STATELINE, Nev. – At approximately 11:55 a.m., the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to two separate fatal ski incidents at Heavenly’s Boulder Lodge.
Both decedents were transported to the base area by Heavenly Ski Patrol. Life-saving measures were attempted by Ski Patrol and Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District paramedics; however, both individuals were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The incidents are not connected, and there is no known relationship between the decedents.
The cause and manner of death are pending. Identification of the decedents will be released following notification of next of kin.
Snowfall at Kirkwood off of Chair 6. Skier: Ricky Newberry.Provided/Carly Mangan
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The doom and gloom of a potentially terrible season in Tahoe have been buried under more than eight feet of snow. Lines at lifts are up to an hour long in some areas as excited riders take to the mountain to get a taste of what has been a highly anticipated Tahoe winter wonderland.
As snow totals from the recent storm continue to accumulate, resorts are thrilled with the way things are turning out.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort, among them, has received 232 inches of snowfall so far this season, with 60 inches in the last three days.
“We’re expecting another 8–12 inches by the weekend,” said Carly Mangan, Communications Manager at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. “We were really excited that this storm came in and has remained very cold, which has brought us some really high-quality, light powder. The skiing and riding has been incredible. This amount of snow has set us up with a really healthy snowpack and base to carry us through the reminder of the winter and into the springtime.”
While lifts were being dug out over at Heavenly and wind gusts were wreaking some havoc on their upper-mountain lifts during the storm, it’s nothing their team couldn’t handle, and the weather provided a much needed layer of snowpack for the resort.
“Prior to this storm, it’s no secret that the Tahoe region did not receive much snow after the holidays. While we were able to stay 100% open throughout that time period, we welcomed this snowfall with open arms to refill, refresh, and set our snowpack up for a great spring skiing season,” said Cole Zimmerman, Senior Manager of Communications at Heavenly. “We have received 58 inches of snow in this storm cycle with additional snow falling consistently throughout the day today, February 19.”
On the other side of the lake, Diamond Peak reported a 59 inch storm total from the recent storm cycle.
“Everyone is very excited, everyone is very tired,” said Diamond Peak Marketing and Communications Manager, Paul Raymore, noting how hard mountain operations teams have been working to get everything open.
“We’re pretty proud that Diamond Peak is one of the few resorts able to operate fully during the storm,” said Raymore. “The snow is great. It came in very cold so the powder is very light and fluffy – a skier and snowboarder’s dream.”
Thanks to the previous holiday winter storms, Diamond Peak was able to sustain until the next snowfall. “It really helped kick things off and brought conditions to what we expect in Tahoe,” Raymore said. “While we haven’t seen too many big storms in between, the conditions have been pretty good.”
Mt. Rose’s elevation has kept them a top contender during the dry periods of the season so far.
“Our high base elevation at 8,260 feet gave us the 5-plus feet at Christmas, plus the 2 feet in early January gave us the deep base we needed to be 100% open,” Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe marketing director Mike Pierce told the Sun.
With great conditions now set for resorts around Lake Tahoe, an optimistic spring ski season is on the horizon.
LAKE TAHOE BASIN, Calif. / Nev. – After the heaviest storm cycle of the season, the Lake Tahoe region is finally getting a brief break — though it won’t last long.
According to the National Weather Service, the pressure system that brought widespread snowfall is now moving east and away from the region.
Cold but Quiet Weekend
The primary concern over the next few days will be frigid temperatures. NWS forecasters say a weak upper-level ridge will settle over the region this weekend, bringing mostly dry but cold conditions, particularly during the morning hours.
Morning lows today and tomorrow are forecast to dip into the teens across western Nevada and northeast California, with single digits in the Tahoe Basin. Despite the frigid start, skies are expected to be partly sunny today.
NWS also warns that wind chills in the Sierra will be particularly bitter. Areas near the Sierra crest — especially along the Eastern Sierra and in the White Mountains — could see wind chills ranging from -10°F to -35°F this morning.
Conditions are expected to moderate slightly by Sunday as temperatures begin to warm. Western Nevada, northeast California, and the Tahoe Basin should see wind chills improve into the teens, while the highest elevations remain in the single digits.
The Next Storm
Forecasters are already tracking the next system.
“The next storm system appears to take a very leisurely track as it descends from the Gulf of Alaska toward the West Coast,” the National Weather Service said in its weather discussion. “The first wave approaches the area on Sunday, resulting in gusty winds for portions of northeast California.”
According to OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto, “The next round of storms could move in sometime Monday night and continue through next Wednesday, the 25th. These storms could bring more snow to the northern Sierra, heavy at times, and rain to the lower elevations.”
The National Weather Service is also forecasting a 20–50% chance of light rain and mountain snow showers above 6,000 feet in northeast California on Sunday and Monday. The upper-level low is expected to remain offshore before pushing through the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia from Monday night through Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the system is expected to draw an atmospheric river southward across the Sierra and into the Great Basin. Snow levels are projected to rise to around 7,000–8,000 feet, bringing accumulating snow to higher elevations and mostly rain below that threshold.
The combination of rain falling on top of fresh snow could lead to rising and fast-moving flows on rivers and creeks.
“Although it is too early to tell if we will see river flooding, we are uncertain about how much rain we will receive since it is still several days out,” the National Weather Service said. “Based on the accumulated snow over the past few days, this could lead to issues if there are no clear drainage paths in urban areas.”
After this system moves through, forecasters are calling for warmer and drier conditions, with only a low probability of another quick-moving system next weekend.
7-Day Snow Totals
Resorts across the Tahoe region have reported impressive snowfall totals over the past week:
Diamond Peak: 74 inches
Palisades Tahoe: 87 inches
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: 55–66 inches
Northstar California: 80 inches
Sugar Bowl Resort: 103–111 inches
Kirkwood Mountain Resort: 92 inches
Heavenly Mountain Resort: 61 inches
Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Resort: 55 inches
Boreal Mountain California: 91 inches
Sierra-at-Tahoe: 56–91 inches
Soda Springs Mountain Resort: 96–106 inches
Homewood Mountain Resort: 67–98 inches
For powder seekers, the past week has delivered in a big way.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – As snow settles on the ground and temperatures drop, it’s easy to think most animals are doing what plenty of people do—curling up somewhere warm and waiting out the freeze.
While it’s a fun fact that Tahoe bears rarely go into full hibernation (with human sources of food around, there’s not much need to), plenty of other creatures in the region spend their winters stockpiling, swimming or staving off the cold in other ways, and researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) spend their time studying them.
Seedy business
Chickadee Ridge is a popular tourist spot near Mount Rose, where the little grey birds flock to forage seeds out of people’s hands. But for their diminutive size, chickadees have a big memory.
According to researcher Vladimir Pravosudov, mountain chickadees are in a constant state of feeding, rapidly gaining and losing fat every day. But to prepare for scarce food sources in winter, they store seeds to find and eat later, a behavior known as caching.
These birds will cache thousands of seeds anywhere they can put them: among lichens, in a gap in the tree bark, up in the branches—anywhere above the snowline, scattered so they’re harder to steal from. Then they memorize each of these locations for reliable food after blizzards leave the rest of the landscape bare.
A chickadee brain is the size of about two cashew nuts, and it’s able to retain where each cache is, making it possible for the birds to survive the winter. “They’re very clever creatures. They learn quickly, and some birds we have in Tahoe are 9-10 years old,” said Pravosudov. The average chickadee lives for only 2-3 years.
Black capped chickadeeVladimir Pravosudov
Other birds have the ability to migrate down the mountain to warmer climes, especially the larger ones. Pravosudov says smaller birds like chickadees typically stay at elevation. However, one subspecies of sparrow can be seen in winter, but is actually migrating too—the white-crowned sparrows here migrate to Mexico, but a population that lives in Canada and Alaska overwinters in Tahoe.
Tiny birds have another amazing ability to endure the bitter cold. First, they fluff up, which insulates them in the same way a down-filled sleeping bag would. Then, they tuck their beaks into their shoulders, helping them to retain the heat of their breath.
Lastly, if needed, they can enter a state of hypothermia. By dropping their body temperature a few degrees, their metabolic rates slow down, which makes them more energy efficient. Especially if food was particularly scarce, going into this state overnight can get a bird to morning, where they can hopefully scrounge up more food.
Pravosudov spends much of his winters seeing what birds do up in Sagehen Forest near Truckee, though he often stops by Incline Village. One thing he’s interested in learning more about is where precisely these birds go during blizzards.
“Birds can often sense the environmental change before a storm comes, and there are areas where wind may be less harsh or could be protected from the snow,” said Pravosudov. “Where are these refuges for birds and how are they moving to them? That’s something interesting to study.”
Sneezing snakes
Believe it or not, snakes can catch colds, just like people do. And while humans might get a fever, which kills the bacteria or viruses causing illness, snakes will try to raise their body temperature by basking longer to help their immune system.
For ectothermic animals (sometimes called “cold-blooded”) like reptiles and amphibians, keeping warm during the winter is an all-important task. To stave off the cold, snakes will eat plenty of food in the fall, then start to find hibernacula—the scientific term for winter shelters.
Biologist Chris Feldman says they prefer rocky crevices along hillsides where the snow can’t penetrate, and the soil stays relatively warm. Rodent burrows are another option, which might be abandoned or vacated after a snake has another meal.
While scientists used to call the process “brumation”, more recent research shows that reptiles undergo the same processes that mammals do during hibernation. The mountain yellow-legged frog hibernates underwater in the mud—they can depress their metabolic rate so low that they respire through their skin. “They only have a heartbeat every few minutes,” said Feldman.
Even though there are several snake species in the Tahoe Basin, they don’t discriminate when it comes to nesting together. “Touching another reptile is warmer than just touching the soil or a rock,” said Feldman. “They’re seeking out thermal refuge, so whatever they can do to keep warm, they’ll do.”
As they enter hibernation, these snakes don’t eat or drink. Their organs and muscles may even shrink. Then, like many animals, they awaken after exposure to light (called a photoperiod) and warmer temperatures. Salamanders in the area are particularly cold-tolerant and might even emerge during the early spring season.
Though snake metabolism is much slower during hibernation, the chemical processes that ensure that their last big meal doesn’t rot in their stomach is something Feldman thinks is worth studying.
“There’s a lot to learn under the hood. They might be making novel proteins or new adaptations,” said Feldman. “We are trying better to understand these genetic and protein components now that we have the scientific advancements to research them.”
Freezing bees
You might shiver in the cold, and bumblebees do too—their fuzzy bodies and ability to rapidly vibrate their wing muscles to “shiver” makes them more cold-tolerant than many other insects.
Several kinds of bumblebee live in the Tahoe region, and keeping their species alive means making sure their queens survive the winter. Unlike honeybees, there are no food stores for them to subsist on, meaning that workers and the old queen only live for a year.
Instead, a new queen is born before winter and hibernates through the cold season in nooks or crannies before awakening and finding a new site in the spring. But, says scientist Anne Leonard, it’s extremely hard to track queens. They actually use a citizen science initiative called Queen Quest to help spot where they are and where they’re headed.
Queens are usually tucked away under the snow, and research has shown that they aren’t just cold-tolerant, they’re flood-tolerant. When put underwater during hibernation, they’re fine even after being submerged for a whole week.
They also have their own preferences for where they settle down. One study shows that queens prefer to overwinter in fungicide-treated soil, which prevents fungal growth while they lay still—a major danger for insects. Still, Leonard says, there could be other health effects.
A honey bee in snowShutterstock
Honeybees in the Tahoe region also worry about mold and mildew, not just for themselves, but for their food stores. Bees in the region usually lay their eggs and have them overwinter with a snack of honey for when they hatch. But if mold gets to it, it won’t just spoil the food, it’ll kill the baby bee.
To prevent this, honeybees use the Lactobacillus bacteria to ferment their honey, sort of like making kimchi or sauerkraut. Fermentation has long been used to store food, so it’s fascinating to see insects do it too. Plus, bees use another bacteria as an antifungal—a unique strain of Streptomyces, which are associated with a myriad of antibiotics that humans use.
But what about other pollinators in the region? Chris Halsch, butterfly researcher, says that 80 to 90% of butterflies in the Sierra spend their winter here. They might overwinter as eggs, caterpillars or adult butterflies, entering a form of stasis called diapause. This process stops insects at a certain life stage and can be triggered by temperature and light among other factors.
Sometimes, adult butterflies flock together and try to avoid freezing. Caterpillars will eat plenty of food to ensure their survival when plants are scarce, then burrow into the soil to wait for spring—sometimes staying in their caterpillar mode for up to a year. The snowfall, which insulates them, is critical. A good snowpack doesn’t just mean great winter sports, it also means more butterflies are likely to emerge.
Most butterflies lay adhesive eggs, which will stick to a plant. That way, when their young hatch, they’ll be on top of their preferred food source. But Anna’s blue butterflies lay their eggs in a different way when in high altitudes.
At high elevation, their eggs aren’t sticky at all, meaning they typically fall into the dirt. Halsch suspects this adaptation allows the eggs to survive in the soil, like the caterpillars do. He’s curious about how these highly seasonal animals might be affected by changes in the weather.
Polar plunge
While Tahoe’s depths are icy at best in the summer, they’re downright freezing in the winter—though never enough to form a layer of ice. But under the surface, fish aren’t too susceptible to the chill.
The Kokanee salmon, which aren’t native to the area, start spawning through the fall and even into the winter—their stunning red colors can be seen en masse at spots like Taylor Creek. Other fish start spawning too, though not quite as visibly. They’re usually at the bottom of the lake, creating spawning mounds that will become their eggs’ nests.
