOSTS BIG AIR

Alpine Meadows will host the King and Queen of the Sierra Big Air Competition Saturday, March 26 after heavy snow forced the March19 date back. Presented by Snowbomb.com and open to all skiers and snowboarders, it's a "big air" format competition, taking place on Nick's Run front and center to the Alpine Meadows Sundeck.

Registration will take place in the Alpine Meadows base lodge cafeteria from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The entry fee is $25 (lift ticket sold separately). Practice runs will start at noon and the competition will start at 12:30. Helmets are required. Under 18 years of age? A parent or legal guardian must sign a liability waiver on your behalf.

There is a $2,000 prize purse, great gear and free swag.

Call (530) 581-8321

EASTER FESTIVITIES

Northstar will kick off the Easter day festivities with a fun obstacle race course especially designed for kids at 11 a.m. (participants must have a lift ticket). Prizes will be awarded to all children after completion of the course.

For a real challenge, guests can participate in a raw egg toss at 12:30 p.m.

School is out and it's time to hit the slopes. Northstar-at-Tahoe (Northstar) and Sierra-at-Tahoe (Sierra) invite vacationers to 'Spring It On' as they prepare for amazing events, parties and discounted lift tickets for the remainder of the 2004-05 winter season.

Adults and young adults who show a current student ID card can ski/ride for only $39 at Northstar and Sierra during three event-filled college weeks. In order to receive the discount, students simply print out the coupon located at www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com or www.SierraAtTahoe.com and present it at any ticket window once arriving to the resort. The $39 College Weeks coupon is valid Monday through Friday from March 14-April 1, restrictions apply.

For non-students, Sierra-at-Tahoe offers its 3-pak of lift tickets for $117, which allows adults to ski for $39 per day and Northstar-at-Tahoe offers a quad ticket pak which breaks down to less than $48 per day. Lift ticket Paks do not need to be used on consecutive dates and there are no blackout dates.

FREESTYLE EVENTS

Let loose and participate in some great freestyle events taking place throughout the spring season. Sierra will host the Salomon United Series, a slopestyle competition open to men and women of all ages and ability levels with a cash purse of $10,000. The winner of this event will receive a cash prize and an invitation to the 2006 Honda Sessions in Vail, Colo.

Skiers and riders headed to Northstar can grind, twist and jump their way toward great prizes in the Snowbomb.com Sick and Twisted Slope style competition on Sunday, March 13. Those who prefer the superpipe can partake in Northstar's Freestyle Series Superpipe Competition. Cost is $10 to register and registration will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Village Plaza (a lift ticket or season pass is required to participate in the event). This two-run format event is open to men and women of all ages. Ladies wanting an event all their own are encouraged to ride for a great cause and participate in the Ladies Jib Jam event, where registration is $20 or a donation to the Boarding for Breast Cancer Foundation.

Roxy Snowboard Camp will take place at Sierra today for beginner to intermediate snowboarders wanting to fine tune their riding style. Cost is $75 for passholders and $135 for non-passholders and includes a lesson, lunch and lift ticket.

For more information and a full list of events taking place this spring at both Sierra-at-Tahoe and Northstar-at-Tahoe visit www.SierraAtTahoe.com or www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com or call (530) 659-7453 or 1-800-GO-NORTH.

SQUAW VALLEY HAPPENINGS

Squaw Valley has announced it will again offer the 'Step Up to Squaw' spring pass program offering new pass holders the option to buy their full 2005-2006 pass after April 1 at the early season discount rate and ski or ride free for the rest of this season, plus enjoy the Cable Car free all summer.

To take advantage of this offer visit Squaw Valley's Special Tickets office or purchase your pass online at www.squaw.com.

The North Face Squaw Valley Challenge, a season-long recreational race series, continues with two more race dates before the competition finals, scheduled on April 9. All participating finalists will be entered into the Grand Prize drawing for two round trip tickets to Hawaii, courtesy of Runaway Vacations.

The recreational race series is open to men and women skiers, snowboarders and telemarkers and continues with races on Thursday, March 31 and a last chance qualifier prior to the finals on April 9. The format for the series is simple: on each of the race days the course will be open between 10 a.m.-1p.m. Competitors may arrive at their convenience, register for $5 at the top of the course and take two timed runs (lift ticket not included). Racers may compete in one of these categories: men's and women's ski, snowboard or telemark. At 3:30 p.m. each race day, participants are invited to Le Chamois' Loft Bar for an awards presentation and Challenge After Party.

Top finishers from each race qualify for the finals scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 9. All participating finalists will be entered in the Grand Prize drawing to win two round trip airline tickets from the west coast to Hawaii.

SNOWBOARD FINALS

On March 26 30 of the nation's top amateur snowboarders will come together to vie for a professional athlete sponsorship in the Forum Youngblood Finals - the grand finale in an event series with more than 20 stops in Canada and the U.S.

The winners from each Forum Youngblood Series slopestyle competition are invited to the finals, a pre-qualified event held at Sierra-at-Tahoe. Competitors will tackle a custom slopestyle course on Lower Bashful with an emphasis on big air and rail tricks. The competition will be judged by professional riders from the Forum Snowboard team.

On the day of the event, registration will be held at 8:30 a.m. in the Sierra Pub, where breakfast will be served. Riders can practice from 9 to 11 a.m. and the competition will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A second competition for Best Trick will be held on Lower Bashful from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. and is open to all competitors.

The event is free to enter for invited competitors. After the event, a bus will take competitors into South Lake Tahoe to board the Tahoe Paradise Yacht, where the awards ceremony will be held. Spectators are encouraged and this event will present many great photo opportunities.

Those seeking further information on the Forum Youngblood Finals can call (530) 659-7453 or log onto www.SierraAtTahoe.com.

SUGAR BOWL EASTER

The Sugar Bowl Easter tradition continues with the Easter Bunny showing up for the annual egg hunt on Nob Hill. The hunt begins at 9 a.m. Follow it up with a special Easter Brunch in the Village Dining room and a day of skiing on the fresh snow! Sounds like a great way to spend the holiday!

Get a Sugar Bowl Gift Card at Safeway and save $10 on Weekends and Holidays.

Sugar Bowl Ski & Sports announces their spring blowout sale! The best deals are online. Choose from top of the line equipment like Salomon, Volkl, Tecnica, Rossignol and K2. Order the goods and they'll either ship it to you or they'll custom fit your equipment when you come to pick it up. To check out the selection go to www.sugarbowlonlinestore1939.com.