BIG RACE WEEKEND AT SQUAW

By Sam Bauman

Last Saturday the sky was cloudy but the snow excellent at Heavenly's Nevada side. Wind was cold but the runs warmed one up and the sun peeped out now and then.

No big crowds as long as you got off the hill by 11 a.m., and trails off Dipper and Comet were wide open.

One obvious thing as the day moved along - how crowded the slopes get these days. That seems to be a result of the high-speed quad chairs dumping a lot more skiers and boarders on the hill in a same time period. The trails don't get any wider and new trails don't get built often, so more accidents seem to be in the future. NO statistics out on that that I can find.

An exception is the Heavenly Olympic run where the new high-speed quad is in place. After a few hundred yards from the top, a new trail opens on the left. It winds through the trees with several offshoots, offering a variety of blue terrain. Of course, we skied there for years before a trail was cut, and it was a fine place for dodging the tree trunks. This just formalized it. But it's a nice change from the wide open slopes of Olympic and you can still wander out into untracked crud if the mind desires.

BIG EVENT AT SQUAW

At the first Jeep King of the Mountain leg of 48Straight in Telluride, Colo., Shaun Palmer claimed the top step of the podium for the first time in nine years.

Upcoming today through Monday King of the Mountain competition at Squaw Valley is 48Straight. X Games champions, world champions, national champions and the top-ranked FIS contenders will be battling head to head for a share of the $250,000 purse and the keys to a new Jeep.

The competition in Squaw Valley starts with the line-up of snowboard cross racers signed on to challenge Palmer. Headlining the list include hometown racer Nate Holland, who just achieved a three-peat at the 2008 X Games, and fellow U.S. snowboard team members Seth Wescott, an Olympic gold medalist and former Jeep King of the Mountain champion.

In women's snowboarding, Olympic silver medalist Lindsey Jacobellis will attempt to maintain the pace that has helped earn her last year's Jeep King of the Mountain championship and a gold medal at this year's X Games. Top contenders include Joanie Anderson of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., a gold medalist at the 2007 X Games and silver medalist in the 2006 X Games.

In men's skiing, the pressure will be on Sweden's Lars Lewen to defend the surprise title earned in Telluride, where the two-time X Games gold medalist outlasted a field of the most accomplished racers. Chasing him will be Daron Rahlves who recently earned gold at the X Games.

France's Ophelie David, who ranks No. 1 in the world, just earned gold at the X Games, and has never lost a Jeep King of the Mountain event dating back to 2005.

The halfpipe competition at 48Straight will be led by two-time Olympic gold medal winner Ross Powers. The women's side is equally potent, with Gretchen Bleiler, an Olympic silver medalist and three-time X Games gold medalist, paving the way.

Billed as the "Loudest Show on Snow," 48Straight is a weekend of on-snow and off-snow activities. The event will include a ski and snowboard halfpipe competition, a dozen live concerts, street parties, fashion shows and environmental expos.

The action from Squaw Valley will be televised to a national broadcast audience on Feb. 23-24 on CBS Sports beginning Feb. 23.

The King of the Mountain and 48Straight winter season will conclude on March 14-16 at Sun Valley, Idaho.

BOOK TOUR

Edie Thys Morgan and Cindy Pierce, authors of "Finding the Doorbell: Sexual Satisfaction for the Long Haul," will appear at Wild Cherries Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at Bar One at 8 p.m. Squaw is the first stop on their "Better Sex for the People" après ski tour. The authors will talk about their discoveries in writing the book, address the questions you never had the guts to ask. Call (530) 583-6985 or see www.squaw.com.

NEXT UP AT SQUAW

Mountain Sports International and the International Freeskiers Association welcome the Subaru Squaw Valley USA Freeskiing Open as an official stop on the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series.

Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series is the premier big mountain Freeskiing series with over $100,000 total cash prize purse.

It's second year as an official stop on the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series, the Subaru Squaw Valley USA Freeskiing Open is set to host competitors from around the globe, including Canada, U.S.A., Argentina, Sweden and France. The best freeskiers in the world will battle it out for $7,500 with the men's and women's overall U.S. Freeskiing Tour point leaders taking home $2,500 each.

MSI will be posting same-day video webcasts on the redesigned usfreeskiing.com. The daily uploads of video, photos, news and results of each day's competition action will be available after each day concludes.

See www.usfreeskiing.com.

SIERRA SNOWBOARD EVENT

Saturday, the top snowboard talent in Northern California will head to Sierra Resort for one of the premier grassroots competitions in the industry. Held annually in February, the Sierra Series offers up-and-coming riders the opportunity to win a spot in the qualifying round in the Vans Cup, held at Northstar-at-Tahoe Feb. 29 through March 2.

Each competition in the series tests a different freestyle discipline by showcasing a particular terrain park feature kept secret until the morning of the contest. For a shot at the top prize, snowboarders must be versatile enough to excel on whichever feature is chosen for that day's contest. The final contest on Feb. 24, will test competitors on a mini-slopestyle course.

Dates of the Sierra Series: Competition No. 1, Feb. 9; No. 2, Feb. 10; No. 3, Feb. 17; Final Competition, Feb. 24.

Registration for each competition will take place at the event site from 2 to 3 p.m. Entry fee is $5. The Sierra Series is open to amateur skiers and riders of all ages. The top five competitors from each division will qualify for the final competition.

Sierra Resort opened its award-winning 400-foot long Superpipe to the public with 17-foot walls and superior snow conditions. The award-winning Superpipe is the latest addition to Sierra Resort's freestyle terrain.

"I am so excited to be home and to be able to ride Sierra's pipe," said Hannah Teter, Sierra Elite Team athlete and winner of the women's halfpipe gold medal in Torino, Italy. The Superpipe is just the latest addition to Sierra Resort's freestyle terrain. Five terrain parks have been keeping skiers and riders busy jumping and jibbing all season long.

See www.sierraattahoe.com/parks-pipes.asp.

NORTHSTAR'S NEW LIFT

The Placer County California Planning Commission has approved the DMB/Highlands Group's application for a lift and trail connection from Northstar-at-Tahoe's Lookout Mountain into the private luxury community Martis Camp.

"Given this decision, construction is planned to commence this spring with targeted completion for the 2008/09 ski season," said Mark Johnson, a DMB/Highlands principal.

The Lookout lift will grow from 2,822 feet to 5,128 feet with an increase in vertical drop from 1,247 feet to 1,722 feet. Three Lookout Mountain trail extensions as well as the addition of a new intermediate trail to the east of the Lookout Mountain lift will be added.

Martis Camp is a private residential community. Call (800) 721-9005 or visit www.MartisCamp.com.