Cold waters like Lake Tahoe’s are preferred by native fish like the Lahontan cutthroat trout. But even invasives like the signal crayfish also enjoy the water, which is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface in winter.
Crayfish have a habit of eating plenty of algae and migrating up and down the water column. But they also will eat the nesting places of one of the animals that Sudeep Chandra, lake scientist (or limnologist), finds the most fascinating—the Tahoe stonefly.
The invasive crayfish enjoys Tahoe’s cold waters. Shutterstock
This unique wingless stonefly is only found in Lake Tahoe and lives its entire life underwater, staying primarily in deep water plant beds that can be as deep as 200 feet below the surface. They have two seasonal breeding cycles, one in autumn and one in spring.
In the autumn, the stonefly will release its young as eggs onto the surrounding plants, which will hatch in the winter and feed over the course of the seasons. In spring, stonefly moms will keep their young in their body, even shoving them up into their head, then release them as live young.
“The fact that there’s life underwater in Tahoe in the winter is just amazing,” said Chandra. But he’s concerned about the many invasive species bullying and displacing the native ones, which may not be able to compete, especially as climate change makes even the deeper parts of the lake get hotter.
“It makes my heart sink knowing that these species might not be there, especially as temperatures warm,” he said. Chandra continues to advocate for protecting these endemic species and raising awareness that critical issues like lake clarity are affected by these animals. “It really can be affected by the biology at the bottom.”
Seasonal shifts
Shifts in snowpack, temperatures and climate could be impacting these animals in greater ways than we can observe. Ambient nighttime temperatures are starting to warm in the winter, which means there’s no getting out of the heat. Hotter temperatures mean less snow, more invasive species and shorter winters. And when animals emerge earlier than expected, when food sources are still not particularly plentiful, they struggle at best and starve at worst.
Still, not all hope is lost. Some animals are finding new strategies or adaptations to survive the changing climate. And making commitments to the environment like reducing food waste, taking alternative transit and choosing clean energy can have an impact to slow warming temperatures in the Sierras, helping these amazing animals continue to survive and thrive.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Winter 2025/26 edition of Tahoe Magazine.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – How do you stop an avalanche from racing down a hill? It’s something the Caltrans Avalanche Team has to contend with year-round, not just when it snows. To keep the roads open, the team forecasts avalanches and clears them from roads—sometimes using explosives to trigger smaller slides.
“Our jobs are more complicated than just pushing a button—there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye,” said area superintendent Jason McDonald. “And when the time comes, we can’t just do broad area forecasts. We have to know where an avalanche is, when it’ll come down and how to make sure people can still travel safely when it happens.”
Crews at Frog Pond clearing Highway 50.Provided / Caltrans
Caltrans has avalanche mitigation teams stationed all throughout the state. District 3 covers the counties of Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba. The local avalanche team is stationed in South Lake Tahoe, where they carefully monitor the snow levels and conditions to track where they may need to handle avalanches.
Rob Bickor works as the team’s forecaster and says it’s all about timing. “We’re trying to get an idea of when a closure might be needed. We might even be thinking about forecasting in the summer, observing things like burn scars or slide zones that we need to pay attention to when the snow comes.”
A stake on Echo Summit is used to monitor snow levels on a regular basis, but they also need to pay attention to windshield factor, weather forecasts from partners in the area as well as conditions on the day that an avalanche might come down. “Our schedules are built by Mother Nature,” said McDonald. “There’s a real level of unpredictability that comes with this job.”
Billy Newman, who is serving as the statewide winter operations coordinator, said the northern districts are very experienced overall. “There’s an internal knowledge that we have. We can take on a lot of snow, and with the knowledge spread through the three districts that cover this area, actually perform avalanche control.”
But what tools does the team actually use? While they have some remote sensing tools to help with forecasts, ultimately triggering or breaking up an avalanche requires heavy hitters.
One of the “exploders” up near Frog Pond.Provided / Caltrans
Explosives have been in use in the Sierra Nevada for a long time—the National Guard used to help until Caltrans procured their own artillery in the early 1960s. By the nineties, Caltrans had switched to the Gazex system, pneumatic cannons stationed along Highway 50.
These cannons are remotely deployed by trained blast technicians. And Caltrans isn’t the only one who uses them—ski resorts also utilize their own cannons to break up avalanches. With a controlled blast, they can get the snow off the road within an hour and get traffic moving again.
If the cannons can’t be deployed, the team can also use a pneumatic LoCAT, which functions similarly: it fires a projectile into the mountain to trigger a slide. The team also still has hand charges that they deploy manually and is currently using a Caltrans pilot program called Daisy Bell—which literally looks like a huge bell. It’s deployed from a helicopter and is useful for years that have unusual accumulation of snow, but can only be flown out once the snow’s done coming down.
“We’re training people not to push a button, we’re training to know when and what to do with those results,” said Newman. “Having that knowledge of our mountain and putting it all together, knowing when to initiate—that’s what matters.”
The LoCAT mount at Echo Summit.Provided / Caltrans
The team is working in tough conditions—they sometimes have to hike up to a site while the snow is coming down in order to deploy hand charges. To ensure that the public can continue to travel, they often try to trigger avalanches outside peak traffic hours, which can sometimes mean they’re working late into the night or early in the morning.
In contrast to work on the main roads, along parts of Emerald Bay, it’s impossible to deploy the cannons because of the landscape. The naturally occurring slides there are a testament to the forecasting work that allows Caltrans to keep traffic flowing when they trigger smaller avalanches.
“Natural slides can bring down material, trees, rocks. It can go through guard rails,” said McDonald. “We can’t do any control out there, so that’s why we proactively close the roads to mitigate it.” Afterwards, teams still have to brave the snow and dig pits to test the reactivity and see if it’s safe to open the roads back up.
Even after what’s traditionally considered “avalanche season,” the team still stays alert. Matt Loescher, acting supervisor, noted that when the weather warms up, it can actually trigger more slides into the roads, including rock slides. They also pointed out that fires can cause slides as well—they added two new slide areas to monitor after the Caldor Fire.
A Caltrans crew clearing the road on Emerald Bay.Provided / Caltrans
“Travelling in the winter is very dangerous. We’re in a little box with our radio and our heater on, and when you get from Point A to Point B without incident, we get used to that,” said Newman. “People often have no idea about everything that these teams have gone through for the past few hours to get them in or out of town. We’re out working 24 hours a day to make sure that people, commerce and things like medical supplies can come up and down the mountain.”
To stay up to date with Caltrans road closures, you can listen to 1610 AM or use QuickMap, the app that notifies you of routes and closures. While it can be tempting to go off route to avoid a closure, keep in mind that Caltrans only plows state highways and does not service backroads, county property or city property, so alternate routes may be closed during heavy snow.
TRUCKEE, Calif. – A third skier had at Northstar this month, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office
Around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18, deputies received a report of a possible missing person. They immediately began investigating and located the vehicle of the missing 21-year-old man in the Northstar parking lot. Based on the investigation, it was determined that the skier had gone skiing and did not return as expected.
“Our Placer County Office of Emergency Management lieutenant quickly coordinated resources to support search efforts,” a PCSO Facebook post stated. “The Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team was activated early this morning, deploying 15 skiers, a snowcat, and two snowmobilers to search the area, with Northstar Ski Patrol members also assisting in the effort.”
At about 9 a.m. this morning, the search team located the man deceased. He was found on the advanced Sugar Pine Glade trail.
The skier was identified as Colin Kang, 21 of Fremont, Calif. Northstar confirms he was an employee of the resort who was off duty at the time of the incident.
“We are heartbroken by this loss,” said Tara Schoedinger, General Manager of Northstar California Resort. “Our deepest sympathies are with his family and loved ones, and with the team members who had the privilege of working alongside him.”
TRUCKEE, Calif. — What began as a guided backcountry ski trip near Castle Peak ended in the deadliest avalanche in Tahoe’s recorded history, leaving eight people dead and one unaccounted for. The incident, which came during a storm that had been widely forecast, is raising urgent questions about safety standards and regulatory oversight for commercial backcountry guiding operations.
The Breakdown
The avalanche occurred Tuesday on a north-facing slope near Perry Peak above Frog Lake, just east of Castle Peak in the Central Sierra Nevada, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said the group involved was concluding a three-day guided backcountry trip to the Frog Lake huts. The trip was operated by Blackbird Mountain Guides, one of several companies offering guided backcountry ski and splitboard excursions in the region. Sheriff Shannan Moon said the group was returning to the trailhead when the avalanche occurred.
The Sierra Sun had began tracking the forecasted storm cycle on Feb. 12, when OpenSnow identified it as California’s first significant system since the holidays. At that time, forecasts projected 3 to 5 feet of snow across Tahoe ski areas and along the west slope of the Sierra. The guided group left on February 15.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Feb. 15 — the day before the avalanche — Blackbird Mountain Guides cautioned followers about abnormal and hazardous avalanche behavior, urging them to “pay close attention” to the Sierra Avalanche Center forecast and to exercise extra caution.
The Sierra Sun reached out to Blackbird Mountain Guides seeking further comment and additional detail about the decision-making process that led to the group traveling during the forecasted storm, but did not receive a response.
A Complex Regulatory Landscape
Much of the terrain surrounding Castle Peak lies within Tahoe National Forest, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Any commercial outfitting or guiding operation on national forest lands is required to obtain a special use authorization.
Permits for these uses must pass multiple levels of screening. Among other criteria, applicants must comply with federal, state and local laws; align with the applicable forest plan; avoid creating substantial public safety risks; and be deemed in the public interest. Conducting commercial activity on national forest lands without authorization may violate federal law.
While skiers typically reach the Frog Lake huts by traveling through Tahoe National Forest — which requires following federal permitting rules — the huts themselves sit on privately owned land.
Who Manages the Frog Lake Huts?
The Frog Lake huts are privately owned and managed by the Truckee Donner Land Trust, which, along with partners including The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, and the Northern Sierra Partnership, acquired the 3,000-acre property in 2020 as part of a large conservation effort. Before the acquisition, the land had been closed to the public for nearly a century.
The huts sit beneath Frog Lake Cliff between Euer and Carpenter valleys on the east side of Castle Peak. The property is open to winter access by ski and snowshoe, and to foot and bicycle travel in summer.
“Winter wilderness travel is not to be taken lightly — people die every year in the backcountry,” the land trust cautions in its visitor materials. It provides guidance noting that all routes in the area carry some level of avalanche risk, which are rated using the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale.
The land trust also encourages visitors with safety concerns to hire experienced guides and notes it partners with guide services that can accompany guests to the huts. Among those partners is Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company that led the group involved in Tuesday’s avalanche.
The Sierra Sun reached out to the Truckee Donner Land Trust for clarification on how it selects and oversees its partnered guide companies but did not receive a response.
In a statement released Feb. 18, Blackbird Mountain Guides said all guides with the group were trained or certified by the American Mountain Guides Association in backcountry skiing. The company added that each guide was also an instructor with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, which it described as the industry standard for avalanche education.
“There is still a lot that we’re learning about what happened. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway,” the statement read.
TRUCKEE, Calif. — In response to a backcountry avalanche that occurred Feb. 17, 2026 resulting in multiple skier fatalities, Tahoe National Forest has issued the closure of all National Forest lands and trails in the Castle Peak area near Truckee, Calif. The closure is required for public and first responder safety and to provide for the recovery of the victims. Due to the current instability of the snowpack and need to prioritize first responder access to the area, members of the public are prohibited from entering the closure area during search and rescue operations.
In order to continue recovery operations, emergency personnel will need to use snow machines, aircraft, various other heavy equipment and possibly explosives to mitigate further environmental hazards to the safety of first responders conducting recovery efforts.
“It is our top priority to ensure the safety of first responders during this recovery mission and aid in the return of each victim to their families,” said Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Chris Feutrier. “Our deepest condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones from this tragic incident. Our sincere appreciation to all first responders, law enforcement and partners that are supporting this recovery.”
The Castle Peak Avalanche Closure area applies to National Forest lands between Castle Peak to the South Fork of Prosser Creek. The closure prohibits the following:
Going into or being upon any National Forest System Lands in the area which is closed for the protection of public health and safety as shown on the closure order map.
Being on a trail within the closure area.
This closure order is effective Feb. 20 through March 15, 2026. The closure may be rescinded earlier if public safety measures are mitigated. The full closure order including a detailed closure area description and map can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/tahoe/alerts/castle-peak-avalanche-closure.
NORDEN, Calif. – The Sugar Bowl Academy announced the loss of multiple members in Tuesday’s Castle Peak avalanche.
In a statement on Wednesday, the academy described the individuals as respected, valued, and loved members, having connections to the Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and local backcountry community.
“We are an incredibly close and connected community. This tragedy has affected each and every one of us. The depth of support for the families whose lives have been changed forever reminds us of how special this community is,” said Executive Director Stephen McMahon. “The best thing we can do is surround our athletes and families with care and support while providing the necessary space and time for grief and healing.”
Out of respect for victims families, the academy and first responders are not releasing the names of the victims or survivors at this time.
TRUCKEE, Calif. – Search and rescue teams are now shifting their focus to recovering the eight, potentially nine bodies, after rescuing six survivors Tuesday night from the avalanche site near Castle Peak.
“It’s a difficult conversation to have with loved ones,” Nevada County Sheriff, Shannon Moon said a press conference held Wednesday.
