Once again, our little community of North Lake Tahoe stepped up to the plate to help an organization in need. Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area, and the the non-profit Tahoe Cross-Country Ski Education Association connected to it, are a beloved part of Tahoe City. Run by a non-profit organization without the big budget backing of a downhill ski resort, the area provides top notch cross-country skiing as well as a host of cross-country ski programs geared towards children. And perhaps equally importantly, it is also a community of friends, who enjoy skiing together at Tahoe XC.
The last three years, however, have been very tough. There has not been enough snow anywhere in Tahoe, but the little snow that has fallen has mainly been in the higher elevations. Right now, Tahoe XC is closed waiting for the arrival of a large snowstorm with the low snow levels we so desperately need to get the groomers up and running again. Hurting, but undaunted, the children’s programs have continued with Strider Gliders playing in the woods or heading elsewhere to find snow, while the Tahoe XC Devo and Comp racing teams have been finding success by training and skiing elsewhere.
To help Tahoe XC through these tough times a fundraiser was held at Hacienda Del Lago on February 10th. It was organized by Rafe and Diane Miller as well as Joe Lanza and John Crawford from Hacienda. The turnout was stupendous, the room was packed with over 300 people, and the vast majority of them were Tahoe XC season pass holders and supporters. It was a big group of Nordic friends who were pretty damned excited to be seeing each other again.
Valli Murnane, Director of the Tahoe Cross-Country Ski Education Association, spent the evening greeting every guest. She says, “It was incredibly heartwarming to see our community band together to help support Tahoe XC. It was a reminder that cross-country skiing and the social piece that comes with it is still very important to many individuals and families that live in our region.”
For information on how you can help, go to tahoexc.org