What started as a return trek from a three-day backcountry hut tour through Blackbird Mountain Guides turned into the deadliest avalanche in Tahoe’s known history.
16 group members were initially reported, however, as authorities gathered details from the tour company, they learned that one person backed out of the trip last minute. The group of 15 consisted of nine women and six men.
The emergency call hit the Nevada County dispatch at around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, setting into motion a rescue response from agencies across California and Nevada, including Truckee Fire, the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team, and the Washoe County Search and Rescue.
The rescue
Around 50 highly skilled and unwavering individuals gathered and entered the backcountry Tuesday afternoon despite heavy snow, high avalanche risk and gale force winds.
“Extreme weather conditions, I would say is an understatement,” Sheriff Moon expressed.
The conditions made getting equipment to the launch sites at Boreal Mountain Resort and Alder Creek Adventure Center difficult with I-80 closed at the time due to the snow levels.
In a sea of white, the rescue was slow going often with no visibility and took several hours. Eventually, the persistent team made it about two miles out from the avalanche site in the Snowcat and skied the remaining way due to high avalanche danger.
Survivors used iPhone SOS to communicate with rescuers. Those six were sheltering in place for hours using equipment they had.
Keeping warm wasn’t their only task. Able survivors had attended to two skiers who had sustained injuries that rendered them immobile.
Rescue teams arrived to the survivors at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night and extracted the two immobile survivors the two miles to the Snowcat, while guiding the remaining survivors who could ski on their own.
At 10:40 p.m. Tuesday, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office announced the successful rescue of the six survivors.
The victims
As the six survivors awaited rescue, those able had already started looking for missing members to their guide group. By the time rescuers found them, survivors had located three members of their tour group who had been killed by the avalanche.
Another five skiers were located dead, bringing the victim total to eight and surpassing the Alpine Meadows 1982 avalanche that killed seven. All eight were wearing beacons.
That leaves one skier unaccounted for, though presumed dead.
The event has particularly hit the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team as one of the nine missing members is a spouse of a search and rescue team member.
“I think it’s also motivated the team of their purpose and to go out there and rescue those that were still alive,” Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said.
The survivors
The six survivors are one guide and five clients aged 30-55 years old.
Of the two injured, hospital personnel stabilized and released one Tuesday night. The other was still being treated at the time of the press conference Wednesday. Authorities report their injuries were not life-threatening.
The avalanche
“Then it overtook them rather quickly,” Nevada County Sheriff’s Operations Captain Rusty Greene reported, recalling an account from one of the survivors who heard “avalanche” from someone in the group before it engulfed them.
The deadly avalanche was about the size of a football field in length and occurred just one mile away from another avalanche that broke at the beginning of January.
Caused by a persistently weak layer undone by a heavy load of snow, Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Chris Feutrier reported Wednesday that the weak layer is already loaded with another three feet of snow. That makes any recovery effort extremely dangerous.
Ongoing recovery
With search and rescue teams assembled, authorities Wednesday said recovering the bodies is not a resource issue. It’s a conditions issue, balancing returning loved ones’ bodies to their families, while not placing recovery teams at risk.
As of Wednesday, there were 20 resources assigned to recovery, evaluating dangerous avalanche conditions as this storm continues.
Authorities reported that the bodies were placed in a location where they could recover them, marked with avalanche poles.
“We’ve done everything we can to make it so that given the opportunity,” Greene explained, “we can get in and do a fast recovery if the weather gives us that chance.”
Continued caution
Authorities at the press conference Wednesday stressed avoiding the Sierra and mountain travel as a winter storm, which is likely to be the area’s most extreme this winter, continues.
“It doesn’t seem to matter right now, no matter how prepared you are,” Sheriff Moon said, encouraging the public to heed the warning.
“Recognizing it’s not just you that you’re impacting,” she added, “[it’s] the potential for resources getting deployed somewhere else.”
It’s still unclear why the decision was made for the group to return amid the high avalanche dangers. The Nevada County Sheriff’s office says they are still in conversation with Blackbird Mountain Guides on the decision, but the company is cooperating.
Within a statement, the company said, “…guides in the field are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions. There is still a lot that we’re learning about what happened. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway.”
They added, “We ask that people following this tragedy refrain from speculating. We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do.”
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Raising over $55K in its first year, The Sally Fund helped North Tahoe neighbors stay securely housed by offering equal shares of its 2025 donations to Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions for housing support.
Community members responded generously to the call to assist those struggling to enter housing or to stay housed in our region. Using a generous bequest from longtime member Sally Jane Hammel as seed money, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Incline Village launched the fund in November with strong support from both individual donors and a wide range of founding co-sponsors. They included the Fellowship of Compassion, North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation, the Offerdahl Family Foundation, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Tahoe Truckee Homeless Action Coalition, Truckee Lutheran Presbyterian Church, and United for Action.
All were acting to offer well-targeted funds to prevent homelessness. By backing Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions equally, The Sally Fund provides a two-way solution for housing assistance (financial aid to help individuals or families pay their housing costs, housing cost arrears, or utility bills so they can maintain stability) and rapid re-housing (rental assistance, security deposits, and services to help people obtain housing quickly and stay housed). Both agency partners assess and assist clients; donors to The Sally Fund fuel their work.
The need for support is high and rising. This winter’s snow drought has put added financial pressure on many neighbors already on the edge. Jody Wright, Tahoe Family Solutions Executive Director, emphasizes that requests for housing assistance have gone up 261% at the agency over the last 12 months: “With seasonal employment down this winter, even more of our clients are seeing their lives and livelihoods upended. Housing costs are forcing families out of our community.”
Allison Edwards, Sierra Community House Development Director, agrees: “Calls come in daily for assistance. Workers are facing housing instability; seniors are choosing between rent and groceries. We are grateful to ease their burden with The Sally Fund.”
When presenting the first set of checks from the fund, the Very Rev.Marla Asson of St. Patrick’s thanked the two outstanding agency partners and the co-sponsors present and lifted up its inspiration: “Sally Hammel was a beloved member of this congregation who modeled generosity and kindness to the community. St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church is blessed to help bring this lifeline to our neighbors experiencing housing insecurity, to honor her legacy of hospitality and service. We are so grateful to all who have added their support!”
How can you help? Please uplift our community, as Sally did, by giving to the fund established in her name. Your tax-deductible donation is payable through the QR code below (select “The Sally Fund” in the drop-down list on the PayPal Donations page) or with a check to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church (341 Village Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451, with “The Sally Fund” in the Memo Line). Ask your church, temple, organization, or business to become an official co-sponsor/funder by contacting St. Patrick’s at 775.831.1418. Come to future fundraisers. And spread the word!
STATELINE, Nev. – The Tahoe Knight Monsters fell to the Idaho Steelheads in the shootout by a score of 2-1.
In the first period, Casey Bailey opened the scoring with his 22nd goal of the season. Bailey has scored in three of the last four games with the goal tonight. Tahoe would take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
In the middle period, Idaho would quickly respond as Francesco Arcuri scored in the opening two minutes of the frame to make it 1-1. Despite entering the game as the top two scoring offenses in the ECHL, great goaltending from Tahoe’s Cameron Whitehead and Idaho’s Jake Barczewski kept them at bay in the opening 40 minutes.
In the final frame, Whitehead and Barczewski stepped up even further, as they kept both teams off the scoreboard, sending the game to overtime tied at 1.
In overtime, despite multiple power play chances, the Knight Monsters could not find the back of the net, and the game went into a shootout.
In the shootout, despite goals from Mike O’Leary and Casey Bailey, Idaho would score three times, capped off by the shootout-winning goal from Liam Malmquist to give Idaho a 2-1 victory in the skills competition.
The Knight Monsters return home on Friday, February 20, 2026, to take on the Idaho Steelheads for night one of Golden Monsters Affiliation Weekend at Tahoe Blue Event Center. Puck drop is at 7:00 pm, with pregame coverage on the Knight Monsters broadcast network beginning at 6:50 pm. Ticket packages for the 2025-26 season are now available. For more information, visit www.knightmonstershockey.com
Bret Ernst is a seasoned comedian at The Comedy Store in Hollywood, CaliforniaProvided/Bret Ernst
STATELINE, Nev. – Actor and comedian, Bret Ernst, has come a long way since his first swing at comedy 29 years ago.
A week before his 25th birthday, Ernst and his friends attended an open mic. It was on this fateful night that he took his initial step on the road to becoming a comedy veteran.
“I wrote the jokes down word for word on cards,” Ernst laughed as he reminisced on the memory of his first time on stage. “You don’t want to do that.”
From Miami to a brief stint in New York, and across the country to Hollywood, Ernst worked his way to The Comedy Store, a historic comedy club located right on the Sunset Strip.
“It’s the most famous comedy club, probably, in the world,” said Ernst. “I worked there every night for almost 17 years.”
Among other famous comedy clubs in Los Angeles, there’s the Laugh Factory and the Hollywood Improv. Ernst was among the few to get into all three clubs for gigs.
Eventually, he landed a role in the hit show “Weeds” and then went on to be a season regular on “Cobra Kai” as Cousin Louie LaRusso. Yet Ernst always found his way back to comedy.
“Comedy is first. Always has been. I love stand-up,” Ernst said, and he’s dusting off his snow boots to return to Lake Tahoe after more than ten years.
Unlike that first night 29 years ago, now when Ernst tells jokes, they roll off the tongue. He’s as comfortable as can be during stand-up routines, more comfortable than skiing on the slopes of Heavenly, that’s for sure. “I can see why people enjoy it,” Ernst said as he recalled his last time skiing in Tahoe. “It wasn’t for me. I just remember pizza and french fries.”
You can catch Ernst in his element on Saturday, February 21 at Bally’s as he uses his wit and charm to keep you captivated and chuckling.
He’ll be doing two shows inside Blu Nightclub at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
To try and decide each week where and what to eat around the basin can be a challenge – there are so many amazing choices. In this feature we’ll dive into dishes that will surely satisfy those hunger pangs and leave you wondering where to go next.
When somebody tells you that they have never really been a fan of chicken wings – until they tasted these wings – I have to give them a try and see what all the hubbub is about. Now that I’ve tried them, I get it. So did everyone else who watched the Super Bowl at Tipsy Putt because they put away about 700 wings over the five hours of coverage. That’s some real wing carnage.
Added to the menu about a month ago, the wings are baked to a GBD (golden brown delicious) before getting tossed in a house made spice rub. The baking of the wings really keeps the meat juicy on the inside and the perfect crispiness on the outside.
You have your choice of sauce to dunk in: buffalo, barbecue, ranch, or creamy cilantro. I have a hard time saying no to barbecue sauce, so that was my pick and it didn’t disappoint. You really can’t go wrong with any of them and there’s plenty to go around should you want to thoroughly coat each piece.
The spice rub adds a great flavor and is super approachable for any age. It’s not spicy, not overly salty and complements each of the dipping sauces uniquely. I blew through two before even hitting the sauce because they are stellar on their own and I’d encourage you to do the same because they’re that good.
If you’re one who hunts for food bargains, stop by their Swing and Wing Wednesdays and you can play nine holes while munching on $9 wings. Better yet, do a little pregame before hockey and pair them with a Knight Monster Punch cocktail for a fun night out. You can’t lose – even if the Knight Monsters do.
Tipsy Putt is located at 4101 #101 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe. For menu and additional information visit them online at tipsyputt.com or reach them by phone at 530-443-4376.
Arty the Party at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe – 9 p.m.-12 a.m., Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, 15 Highway 50. 9:00 PM, Friday and Saturday Nights. You can Party with Arty the Party at Harrah’s. It’s the best disco, dance, R&B, and soul party in Lake Tahoe! For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/arty-the-party-at-harrahs-lake-tahoe/2026-02-20/ or call (800) 427-7247.
Dueling Pianos at Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe – 8:30-10:30 p.m., Harveys Lake Tahoe, 18 Highway 50. Join us at the Mountain Bar located on Caesars Republic casino floor for a free show you don’t want to miss. Put your favorite song request in, grab a drink at the Mountain Bar and enjoy the fun! Playing Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM. Join us for a cozy evening of painting and celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year together! For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fire-horse-chinese-new-year-paint-night-registration-1981383681930.
Hybrid Wilderness First Responder with NOLS Wilderness Medicine – 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m., Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 128 Market St. For more information, visit https://tahoerimtrail.org/event/hwfr-feb-2026/.
Jose “Manny Maze” DJ Meza – 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m., Noel’s Coffee and Apothecary. For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=10.
Marcus Ashley Gallery Meet the Artist Art Show – 12-5 p.m., Marcus Ashley Fine Art Gallery, 4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Suite 23 Village Center. Marcus Ashley Gallery hosts a variety of inspiring and entertaining South Lake Tahoe events throughout the year. We feature talented artists ready to share their expertise or discuss their work. Our events are often paired with activities like wine tasting, raffles, and meet-and-greets with the artists. Get a taste of the local art scene in the Sierra Mountains. Meet artist couple Ana Moran & Marc Esteve from Spain! For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/marcus-ashley-gallery-meet-the-artist-art-show/2026-02-20/.
Ski with a Ranger at Heavenly Mountain Resort – 1-2 p.m., Heavenly Mountain, 4080 Lake Tahoe Blvd. The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is pleased to announce the return of Ski With A Ranger at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Skiers and snowboarders are invited to Ski With A Ranger beginning Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Tours will depart from the top of the Heavenly Gondola every Friday at 1:00 p.m. The tours last approximately one-hour and will continue through April 3, conditions and weather permitting. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/ski-with-a-ranger-at-heavenly-mountain-resort/2026-02-20/ or call (775) 586-7000.
Valentines Experience – Good Putts. Better Company. – 10-12 a.m., Tipsy Putt, 4101 Lake Tahoe Blvd Suite 101. Good Putts. Better Company. This Valentine’s season, we’re putting a playful spin on date night. Good Putts. Better Company. runs all February long and turns your Valentines outing into a low-pressure social experience: perfect for couples, friends, and anyone celebrating connection and conversation. Take part in our Valentine’s Date Night Scavenger Hunt, a complimentary, lighthearted experience added onto any round to encourage conversation, friendly competition, and memorable moments—all at your own pace. For more information, visit https://eventvesta.com/events/132365/t/tickets or call (530) 443-4376.
Wine Tasting at The Coachman – 4-7 p.m., Coachman Hotel, 4100 Pine Blvd. Join us for a complimentary wine tasting with E16 Vineyards at the Coachman Hotel. Open to both hotel guests and the public. Must be 21+ to enjoy For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/wine-tasting-at-the-coachman-2/2026-02-20/.
Wine Tasting on the M.S. Dixie II – 5-8 p.m., M.S. Dixie II at Zephyr Cove Resort, 760 U.S. Hwy 50. Sip & Sail: A Wine Country Journey on Lake Tahoe Join us aboard the M.S. Dixie II for an unforgettable evening that pairs the rich flavors of California’s wine country with the perfect appetizer. A curated selection of premium wines by Joyce Wine Co. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/wine-tasting-on-the-m-s-dixie-ii/2026-02-20/.
A Tavola Wine Pop Up at The Chateau – 6-9 p.m., Diamond Peak Ski Resort, 1210 Ski Way. We know you’ve probably already heard about Diamond Peak’s legendary winter Last Tracks wine tasting events (and maybe even had the chance to join us at one). If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I wish they would do something similar off the slopes so I can bring my non-skiing friends…” Meet Wine & Tapas, a pop up event series at The Chateau, prepared by the same amazing IVGID Food & Beverage team.Uncork the flavors of Italy at the “A Tovala” pop up event at The Chateau on Friday, February 20, 2026. Mix, mingle and savor small bites expertly paired with Italian wines while enjoying great company and live music at The Chateau. Make your reservations today! Date: Friday, February 20, 2026 Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Location: The Chateau at Incline Village (955 Fairway Blvd.) Tickets: IVGID Picture Pass holders & Diamond Peak Season Pass Holders: $90 Public: $100 Reservations Advance purchase only. No ticket sales at the door. Purchase tickets by February 15. Please fill out the reservation form, and our Events team at The Chateau will reach out with confirmation and to collect payment before the event. Reservations Text Alerts/Reminders Text POPUPEVENTS to 855-997-2089 for event notifications about this event and future pop-up events at The Chateau, including ticket sales, deadlines, themes, menus, and more! The Chateau at Incline Village | 955 Fairway Blvd. | 775-832-1240 For more information, visit https://www.diamondpeak.com/event/a-tavola-wine-pop-up-at-the-chateau/ or call (775) 832-1177.
Parents’ Night Out at Daisy Trails Forest Preschool – 4-11 p.m., Description Parents’ Night Out at Daisy Trails Forest PreschoolFridays | 4:00-11:00 PMA calm evening for children, with flexible coverage for parents.Children spend the evening in our licensed preschool environment with experienced early childhood educators, enjoying dinner, movement-based play, and a gentle wind-down routine.$40 per child | Any 4 hours between 4:00-11:00 PMIncludes:- Supervised care led by professional educators- Dinner and evening snack- Active play followed by quiet, settling activities- Intentionally small group for comfort and safetyAdvance registration required.Online sign-up takes just a few minutes.Capacity is limited to ensure a calm, high-quality experience. For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/parents-night-out-at-daisy-trails-forest-preschool-fridays-4-00-11-00-pm-1635573?sourceTypeId=Hub.
Slab-Built Ceramic Charcuterie Boards – Good Livin’ Ceramics Even Timings – 6-8 p.m., Description Join us for an evening of hands-on ceramics with Tom of Good Livin’ Ceramics, where you will design and create your own slab-style ceramic charcuterie board. For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/slab-built-ceramic-charcuterie-boards-good-livin-ceramics-even-timings-1634527?sourceTypeId=Hub.
Trouble ~ A Tribute to Coldplay – 8 p.m., 14 State Route 28. Trouble -The Music of Coldplay will make their debut in the Crown Room on Feb. 20th, 2026! If your a Coldplay fan, this one is for you! Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm I Tickets: $22 ADV / $25 DOS I Ticket Link: https://tixr.com/e/162524 For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2267213463718070/.
Saturday, February 21
Al Jardine And The Pet Sounds Band – 7:30 p.m., Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, 15 Highway 50. Alan (aka “Al”) Jardine, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, is best known for being one of the founding members of the California-based group The Beach Boys. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/857927130067287/ or call (800) 427-7247.
E16 Winery Wine Tasting Station House Inn – 4-6 p.m., Station House Inn, 901 Park Ave. Station House Inn and E16 Winery would like to invite you to our wine tasting in the lobby on Saturday, February 21, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Cozy vibes, great pours, and the perfect après-ski stop—no reservations needed. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/e16-winery-wine-tasting-station-house-inn/.
Rosewater- A Tribute to the Grateful Dead – 8-11 p.m., A Slice of Sierra, CA-89. Rosewater plays our first show in South Lake Tahoe!! Saturday February 21st, at Slice of Sierra pizza 3051 Harrison ave Ste 103. For more information, visit https://facebook.com/events/s/rosewater-truckin-to-south-lak/1423758875909059/ or call 5084984408.
Snowshoe Cocktail Races – 5-9 p.m., The Grove, 1900 Jameson Beach Rd. Camp Richardson Resort’s friendly, laugh-out-loud winter snowshoe competition returns to the beach in front of The Grove restaurant 1/17, 2/21 & 3/21 2026. Racers are invited to try their luck and skill at racing with cocktail trays in hand through obstacles. The winner is the fastest and cleanest, with trays and drinks intact. No experience is required, but a hefty sense of balance is helpful. Registration is free, and there are multiple race categories, including men/women’s sprint, obstacle and team. Competitors can win prizes that range from day-use lift tickets from Sierra at Tahoe, to dining certificates, stays, and merchandise. For more information, visit https://camprichardsonresort.com/event/snowshoe-cocktail-races/2026-02-21/.
Tahoe Club Crawl Fall/Winter 25/26 – 8-11 p.m., Tahoe Club Crawl, 31 US HWY 50. Tahoe Club Crawl is an organized VIP nightlife tour of the Tahoe South. With the purchase of your ticket, you will receive a welcome shot at 3 out of 4 stops, appetizers, free indoor games at Tipsy Putt and VIP entrance into Peek Nightclub, Lake Tahoe’s hottest Club! You will meet amazing people and have the night of your lives. We meet every Saturday at 8:00 PM Aleworx Stateline, unless told otherwise. Be Sure To Check Out our Ice Cream Shop, Aloha Ice Cream Tahoe “Winner of Best Ice Cream in Tahoe 7 Years In A Row” (Opened Seasonally) For more information, visit https://tahoeclubcrawl.ticketsauce.com/e/tahoe-club-crawl-fall-winter-25-51?aff=cityspark.
The Mother Hips – 8 p.m., 14 State Route 28. The Mother Hips will make their triumphant return on Feb. 21st to the Crystal Bay Casino’s Crown Room! Tickets: $25 ADV / $30 DOS I Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm I Ticket Link: https://tixr.com/e/164063 Based in Northern California, the Hips headed to New Mexico, spending time at Ghost Ranch before settling in at Jono Manson’s Kitchen Sink studio in Sante Fe for sessions in late 2021. Self-produced, When We Disappear features nine new tracks co-written by co-founders Tim Bluhm and Greg Loiacono — collection of lit-psych rock songs Inspired by psychology and literature — as well as a raw, garagey cover of Buffy St. Marie’s 1964 addiction song “Codine.” For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1527967504989963/.
Black Pine Revival After Party in the Red Room – 11 p.m., 14 State Route 28. We are excited to host Black Pine Revival after the Mother Hips in the Red Room. Black Pine Revival Released their debut album “Dirt Angels” in the summer 2025, this two volume set was recorded in their home studio nestled in their beloved hills above Chico ca. The music soars through smoking rhythms and high-flying guitars, and transforms on stage into a damn good time. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/872183721849352/.
Sunday, February 22
National Margarita Day – Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe, 4130 Lake Tahoe Blvd,. It’s a salt-rimmed celebration for a great cause! Join us for margaritas on demand, live music, food specials, and more. For more information, visit https://www.margaritavilleresorts.com/margaritaville-resort-lake-tahoe/things-to-do-in-lake-tahoe/events/national-margarita-day.
Every Piece is a Classic – 4-6 p.m., Description Tahoe Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/every-piece-is-a-classic-1638962?sourceTypeId=Hub or call (775) 833-2478.
Tuesday, February 24
TobyMac with Crowder & Jeremy Camp: Hits Deep Tour – 7 p.m., Tahoe Blue Event Center, 75 U.S. 50. The lights lower. The crowd roars. The beat drops… and you know you’re at TOBYMAC’s Hits Deep Tour 2026! This year’s lineup brings the fire and as always, overloads your playlist with your favorite hits. Catch TOBYMAC’s soul-stirring “I just need U.”, the bass-pumping “Everything,” and a newer anthem, “Heaven on My Mind.” Dive into Crowder’s raw power with “Come As You Are,” “Good God Almighty,” and a latest smash, “Still.” Ride Jeremy Camp’s heartfelt anthems “I Still Believe,” “Walk By Faith,” and his current chart-climber “No Survivors.” It’s hit after hit after hit! Don’t miss the concert that fans count down to every year. Grab your tickets and get ready to sing, dance, and celebrate big at TOBYMAC’s Hits Deep Tour 2026!
Wednesday, February 25
Avalanche Dogs Bingo Night Fundraiser – 6:30-8:30 p.m., South Lake Brewing Company, 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Support the Sierra and Kirkwood Avalanche Dogs with our Bingo Night Fundraiser at South Lake Brewing Company Wednesday, February 25th. All proceeds from bingo card sales will benefit the avalanche dog teams. Winners of each round will leave with some sweet prizes including gear, gift cards to local businesses, and more. For more information, visit https://www.southlakebeer.com/brewery-events or call (530) 578-0087.
Tahoe Line Dancing at Cascade Kitchens – 7:30-9:30 p.m., Cascade Kitchens, 1030 Tata Ln. Description Dust off your boots, it’s time to dance! Starting 10/8, we’re hosting Line Dancing every Wednesday, 7:30-9:30 PM. No cover, all ages welcome, and beginner-friendly! We’ll sprinkle in a few lessons so everyone can join the fun. Come kick up your heels with us! For more information, visit https://business.tahoechamber.org/events/details/line-dancing-02-25-2026-24755.
Candle Making Workshop – Sierra Soapbox Candle Co – 6-8 p.m., Description Join us for a cozy, hands-on evening of candle making, perfect for the heart of winter. Led by Sierra Soapbox Candle Co., this intimate workshop invites you to slow down, get creative, and warm things up through the art of scent blending. You’ll learn how to thoughtfully combine fragrances and hand-pour your own custom 7.2 oz candle to take home. Whether you’re flying solo, coming with a friend, or treating yourself to a little February self care, this is an ideal Tahoe night out that is creative, social, and rooted in community. Sip a drink, enjoy light snacks, and settle in for a relaxed evening of making something beautiful while the snow does its thing outside. Details Price: $80 per person Duration: Approximately 2 hours Ages: 18+ Includes: All materials, one custom 7.2 oz candle per person, drink and snacks No experience necessary. Just bring your creative spirit. For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/candle-making-workshop-sierra-soapbox-candle-co-1643113?sourceTypeId=Hub.
Thursday, February 26
Chart House – Stags’ Leap Wine Dinner – 7-10 p.m., Chart House, 392 Kingsbury Grade. Experience a chef-crafted five-course menu, perfectly complemented by five exquisite Stags’ Leap selections. For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chart-house-stags-leap-wine-dinner-stateline-tickets-1963627278048.
In a statement provided to the Sierra Sun, family members of the avalanche victims identified six of the women who were killed:
Carrie Atkin Liz Clabaugh Danielle Keatley Kate Morse Caroline Sekar Kate Vitt
“Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honoring the lives of these extraordinary women,” the statement reads. “They were all mothers, wives and friends who connected through a shared love of the outdoors. They were passionate, skilled skiers who cherished their time together in the mountains. They lived in the Bay Area, Idaho, and the Truckee–Tahoe region.”
Family members said they are still grappling with many unanswered questions. However, they shared the following details about the trip:
Eight close friends had planned a professionally guided, two-night backcountry hut trip to Frog Lake Huts outside Truckee. The trip was organized well in advance. According to the statement, the women were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains. They were trained and prepared for backcountry travel and trusted their professional guides on this trip. They were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.
“We are heartbroken and are doing our best to care for one another and our families in the way we know these women would have wanted,” the statement continues. “We are asking for privacy and space as our families grieve this sudden and profound loss.”
UPDATE – Thursday, Feb. 19 at 11:00 a.m.
Efforts to extract the bodies of avalanche victims from the Castle Peak area will not happen today due hazardous weather, according to The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
Recovery efforts are expected to carry into the weekend.
The sheriff’s office is unable to confirm the identifications, ages, affiliations, or cities of origin for the victims until the recovery is completed.
Sugar Bowl Academy announced some of the victims are members of their school.
The mayor of Mill Valley, a small town in Marin County, confirmed with news outlets that some in the group were women from his city, though he did not provide additional details.
UPDATE – Thursday, Feb. 19 at 9:00 a.m.
The six rescued survivors include one male guide, three male clients and two female clients, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
The identities of the survivors and victims have not been released.
Recovery efforts for the bodies are underway, but dependent on weather conditions.
UPDATE – WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18 at 11:30 a.m.
Eight skiers are dead and one person is still missing, but presumed dead according to this morning’s press conference regarding yesterday’s avalanche.
One of the decedent’s is a spouse to a Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team member.
“As you can understand this has not only been challenging for our community,” Placer County Sheriff, Wayne Woo said, “…it’s also been challenging emotionally for our team and our organization.”
Of the six survivors, four were men and two were women.
The entire tour group consisted of nine women and six men.
After last night’s rescue of the six survivors, the mission has changed to a recovery mission.
However, recovery will depend on the weather the next couple of days, which the rescue team is actively monitoring.
UPDATE – Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 10:40 p.m.
Late Tuesday evening, search and rescue teams successfully rescued the six initially reported skiers who survived the avalanche.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office reports the rescue took several hours due to extreme weather conditions. Upon return, Truckee Fire medically evaluated the skiers who had varying injuries. Two were transported to the hospital.
The search for the remaining skiers is ongoing, and may get impacted by weather conditions.
The group was initially believed to be 16 people, but that number has been updated to 15.
Those 15 include skiers and guides who were on a guide trip through Blackbird Mountain Guides. The company issued a statement with information on the situation Tuesday evening.
According to their statement, the group had been on a three-day ski trip and were staying at the Frog Lake huts since Feb. 15.
The group was in the process of returning to the trailhead at the conclusion of a three-day trip when the incident occurred.
Blackbird Mountain Guides says it is in direct contact with the emergency contacts of the affected clients and guides and is providing them with regular updates as verified information becomes available.
UPDATE – Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m.
10 skiers are still unaccounted for following an avalanche near Castle Peak earlier today. Six skiers have survived and remain at the avalanche site, awaiting rescue. The survivors have been directed to shelter in place.
The group of 16, consisting of four ski guides and 12 clients, encountered the avalanche around 11:30 a.m. today.
Rescue ski teams have departed from both Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center to make their way to the known survivors. A Snocat team is also on its way to the incident site.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s office says rescue efforts remain in progress now with 46 emergency first responders.
Weather conditions remain highly dangerous.
The Sierra Avalanche Center previously issued an avalanche warning for today, which has been in effect since 5 a.m. today through Feb. 18 at 5 a.m., stating: “HIGH avalanche danger exists in the backcountry. Large avalanches are expected to occur Tuesday, Tuesday night, and into at least early Wednesday morning across backcountry terrain. HIGH avalanche danger might continue through the day on Wednesday.”
ORIGINAL STORY – Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 12:15 p.m.
NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. – The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue are responding to the report of an avalanche in the Castle Peak area.
The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday and involved a group of backcountry skiers, several of which are missing, according to the sheriff’s office update.
Details are currently limited. The Sun will provide further updates when details become available.
Screenshot of Cornice Cam at Kirkwood Mountain ResortProvided/Kirkwood Mountain Resort
LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. – As a new day dawns in Tahoe, a fresh and extremely thick blanket of snow covers trees, powerlines, cars, and rooftops.
Despite a brief glimpse of sun early this morning on the southern aspects of the lake, increasing snow showers are forecasted from Wednesday afternoon into the night, with another storm in their wake projected for Thursday, according to OpenSnow.
Many resorts are hard at work trying to mitigate the heavy snowfall effects of the prior storm.
As of today, February 18, we’ve got a list of updated snow totals for Tahoe’s resorts over the past 24 hours:
TRUCKEE, Calif. — After the heaviest day of the storm slammed the Sierra on Tuesday, residents across the region woke up Wednesday to snow-packed driveways and the familiar sound of shovels scraping pavement. Here’s what to expect over the next few days.
Snow continued through the night Tuesday, delivering what forecasters had predicted would be the peak of the system. Now, meteorologists say the storm is winding down — but not before a few more rounds of snow move through the region.
“This week’s big winter storm is in its final few hours as lighter snow and snow showers have generally pushed south of I-80,” the National Weather Service wrote in its forecast discussion. “While the majority of today and tonight will offer a small window to dig out from all this snow, isolated snow showers with modest additional accumulations (up to 3 inches) remain in the picture near the Sierra and northeast California.”
Lighter snow showers are expected Wednesday, offering a brief break before another fast-moving system arrives late Wednesday night into Thursday.
Snow levels are forecast to drop below 1,000 feet at times and range between 2,000 and 3,000 feet through Thursday, explained OpenSnow Forecaster Bryan Allegretto. That means snow could reach unusually low elevations, impacting foothill communities and extending into western Nevada.
NNWS forecasters say enhanced snow bands driven by convective activity could produce brief snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour or more, particularly Thursday afternoon.
Unlike the most recent storm, winds are not expected to be as significant a factor, with Sierra ridge-top gusts forecast to be lower than earlier in the week.
While a quieter pattern may arrive by Friday, forecasters urge residents and travelers to remain cautious as snow removal efforts continue and additional systems move through the region.
Another round of storms is expected to move in Sunday and continue into early next week, possibly through Tuesday or Wednesday. Those systems could bring additional periods of heavy snow to the northern Sierra.
Major Road Closures:
Interstate 80: Donner Summit to the Pacific Crest Trail
Highway 267: Northeast Road to Stewart Way
Highway 89: Bliss State Park to Emerald Bay
Highway 89: Luther Pass to Pickett’s Junction
Highway 88: Red Lake Creek to Carson Spur
Mount Rose Highway: Fairview Boulevard to Douglas Fir Drive
Interstate 80 westbound near Ranch Road
Closures and Delays:
All Washoe County School District schools are canceled.
All Tahoe Truckee Unified School District schools are canceled.
Truckee Courthouse is closed.
University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe campus is closed.
Lake Tahoe Community College is closed.
Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort is closed.
Palisades Tahoe announced a delayed and phased opening.
Homewood Mountain Resort is closed with no estimated reopening time.
Sugar Bowl Resort announced a delayed opening.
Boreal Mountain California is closed.
Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Resort announced a possible delayed opening.
Feb. 18, 10:08 p.m.: Avalanche Victims Tied to Sugar Bowl Academy
Sugar Bowl Academy released a statement Feb. 18 confirming several of the victims were part of the Sugar Bowl community.
The statement reads:
“With the heaviest of hearts, we can confirm the loss of multiple lives from within the Sugar Bowl community. Several members of the Sugar Bowl Academy community and others with strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and the backcountry community died in an avalanche at Castle Peak on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.
“Nevada County, Placer County, the State of California, and Washoe County emergency responders are still working to recover all of the victims and are not, at this time, sharing the personal details of the victims and the survivors out of respect for the families affected. Sugar Bowl Academy is similarly not sharing personal details.
“Sugar Bowl Academy is focused on supporting its athletes, students, staff, and families through this tragedy. Most importantly, the Sugar Bowl Academy community will continue to be there in the months and years ahead for the families that have lost loved ones.”
Feb. 18, 12:24 p.m.: One Avalanche Victim Unaccounted For, Eight Deceased
One day after an avalanche struck a group of backcountry skiers attempting to make its way from the Frog Lake huts east of Castle Peak to the trailhead north of Interstate-80 on Donner Summit, search-and-rescue teams have shifted their mission to a recovery effort.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call on the morning of Feb. 17 from an iPhone in SOS mode reporting the avalanche, said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon in a Feb. 18 press conference. The sheriff’s office and Truckee Fire Protection District were the first responders to begin coordinating the rescue mission, aided by other teams such as Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, Placer County Search and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Washoe County Search and Rescue, and Blackbird Mountain Guides.
The group of backcountry skiers consisted of nine women and six men ranging from 30 to 55 years of age. It was reported that eight deceased have been found, and one victim remains unaccounted for, but is presumed deceased. Of the six survivors (four men and two women), one was a Blackbird Mountain guide. Two of the survivors were immobile due to avalanche injuries, and one remains in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Moon said the mission faced extreme weather and white-out conditions. A snowcat was able to get two miles in before rescuers skied in to the scene on the evening of Feb. 17, reaching the six survivors at 5:30 p.m. The survivors had begun searching for the team members and guides, locating three deceased prior to their rescue.
Not only was I-80 closed, but the rescuers and volunteers had to enter an area that still faces high avalanche danger and kept receiving vast amounts of additional snow.
According to Nevada County Sheriff Operations Captain Russell Greene, the surviving individuals said they were attempting to keep moving when someone saw the avalanche and alerted the group before they were quickly overtaken by it. The avalanche debris field was reportedly the size of a football field, a class 2.5 avalanche. For reference, the 1982 Alpine Meadows avalanche killed seven in what was likely a class 3 avalanche.
The surviving guide was in communication with search-and-rescue teams through text messages. It was also reported at the press conference that one deceased victim was a spouse of a Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team member.
The deceased have yet to be recovered as conditions are extremely difficult and remain dangerous.
Editor’s Note, Feb. 18, 10:51 a.m.: Moonshine Ink has obtained information that the missing skiers were a group of mothers from Tahoe/Truckee as well as the San Francisco Bay Area area with kids on a local Tahoe/Truckee ski team, but has not been able to verify with official sources.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office released an update at 10:40 p.m. on Feb. 17 about the rescue operation after an avalanche near Castle Peak had occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m., involving 15 backcountry skiers.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that the six surviving skiers were rescued, medically evaluated by Truckee Fire Protection District, and found to have sustained varying degrees of injuries; two were transported to the hospital. The rescue took several hours due to the severe conditions of the storm.
The sheriff’s office also noted that while it initially believed that 16 backcountry skiers were caught in the avalanche, it was later reporter that only 15 skiers had gone on the trip, leaving nine unaccounted for.
At 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17 — in the midst of a major winter storm, which has dropped 29 inches in the last 24 hours — a group of 16 skiers encountered an avalanche on Castle Peak. The group was made up of four ski guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides and 12 clients who were returning after multiple nights at the Frog Lakes backcountry huts. At least six of the skiers survived, including two of the guides, according to sources.
A level-four, high danger avalanche forecast was released by Sierra Avalanche Center at 5 a.m. on Feb. 17, stating, “All avalanche terrain is suspect. A widespread natural avalanche cycle is expected over the next 24 hours.” The center’s Steve Reynaud also reported a storm slab avalanche cycle on Feb. 16 on Castle Peak.
The Frog Lake huts are located on Donner Summit, roughly 1 mile east of Castle Peak, and tend to book out months in advance.
Blackbird Mountain Guides released a statement on the situation, noting the “group was in the process of returning to the trailhead at the conclusion of a three-day trip [that began Sunday, Feb. 15] when the incident occurred.”
As of 4 p.m., rescue efforts by 46 emergency first responders continued for the six known survivors, who were instructed to shelter-in-place, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
Editor’s note: Club Tahoe Association’s hiring of Grand Pacific Resorts has been updated below.
Club Tahoe Resort, a nearly 50-year-old timeshare tucked away off Northwood Boulevard in Incline Village, is going through a cannibalization of sorts:
Two boards, neither of which recognizes the other; a legal complaint (submitted by resort owners against “old” board members) working its way through Washoe County’s Second Judicial District Court; a transition in management companies that ended with the previous company, Tricom Management, being ordered by a judge to relinquish control; and legal fees being paid for by those who are litigating in the first place.
As the infighting continues, many owners are worried a larger goal is at hand: the purposeful deterioration and ultimate sale of the resort, shades of which have recently happened to neighboring timeshare resorts.
“It seems to be the same trajectory in all these places,” said Mona Ogden, an owner at Club Tahoe and the mind behind a “Save Club Tahoe” effort. “They just stop doing maintenance and let it fall into such a state of disrepair that owners give up … We’ve tried everything, reports [and other ways of notifying various state and local agencies], and the resounding response is, not my department; you need to go hire a lawyer.
“In a timeshare model, how are you going to hire a lawyer? How are you going to coordinate thousands of people to pitch in money toward a one-week thing they own? They’ll just give up. They’re not going to invest money in it. We are unprecedented and highly unusual in getting as far as we’ve gotten.”
The kindling to that success stems from emotional as well as financial investments, according to those who spoke with Moonshine.
Illustration by Sarah Miller/Moonshine Ink
“I like to say it’s a home away from home,” said owner Dina Fitch, whose parents were original owners at Club Tahoe, purchasing a unit in 1978. “It’s a generational resort. My family’s on technically our third generation … When I had gone up as a teenager I had made friends with some people, and I am still friends with one of the guys. I met him when I was 16. He’s one of my oldest and dearest friends.”
Brian Arnold is another owner whose parents were original purchasers; he began visiting Club Tahoe when he was 8 or 9. “I’ve basically been going up there once a week for 50 years,” he said. “Ultimately, I feel I’m being screwed out of a financial asset that my family has owned. It’s not as much of [an asset] because, at the end of the day, it’s not a lot of money. But it’s just not being able to use it. If we don’t have this, if we don’t have Club Tahoe for my family, we likely won’t be going back up there because of the cost of other nearby units or hotels or anything else.”
Fitch and Arnold are both part of Club Tahoe’s recall board, president and treasurer, respectively. Meanwhile, the original board — the one the Save Club Tahoe group considers replaced — also remains active.
The dual existence of boards, which neither of them acknowledges, is causing a paralysis of Club Tahoe Resort operations. The current management company, Grand Pacific Resorts (GPR), stated in a Feb. 4 notice to all owners that it is committed to remaining neutral amid board confusion. Without a formal 2026 budget, GPR is utilizing the association’s 2025 operating budget numbers in the interim. Amid all the red tape, no clear answer exists as to what the next few months, let alone year and a half, will bring. A possible 50-year termination of the resort is outlined in the original bylaws.
Jason Gamel, president of the American Resort Development Association (or ARDA), called what’s happening with Club Tahoe an “unusual situation.”
“It’s rare to see an actual effort to recall the entire board and elect a new one or have another one in place,” he said. “It’s rare to see that.”
WELCOME TO THE CLUB: A timeshare resort born in 1978, Club Tahoe Resort is undergoing a significant change on the heels of replacing property management companies, legal battles, aging infrastructure, and more. A portion of owners have formed a Save Club Tahoe group and recalled the association’s board to move the needle on progress. “Our goal is to regain control of Club Tahoe,” said recall Board President Dina Fitch. “The resort didn’t get this way overnight. It is not going to be repaired overnight in any way, shape, or form. But as [recall Board Treasurer Brian Arnold] puts it, we need to get the keys first. And then we have to take a very hard look at things. But how that happens, when that happens, there is no do-or-die date.” Photo by Nina Miller/Moonshine Ink
Timeshares still timely?
The concept has been around in the U.S. for 52 years, yet timeshares have not gone the way of the dodo bird.
The standard model allows the purchase and utilization of a recurring interval, usually a specific week each year, at a vacation resort. The average price in 2024 for a timeshare transaction was $23,160, per ARDA, with an average $1,260 in annual maintenance fees.
At Club Tahoe, the last interval sold (week 2 of each year) went for $3,367.80 in 2021. The 2026 annual maintenance fee (based on 2025 numbers) is $830, with the possibility of rising if/when this year’s budget is finalized.
In the U.S., timeshare occupancy returned to pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 2024; ARDA reported that sales volume saw $10.5 billion, with the average occupancy at 80%.
“We’ve had a lot going on in the industry,” said Gamel, who’s served in his position for six years now. ARDA, he told Moonshine, has been “involved in almost every law that’s been written on the books on timeshares. We’ve helped every state in one way, shape, or form along with some other regulatory agencies.”
While timeshares back in the early days were born on the wave of independent developers buying a resort or two and sustaining their own sales and marketing, the ’80s and ’90s are when major brands started joining the fray.
“Hilton, Disney Vacation Club [were] the early ’90s, for instance,” Gamel said. “You had Marriott, who entered the game in the ’90s, and when that happened, all of a sudden, they started acquiring resorts … As time has gone on, and the cost of real estate has gotten really expensive, which really started in the 2000s and maybe even the 2010s. If we look at what was happening then, people weren’t doing as much development of their own properties, but a lot more corporate acquisitions, then consolidate.”
Today’s landscape has only a handful of major “active sales” developers, including Marriott, Westgate Resorts, Disney Vacation Club, and Holiday Inn Club.
George De Laurentis is a licensed real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Select Real Estate. He’s lived in South Lake Tahoe since 1977 and has worked in real estate and timeshare sales for over two decades.
“I worked for every company in South Shore that has sold timeshares, from the Ritz Tahoe to the Stardust to the Americana to the Marriott properties, Wyndham properties,” he said. “That’s the nature of the game. When one resort opens, all the agents go to the new resort [until] they get low on inventory.”
Now, De Laurentis works in independent sales for Coldwell, with clients who want to resell their Marriott timeshares. “I rep people who’ve bought [their timeshare] from the developer or inherited it, or they were given to them. Those [last two groups] tend to not have paid anything for it and therefore they’re in a position to get rid of it … [and] price it cheaper than anyone.”
SINCE 1974, timeshare resort growth has mostly plateaued. 2024 was the first year since the Covid-19 pandemic that timeshare occupancy returned to pre-2020 levels — at 80%. Courtesy graphic
The younger generations have gained their own footing in the industry, helping maintain momentum since the initial heyday of timeshare growth (36% from 1974 to 1984; see the ARDA graph above). In 2022, ARDA reported that Gen Z and Millennials accounted for 57% of all timeshare owners, and 53% of new sale purchasers.
De Laurentis gave perspective on today’s timeshare pitches, describing an oft-used approach of the time and energy put into planning vacations. “It’s spring break — how far in advance did you make those reservations?” he asked. “A smart person who goes during prime time, you’ve got to make the reservation 8 to 12 months in advance … Once you can get someone to admit that’s something they do, then a timeshare works.
“Somebody wants to come to Tahoe this Fourth of July and they don’t have a reservation right now; there’s nothing for them. Yes, you can reserve timeshares spur-of-the-moment … if you can jump on a plane and pay high airline tickets and run up to the resort three weeks in advance, you can do that, but I wouldn’t plan a major vacation that way.”
The oldest timeshare resorts tend to be the smallest in size, have the lowest occupancy, and the lowest billed maintenance fees, per the ARDA’s State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry 2025 study.
“The industry is currently undergoing an accelerated phase of winding down older and dysfunctional timeshare resorts, which has caused the overall resort and unit counts to decrease by about 5% since 2020,” the report stated. “This may ultimately serve to improve the overall health of the timeshare ecosystem.”
The legacy of Club Tahoe
Club Tahoe Resort opened its doors in 1978, four years after the U.S. timeshare industry’s inception. The resort consists of 93 units (with 51 interval weeks per unit), tennis courts, a pool area, parking, and a main clubhouse. In the past, owners have enjoyed discounted passes to Diamond Peak and access to Burnt Cedar, a residents-only beach in Incline Village.
Club Tahoe is known as a legacy or independent resort, meaning it’s not owned or represented by a known hospitality brand (like Marriott or Disney, for example). Up until 2014, it was self-managed, with various operations stayed in-house — like rental revenue, association dues, and accounting.
Tera Taylor began her Club Tahoe connection as a staff member before becoming a member over a decade later. In 2008, she started working in the resort’s office as a satellite office manager for a different timeshare exchange company. After about a year, the then-general manager for Club Tahoe offered her the position of on-grounds clubhouse manager.
“I took on that role,” she said. “I worked there and then I moved my way up to general manager. I worked there for about 16 years, up until March of 2024.”
Taylor grew up watching her mom manage a timeshare resort in Kings Beach. Post-Club Tahoe, she still works in the business, though in Sacramento.
In 2014, Club Tahoe Resort Association’s board of directors hired timeshare management company Tricom Management, based in Anaheim, to take over operations. This move shifted some responsibilities for the on-site staff like Taylor — no more accounting department, no more handling rentals, or invoicing, though she says her job as a manager day-to-day stayed the same (checking people in, quality control inventory, and so on).
As a direct and proximate result of Counter-defendants’ intentional interference, the Association has suffered and continues to suffer damages, including operational paralysis, vendor confusion, exposure to contractual liability, reputational harm, and increased administrative and legal costs.”
~ Defendants’ answer to amended complaint
While the shift to a corporate, bottom-dollar-driven mindset was challenging, Taylor said the first years under Tricom went well. Then, Covid-19 happened.
“They laid off a bunch of employees at Tricom [across the country], and I felt like things started really circling the drain and we weren’t getting the attention that we needed at the property,” she explained. “I was working a million hours, and the board wanted things done and they were telling the management company, and they were telling me, and I was working above and beyond. When things didn’t get done, I felt like I was kind of the pawn in the middle that was left holding the bag.”
Owners also noticed the pandemic impacts, specifically a “decline and lack of repairs,” Arnold said. “As simple as the blinds; they have these vertical slats and one or two would break and fall off. People — me and other owners in that same unit — submitted a maintenance request. Then a year later you go back up and it’s still there.”
Various complaints have been collected: rodent infestations, broken appliances, crumbling stairs, flooding, the closure of amenities like the racquetball court and sauna.
This awareness has led to concern over the possibility of a timeshare trend: Independent timeshare resorts faced with rising maintenance costs and aging owner bases often opt for termination and sale.
“What appears to happen is the physical properties are allowed to deteriorate, and they’re not maintained until there’s a point to which owners can’t afford a special assessment,” Ogden said. “If you can’t afford the special assessment, what is there left to do? These properties, they’re all worth a lot of money. And Incline Village is the premier location in Tahoe itself.”
South Lake Tahoe’s Tahoe Summit Village timeshare owners faced a version of this situation. In October 2024, owners received letters from the board informing them that a special assessment of $56,236 per interval week was due by each association member. Such an assessment was intended to “cover anticipated carrying costs through Dec. 31, 2024,” per the letter. Alternatively, owners could relinquish their intervals without having to pay the special assessment. Ultimately, the timeshare resort closed.
Taylor and others interviewed assert that while old, Club Tahoe had healthy financial reserves up until Tricom entered the picture and the pandemic hit. “It’s almost like they were just holding us back,” she said.
During the years of the pandemic, Taylor added that delinquent units re-obtained by the Club Tahoe association via Tricom weren’t being resold. In reviewing Tricom’s contract, section 3.9 required the company “to find purchasers for no less than fifty (50) Intervals per year.” Failure to meet the quota meant a penalty charge of $500 per interval from Tricom to the association.
“We asked the [old] board multiple times to confirm whether Tricom reimbursed Club Tahoe for any quota shortfall, and [board member] Marc Pearl cited the lack of reimbursement (along with other reasons) as a basis for [eventually] terminating Tricom,” Arnold explained in an email. “If those payments were owed or received, they should be reflected in the association’s accounting records and financial statements, but I do not see any corresponding income in the 2023 or 2024 audited financials.”
According to county records currently available, Tricom did not sell any interval weeks after Oct. 21, 2021. The sole (partial) exception was two peak weeks (one summer, one winter), which original board member Marc Pearl acquired in summer 2023. According to owners, Pearl said he only paid transfer fees for the intervals. This move, as was explained by Pearl in a later owner call, was meant to be the impetus of a larger movement to transfer unused association weeks back to owners free of charge, to then turn them into dues-paying weeks. But per owners, such a policy has never been implemented.
In late 2024, Club Tahoe’s board terminated the Tricom contract, on the basis of poor performance. The company then turned around and sued the association for improper termination.
Judge Scott Freeman of the Second Judicial Court of the State of Nevada denied Tricom’s motion and dismissed its complaint in August 2025. Shortly after, Grand Pacific Resorts (GPR), which had been hired in February 2025, began actively managing Club Tahoe’s operations.
As recently as January 2026, one Club Tahoe owner was told by GPR staff at the front desk that Tricom’s relinquishment of the association included leaving bills unpaid.
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: On Oct. 25, 2025, Club Tahoe Resort owners gathered to recall the association’s acting board. Pictured is the master petition. In total, 641 owners unanimously called for the recall of the original board. Photo by Dusk Bennett
Team ‘Save Club Tahoe’
Save Club Tahoe is a movement of 600 to 800 of the roughly 4,600 possible owners.
Ogden lit the proverbial match after she experienced a series of frustrations: an application to become a board member that she was told “must’ve been lost,” aggressive actions toward a Club Tahoe staff member, the association’s hiring of unlicensed contractors who caused a sewage leak, and board members unwilling to rectify or address various situations.
There was also talk of the then-board, made up of the original board minus three, using their positions for special favors — such as Pearl’s obtaining peak weeks in July 2023.
After a particularly contentious April 2024 meeting with two board members, Ogden said, “I went home and just started calling and emailing every owner I could think of and launched this group.”
The first true organized attempt to “save” Club Tahoe took place in April 2025, when, Ogden says, there was “enough critical mass to decide that we were going to come again to Club Tahoe for this annual meeting, and we were going to do an in-person recall, because the bylaws stated that if we had a certain amount of participation there, we would prevail.”
To formally recall board members, the bylaws require a “duly convened regular or special meeting” and “the affirmative vote of the voting members casting no less than two-thirds (2/3rds) of each class of votes present at said meeting, and a successor may then and there be elected to fill the vacancy thus created.” This first recall effort failed because it was procedurally invalid and violated the resort’s governing documents and Nevada state law.
At the same time, the Tricom litigation was taking place. The management company would normally assist with general election notification, hosting, and oversight, but that did not happen. The original board is claiming by way of counsel that “any alleged procedural irregularity in that election” would have occurred because of Tricom’s undermining of the association’s ability to hold the election.
This was part of the reason the board chose to change voting from in-person to online. Others, as claimed in a June 2025 email from the board to Club Tahoe owners, were for safety in light of violent threats, and better accessibility for voter engagement.
From the election emerged the following board members, expanded from four to seven: Keith Wilson (incumbent), Gloria DeAlba (incumbent), Donald Wall (incumbent), Robert Vermeltfoort, Marc Pearl (incumbent), Keith Ogden (married to Mona Ogden), and Christine Becker. Vermeltfoort resigned from his position in October 2025.
It is against these board members, and the Club Tahoe Resort Owners Association itself, that Club Tahoe owners Lawrence Garvey and Robert Payton (a member of the October 2025 recall board) filed a complaint. They include claims of breaches of governing documents, of duty of good faith and fair dealing, of fiduciary duties, the improper transfer of reserve funds, and more. As of press deadline, there is no specific timeline for the case.
The most critical claims in the Garvey and Payton complaint center around how the April 2025 election happened, which includes reference to a timeshare association’s voting power. For Club Tahoe, when it comes to electing a board member, as an example, there is one vote per interval week owned. If an owner has two interval weeks, they get two votes.
The rub comes when an interval week is returned back to the association for whatever reason (delinquency, deed-back, etc.). They become association-owned weeks. In some timeshare associations, such weeks can be used at the discretion of the board to establish a quorum or for voting purposes. In this practice, it is possible for boards to obtain substantial voting control.
Garvey and Payton allege that, based on freely accessible Simply Voting records (the electronic system used), “the Former Board used [two] voter IDs to cast 1,790 weighted votes, or 24% of the total 7,506 total votes cast in the 2025 Annual Election, in favor of the Former Board-recommended candidates. These two voter IDs were later acknowledged by the Former Board to represent Association-owned, non-dues paying weeks.”
The referenced acknowledgement is from the June 2025 email, which stated that using association-owned weeks is not an anomaly and has been done before, and “there is no provision of NRS 119A or the governing documents that requires an exclusion of association-owned units … Consistent with industry practice, the association-owned units were used for quorum and voting purposes and did not violate any known state statutes.”
By October 2025, tensions were running even higher, and plans to hold a formal recall had been set in motion. After back-and-forth notifications between the various owners, the board, and the association’s legal counsel, a special meeting was held by the Save Club Tahoe group on Saturday, Oct. 25.
PETITIONS, PLENTY: The Save Club Tahoe group encouraged owners to sign petitions to recall the Club Tahoe board at multiple meet-and-greets over summer 2025. Photo by Mona Ogden
“At the Special Meeting,” the legal complaint states, “a quorum was established, and a unanimous recall of the Former Board by 641 Member votes of the Association was certified. There were no votes in favor of keeping the Former Board of Directors in place.”
Brian Arnold, Dusk Bennett, Daniel Doss-Grinstead, Dina Fitch, Keith Ogden, Robert Payton, and Tera Taylor were elected to the recall board.
Taylor, who left her position as general manager a year and a half prior, became an owner in exchange (she purchased her interval from another owner rather than through Tricom, which still wasn’t selling any). “I became an owner so that I could continue the good fight to help all of my owners and my previous staff,” she said.
A Nov. 3, 2025, letter emailed out to owners from the association’s general counsel, the LKG law firm, cited the special member meeting as unlawful because of semantics: the action taken was done under what the recall group called a “special member meeting,” but proceeded with under the rules of a “special board meeting,” which are not the same.
“Because the requirements of the Bylaws were not met, however, the special member meeting for an Oct. 25 recall election was unlawful, and any and all action taken at said meeting invalid,” the letter stated in part.
The original board members engaged in litigation did not respond to Moonshine Ink’s requests for comment.
Sands of time
What’s happening at a neighboring time share, Tahoe Sands Resort (TSR) in Tahoe Vista, serves as what multiple Club Tahoe owners see as a possibility should their efforts to save Club Tahoe fail. Especially since TSR is also managed by Grand Pacific Resorts.
TSR is actively dissolving after financial challenges, particularly a high percentage (55%) of defaulting owners, which equates to about 1,500 timeshare segment owners not paying maintenance fees each year. By the end of 2024, TSR accumulated negative retained earnings of $537,956.
“While the financial situation has been a challenge, we also have the burden of an aging facility,” noted an early 2025 letter from the board of directors to TSR owners. “The reserve fund simply cannot keep up with the amount of capital work needed to maintain a thriving resort. The fund currently has $200,000 in savings and we forecast needed capital improvements in the amount of $1,220,000 over the next three years.”
Owners were given two options: to pay an annual assessment of approximately $3,000 to $5,000 to help continue the resort’s operation indefinitely, or to dissolve, selling the resort and possibly receiving between $15,000 and $20,000 based on market factors. The clear preference, according to survey results, was for the sale of the property.
Kerri Countess has been an owner at Tahoe Sands since 2017. She’s a full-time resident in Spanish Springs (the northern portion of Sparks), Nevada, and fondly refers to Tahoe Sands as a “blue-collar beach club.”
She says the presentation of options was disingenuous.
“[We can either] triple your dues … fee [to] $4,500 a year and that would not allow us to do any upgrades to the property … Or, we could sell the property, and you could net anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000. What do you think people voted for?”
VIEW FROM THE SANDS: Kerri Countess, parent and grandmother to those pictured, has been a member at Tahoe Sands Resort since 2017. As the resort goes through dissolution due to financial struggles, Countess is frustrated by what she sees as disingenuous methods of communication, like board members claiming voter majority to sell the resort by using association-owned weeks for that very vote. Photo by Kerri Countess
Similar to Club Tahoe’s voting methods, TSR’s bylaws state, “The Association Board shall cast votes which arise from suspended Memberships or for Memberships deemed held by the Association.”
Countess pointed out that under such a rule, what the owners want might be moot if the board has enough votes to make a majority.
She told Moonshine she wishes there had been more of an effort to salvage the resort through piecemeal efforts. “At no time was our property ever very active on hotels.com … We have eight buoys on that property. We could’ve [rented out] those eight buoys alone … They didn’t say, ‘We own five parcels, we could potentially investigate selling off one parcel.’ Each one of those parcels has five to seven units on it.”
The Tahoe Sands Resort board did not respond to Moonshine’s request for comment.
As of press deadline, TSR remains for sale; it was listed in April 2025 for $30 million. Owners were able to use their weeks through 2025, but no longer can as of Jan. 1, 2026, though they’re required to pay the annual maintenance fee at half-cost ($485.17 for a studio, $597.33 for a one-bedroom, and $687.05 for a two-bedroom).
“As owners,” proclaimed an April 2025 president’s address to TSR owners, “we are all sellers in this process.”
The San Diego Country Estates in Ramona, California, (also managed by GPR) recently underwent a similarly laid-out vote and is actively undergoing dissolution. After such financial hardships as delinquency (59%) and deferred maintenance, the timeshare association’s board of directors held a survey on owner preferences for how to proceed with the future of the resort. The results, according to an email sent to owners in March 2025, “showed that 84.5% of owner responses, representing 85.5% of the total owned intervals, chose … to dissolve the association and sell all the resort property.”
Just like Tahoe Sands, San Diego Country Estates association incurred new costs to implement the dissolution, “reducing the eventual payout for all participating owners. As a result, owners who wish to fully participate in the final payout will be expected to continue paying their quarterly maintenance fees.”
According to the association website dissolution FAQs (which are almost identical to Tahoe Sands’ dissolution FAQs), owners in good standing could receive between $5,000 and $10,000 per interval once the resort is sold.
Fifty years and counting
As of press deadline, the two boards of Club Tahoe continue to function — though the original board claims operational paralysis and has not moved to finalize the association’s 2026 annual budget, which is required through bylaws to be sent to owners “not less than 60 days before the beginning of the fiscal year,” which started Jan. 1.
“As a direct and proximate result of Counter-defendants’ intentional interference,” posits the defendants’ answer to the complaint, “the Association has suffered and continues to suffer damages, including operational paralysis, vendor confusion, exposure to contractual liability, reputational harm, and increased administrative and legal costs.”
Without clear guidance, owners are paying their annual assessment based on the 2025 amount of $830. Some owners of summertime intervals have been contacted directly by GPR’s financial arm, Advanced Financial, asking for maintenance fee payments. Owners of shares during earlier months, including those who have already visited, were not contacted.
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Club Tahoe condos in Incline. Photo by Nina Miller/Moonshine Ink
Club Tahoe condos in Incline. Photo by Nina Miller/Moonshine Ink
Club Tahoe condos in Incline. Photo by Nina Miller/Moonshine Ink
The recall board has held two meetings over Zoom since its creation, with directors openly acknowledging their lack of access to the association’s finances, full owner roster, and other information. They are planning for the annual meeting on April 25, at which new board directors will be elected.
GPR is operating in its own type of silo with Club Tahoe. Whether the company will facilitate any upcoming elections is unknown. Jeff Brock, regional vice president of resort operations for GPR, told Moonshine in an email that his company is not “in a position to comment or participate in an interview.”
To date, Club Tahoe is not selling interval weeks to new timeshare owners. Rather, short-term renting options are available.
The recall board members and supporters remain wary of GPR’s recent history of dissolving timeshares.
Keith Ogden, a Club Tahoe owner in a particularly interesting spot, as he’s currently functioning as a member on both boards, claims that before he was “shut out” of the original board for aligning with the recall one, he viewed the GPR contract with Club Tahoe (which the recall board has not been able to access).
“They [GPR] are completely in control of finances, and they can starve the resort by mismanaging it,” he said. “And once they starve the resort, it goes bankrupt, then they get 25% of the sales proceeds gross — gross, not net sales — proceeds for being there and running it into the ground.”
Say the “Save Club Tahoe” group does manage to meet its goal of regaining control of the association — there’s still the bylaw-sanctioned possible termination of the resort after 50 years. On Aug. 24, 2028, a meeting will be held with all interval owners and board members. Unless 75% or more of those gathered vote for termination, Club Tahoe Resort’s declaration will continue another 10 years and again 10 years thereafter until termination is agreed upon.
“If we even get that far,” Mona Ogden said. “I honestly don’t think we will. I think they’re actively bankrupting us at the moment, and that will force a sale before we even get to ’28. But in a perfect world, the ’28 vote would’ve been a fair and ethical situation where owners did indeed vote and association-owned weeks were not voted by these people who had hidden them and stockpiled them for years in order to control the place. It all comes down to an ethical board. If you have an ethical board, ’28 shouldn’t be anything to be concerned about because you would feel good about it.”
The original board members, meanwhile, most recently responded to the legal complaint by requesting a preliminary injunction — essentially a pause button on any action for the resort — through the court.
But until there’s an official order that comes down, Save Club Tahoe continues to operate. “We have a lot of intelligent, a lot of competent people,” Fitch said. “People who have different skills, different strengths, and so you draw upon all of that in order to achieve this goal.”
The Lift Workspace, a coworking organization in Truckee, is likely here to stay — for at least another 10 years — after submitting the only lease proposal for its building within the Truckee Tahoe Airport District (TTAD). Now, it must contend with the building’s increase in rent to fair market value per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards. And Lift is not the only tenant of the airport reckoning with raising rent. It comes as yet another hurdle for the district in its yearslong balancing act between mandates on the aviation side and its commitment to its taxpayer base.
According to TTAD Board of Directors President David Diamond, the airport is making corrections to other past leases that fell short of fair market value.
“In the past, the airport has not always made sure that its leases were market value,” Diamond said. “In some cases they were below, and in some cases they were way below market value. This board under the guidance of our general manager, we’re basically trying to clean everything up.”
As a Public Regional General Aviation airport, the TTAD is obligated to comply with the FAA and its regulations. The airport owns 2,350 acres of land, which serve both aeronautical and nonaeronautical purposes, leading to gray areas in compliance. Furthermore, as a California Special Airport District — one of only nine— TTAD receives around $9 million in taxpayer money from Placer and Nevada counties.
“The alignment of these three policy bodies (federal, state, district) to address the use of public funds and airport revenue is unique with different requirements based on a number of involved public policy and legal factors,” the airport’s general manager Robb Etnyre said.
Contrary to FAA desires, the TTAD board believes taxpayer money should serve some community benefit. Additionally, Diamond said the state of California requires the property taxes the airport receives to be invested or spent in a way that supports the public. Consequently, the TTAD and its publicly elected board walk a fine line between conforming to FAA regulations and the public purpose of an airport to serve the community.
“What’s a fair rate for a nonprofit?” Horvath wondered. “Or what’s a fair rate for maybe a for-profit organization, but one who has a lot of impact in the community?”
“Though the FAA wants airports to self-sustain, the current TTAD Board of Directors believes the taxpayer money should be spent on projects that benefit the public,” Diamond explained.
Regardless of the airport’s mission, Board Vice President Greg Horvath acknowledged how much influence and authority the airport district has because of all the land it owns and manages. Even with FAA guidelines, the board has discretion in the way it manages its property, though the FAA has shut down past TTAD initiatives.
“There’s this natural tension here where it’s the fiduciary duty of the board and the airport district to manage our budget, manage our finances as responsibly as we can,” Horvath said. “I ran on a platform of trying to do so in a way that had the most impact for the community at large, not just people who utilized the airport’s direct services. But these are the types of challenges that come out from the airport having this much authority over property and over space.”
In 2024, following an FAA inspection, the TTAD’s hand was forced. A letter of noncompliance was sent regarding the airport’s below-market price hangars and their usage. Additionally, the FAA deemed some rents to be insufficient, like that of the Truckee Donner Recreation and Parks District Bike Park. Per FAA requirements, the TTAD must charge fair market value in order to not compete with the private sector and to self-sustain its operations with minimal FAA grants. As such, the TTAD began reassessing the lease terms of its tenants.
THE LIFT coworking space occupies the former Clear Capital building just off Truckee Airport Road. After a Request for Proposal process, the Lift was awarded the lease with the airport district. Photos by Ted Coakley III/Moonshine Ink
“There is at a minimum, a sort of general effort to move rents closer to market value,” Horvath said. “Exactly how that’s going to shake out for nonprofits and other, even for-profit community impact organizations is unclear.”
While many organizations are obliged to the airport district as its tenants, the airport district is in turn under obligation to the FAA and its assurances. Etnyre addressed the FAA’s Revenue Use Policy, which instructs airports to create a self-sustaining structure through the business they conduct.
“We cannot use aviation money to subsidize non-aviation facilities. The grant assurance says you can’t do that,” Etnyre said. “The board’s very cautious, as they should be, about the use of public, tax-collected funds as subsidized business operations in our non-aviation facilities.”
Part of the TTAD’s nonaeronautical budget, however, goes toward benefiting the community, including assistance to nonprofit tenants and the allocation of $2 million for fire mitigation projects. The California Special Districts Association provides guidance to the airport district on any public funds it gifts.
TRUCKEE BIKE PARK is one of several TTAD tenants with leases increasing to fair market value per FAA regulations.
Previously, TDRPD received such community benefit with a license agreement originally priced at $1 a year for the Truckee Bike Park. The fair market value hunt has changed its terms. After the FAA land inspection, the general manager for the recreation district, Sven Leff, said the airport informed them the rent for its bike park would have to change.
In April 2026, the district will begin paying $5,796 per year for the park. It also leases the land for the Ponderosa Golf Course from the airport for a nominal fee, since that acts as an open-space safety zone for the airport.
Leff said the agreement for the golf course included a clause acknowledging that as a nonprofit with community benefit, the parks district was eligible for rental credit payments that covered the full market cost of what was valued at $166,000 per year in 2008.
“What’s a fair rate for a nonprofit?” Horvath wondered. “Or what’s a fair rate for maybe a for-profit organization, but one who has a lot of impact in the community?”
This was just the question the TTAD board has asked when leasing to nonprofits, as well as when the Airport Office Building rented by the Lift was reassessed. Several nonprofits housed in TTAD’s warehouse such as Truckee Roundhouse, Tahoe Food Hub, and Sierra Community House, are the subject of in-kind discounts. According to Etnyre, those nonprofits pay discounted rent, equivalent of about a 50% decrease from fair market value.
“From a business perspective, maybe we’re not being as smart as we could be in terms of revenue opportunities,” Diamond said. “But we are offsetting that loss of revenue in terms of benefit to the region.”
The in-kind discounts are considered community benefit programs that result in foregone revenue. TTAD Director of Finance and Administration Liza Smith estimated the foregone revenue from its warehouse nonprofits for 2026 to equate to around $102,000 as their leases are reassessed for fair market value.
“We’ve got $9M of property tax coming in and I want to make sure that it is used on behalf of the people who are paying it,” Diamond said. “Because that, to me, is general good governance.”
Diamond added, as a pilot himself, he doesn’t think public funds should subsidize his hobby. On the aviation side of things, Etnyre said the TTAD is working on adjusting aeronautical rents and fees to fair market value, as well as introducing landing fees, enforcing hangar rent, and exploring a partnership with JSX, a private jet charter service. JSX was the other primary party interested in the Airport Office Building, but it ultimately didn’t submit a proposal.
Additionally, for-profit organizations like the Lift face higher costs, even though the Lift offers community benefit by serving nonprofits at discounted rates. The assessment commissioned by the airport for the facility valued rent at $2.25 per square foot for a total of $24,300 per year. The Lift is currently paying $1.67 until July 31, 2026, and counter-proposed $1.85 per square foot for its new lease.
THE WAREHOUSE is home to three nonprofits — Truckee Roundhouse, Tahoe Food Hub, and Sierra Community House — as part of a community benefit partnership with the TTAD.
In the TTAD Board of Directors’ Jan. 28 meeting, when it disclosed it would lease to the Lift, its staff report acknowledged any capital improvements for the Lift would require taxpayer money to complete, leaving some uncertainty about the Lift’s future.
“As a California Special District, TTAD’s use of property tax funds must meet the public purpose of the district,” the staff report stated. “Because TRV [Truckee River Ventures is the parent company of the Lift] is a for-profit enterprise, funding tenant-specific improvements could be perceived as subsidizing a private business.”
The airport district continues to have to strike a balance between the communities it serves and the regulations it abides by. Due to its allocation of funds to wildfire mitigation, it has shifted its community benefit funding toward a focus on community-wide benefit. However, Etnyre said it will continue to provide in-kind discounts to nonprofits.
While the TTAD works to manage its rentals, entities such as the Town of Truckee have expressed interest in some airport parcels of land, which the district may be willing to part with. If it disposes of the land, the FAA will be involved in how that money is used.
“I think that brings up good questions for the community at large,” Horvath said. “What kind of role do we want the airport to have? … These organizations […] have huge impacts in our community but are sort of beholden to the airport district as their landlord.”
I was at a party a while back when the conversation turned toward AI. A financially well-off fellow I’d just met told me how he’d given thank you letters to his best clients. He went on to boast that, while he handwrote out and signed his name to each of those thank you letters, he had ChatGPT write the actual words to the letters for him.
That didn’t sit well with me.
One-hundred fifty years ago, on March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the world’s first ever telephone call, but it took 75 discerning years for his invention to reach 100 million users. When the automobile came out, it took 33 years to gain 100 million users. The cell phone took 15 years for its first 100 mil, and the internet conquered the feat in seven years.
It took ChatGPT 60 days.
That mark was reached three years ago this month. And now the thing is everywhere, with about a billion users (and growing) relying on it for more and more things with greater and greater devotion. In three years — out of the 300,000-plus years of us homo sapiens walking on two legs around this word — that thing has changed the way we live and think and do.
And I don’t think that’s good.
It is 2026, and there’s no iota of a shred of a doubt that we are in the AI Era. It’s here, and it’s here to stay. But while it took thousands of years for us to go from stone to bronze to iron, it is precisely the quickness of the adoption of AI that should give us pause. Things are happening like a lightning-strike and only getting faster. It is 2026, and we all wake up and brush our teeth in a technological arms race of instant, instanter, and instantest without any idea if what is being shoved down our metaphoric throat is good for us or bad for us or just for the profit of the few.
What was wrong and what needed fixing? What’s the AI end-game? What, in 2026, does it mean to be human?
In so many facets of our human lives that weren’t broken four years ago, we are now being told (even forced) to “leverage the power of AI” in order to do things faster. But if everyone in a race starts speeding up at the same pace, everyone in that race is still going the same relative speed. Nothing is gained.
And when we start going faster just for the sake of going faster, things get lost. Learning gets lost. Texture gets lost. Wisdom gets lost. Where this seems most troublesome for our humanity, to me, at this stage, is with our written words.
Less than three years since the unveiling of large language models (LLMs), our culture now uses the machines to write (or “improve”) everything from our emails to our essays to our web copy to our songs to our books; our lesson plans, grocery lists, workout regimens, text messages, and, yes, thank you letters.
And let us not forget that true writing is rewriting — that it is in our editing, our reworking, our drafting, our human honing where we really get to know what it is we are trying to say and how we are trying to say it.
It is 2026, and I encourage us human beings to return to writing our own writing. Because if we don’t, like any language that is no longer practiced, we will one day lose the ability to do so. And when we human beings lose our ability to write, it is our ability to think, to figure out problems, to find creative solutions, to be human, that will wither and fade.
AI is here and it’s not going to go away. It will grow more astronomically powerful and more absolutely pervasive within our everyday existence. With access to it in our pockets, we human beings have essentially become cyborgs. Yet we are not meant to live as cyborgs, but as human beings.
So let us live like human beings. And a good way to make sure we do that is to get back to writing our own writing.
As I begin my year as mayor of Truckee, I do so with deep gratitude and reflection. This year is especially meaningful as it marks both the start of my term as mayor and my final year on the town council after seven years of service. It feels like a fitting way to close this chapter of public service.
Over the past seven years, we have taken on big challenges, made difficult decisions, and laid critical groundwork to ensure Truckee remains a resilient, welcoming, and thriving town for generations to come. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together.
I am especially proud of our commitment to sustainability and climate action. The town council designated annual funding for environmental initiatives, turning values into action. We helped establish the Climate Transformation Alliance to advance regional carbon neutrality and adopted single-use food ware and plastic water bottle ordinances. We developed a Building Decarbonization Roadmap that positions Truckee as a leader in environmental protection. We are transitioning the town fleet to electric vehicles where practical, expanding fare-free and reduced-fare transportation options like TART Connect and vanpool programs, and supporting year-round bicycle and pedestrian mobility through BCycle and trail plowing.
Truckee was designated a Clean California Community this year, one of the first 30 cities statewide. This achievement highlights Truckee’s leadership in reducing litter, enhancing public spaces, and fostering community pride.
We have also invested in people, strengthening staff capacity to address housing, sustainability, engagement, communications, and inclusion, while rightsizing our organization to better meet community needs, including adding critical public safety positions. Public safety and preparedness have remained a top priority with the creation of the Emergency Management Division and expanded wildfire mitigation efforts.
The adoption of the Truckee 2040 General Plan was one of the most consequential efforts of my time on the council. This robust public process incorporated the Town’s first Climate Action Element, people-focused mobility policies, strengthened community character, and included a robust safety element addressing wildfire risk.
Housing remains one of our most urgent priorities. The town has secured 800 deed-restricted units and created, preserved, or converted housing for over 860 locals.Innovative programs like Lease to Locals are now being replicated across the country.
There is more to do, and so we also advanced funding mechanisms to support more housing programs, transportation, and emergency services. I am equally proud of our thriving small business community, the opening of DEWBEYÚMUWE? Park, and the investments we’ve made in trails and roads, including the renewal of critical tax measures that support this work.
We could not do all of this without the volunteers advancing special projects like the River Revitalization Steering Committee, the Chief’s Advisory Committee, the Planning Commission, Public Art Commission of Truckee, and many more.
The Tahoe Truckee Homeless Action Coalition has made meaningful progress addressing homelessness, leading with compassion and collaboration as we move toward opening a pilot navigation center.
Looking ahead, key milestones include Housing Element decisions, improvements to the Homegrown Housing Program, groundbreaking for Edmunds Lofts, completion of a town-wide evacuation study, a new heat pump incentive program, public art installations, and rollout of Cloudpermit to improve transparency and efficiency. We also look forward to building our bilingual communications, supporting the Truckee Library, the restoration of Donner Lake, and the continued care of our trails through the renewal of the existing sales tax.
None of this happens without the tireless work of town staff, my fellow councilmembers, committee members, and the passion of this community. Truckee is strongest when we work together.
My hope for Truckee is record snow, ambitious agendas, and thoughtful, spirited conversations that move us forward.
~ Anna Klovstad was elected to the Truckee Town Council in 2018 and 2022. She cofounded the Climate Transformation Alliance as mayor and now leads TTUSD’s Facilities Department. As a certified construction and energy manager with an architecture degree, she champions energy efficiency and sustainability projects in the Tahoe/Truckee region.
Tahoe is facing a workforce housing crisis. A recent community survey led by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) revealed that two-thirds of Tahoe Basin residents struggle to afford housing. These are the workers who keep Tahoe running year-round: staffing our hospitals, maintaining our infrastructure, educating our children, responding to emergencies, and supporting our tourism economy.
When workers are priced out of the Basin, daily commuting becomes unavoidable. That influx of vehicles worsens congestion on already overburdened roads and degrades the quality of life for residents and visitors. More cars also means more pollution and more runoff from roadways flowing into the lake.
On its surface, it can seem like this is a simple housing supply problem. While it’s true there is a lack of access to affordable housing for many people who work in Tahoe and others who live here with limited incomes — like seniors and people with disabilities — the reality is more nuanced. Tahoe doesn’t have enough affordable housing to accommodate our local workers; too many existing units are used by tourists or as second homes that sit empty.
The numbers are dramatic. Of the 49,000 housing units in the Tahoe Basin, roughly half are occupied year-round, while the other half sit empty or are used as vacation rentals. And of all the housing in the Basin, only 707 units are deed-restricted — apartments, townhomes, and condos guaranteed to be rented below market rate to qualifying tenants. Building more housing without deed restrictions is most likely to support additional luxury housing, not the workforce housing we need.
Another reason simply increasing housing supply will not work in Tahoe is the lake itself. More density without stringent water-quality protections results in more runoff flowing into the lake. Loosening development standards to accommodate more construction will create more problems for the lake, a national treasure that deserves protection.
TRPA just kicked off an environmental review to examine policies to increase workforce housing. That process may sound technical, but its implications are anything but abstract. The decisions made now will determine not only where and how people live here, but also how well we protect the lake in the effort to meet our workforce housing needs.
The last time TRPA conducted a full-scale environmental review of development impacts in the Basin in 2012, it set a hard growth cap on the number of housing units that could be built here without compromising lake clarity. Of the 52,000 potential units, only about 3,000 remain unbuilt. That’s why it’s critical for the environmental review process to examine not only which types of units can be built and where, but also how the housing we already have can better serve year-round residents.
By focusing on adaptive reuse and programs like downpayment assistance to help people access existing homes, TRPA can address housing needs without sacrificing the lake. Most importantly, TRPA must narrowly focus its incentives to make it less expensive for developers to build housing that meets the needs of our workforce through deed restrictions and other tailored policies and programs.
TRPA will examine a wide range of issues as part of the environmental impact statement, and the scoping period just kicked off. The agency’s decision-makers need to hear from the community to understand priorities and concerns. To learn more about the issues and to add your voice, go to mountainareapreservation.org/the-housing-tahoe-needs.
~ Alexis Ollar is the executive director of Mountain Area Preservation, an environmental and workforce-housing advocacy organization based in Tahoe/Truckee, working since 1987 to advocate for the environment and community.
