Ice Skating & Tubing

*The Up-Up-Up is the same; the DOWN is a whole new world of wow! The new 26km course features the original epic Starratt Pass climb from Tahoe XC in Tahoe City, but after Soup Station One, we’ll circle Mt. Watson and ski toward Northstar California, then swing through the forest and return to a fl ying downhill fi nish where we started.

Photo by Troy Corliss

Open air rink. Rentals available.

Open air rink. South Tahoe

Open air rink. Free access. TART

Indoor facility open year-round. South Tahoe

Ice skating & rentals. Clubhouse. TART

At Truckee River Regional Park. Skate rentals, broomball leagues, ice dancing & hockey lessons. Skate rentals & season passes available. TART

State park open for snow play. Bring equipment. Parking fee.

Highway 88 near Carson Pass. Bring equipment.*

Highway 88 at Blue Lakes Road. Bring equipment.*

Highway 88 near Carson Pass. Bring equipment.*

Snow Play Area on Fairway Blvd., next to the Chateau, on the driving range. Bring equipment.

Near the Mount Rose summit, enjoy sledding in Tahoe Meadows off Highway 431. Bring equipment.

End of National Avenue off Hwy 28. Rentals not available this season. TART

Sledding & cross-country trails. Rentals available. Clubhouse. Reserve online. TART

Tubing area. TART

Free snowplay area. Free parking to access cleared walking paths in Olympic Valley to Tahoe City. Bring equipment. TART

On top of Echo Summit with machine-groomed sledding, tubing & snowplay. First-come, first-served.

Highway 50 at Echo Lake Road. Bring equipment.*

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Find more family-friendly activities to enjoy.

400-foot-long groomed tube run on Ski Run Blvd. First-come, first-served.

Tubing at top of gondola with four lanes.

Off Highway 207. Bring equipment. South Tahoe

On Lake Tahoe Blvd. Bring equipment. South Tahoe

Blizzard Mountain offers two lift-accessible snow tubing lanes, snow play and sledding area.

Two locations at Tahoe Paradise & Stateline, Nev. Reserve online.

Highway 89, north of Camp Richardson Road. Bring equipment.* South Tahoe

500 feet of machine-groomed tubing lanes in Meyers. Equipment provided. South Tahoe

Tubing open to everyone 42” and taller; smaller children are limited to snow play area only. Personal sleds not permitted. Night sessions available. Reserve online.

Tubing hills with moving carpet.

South side of I-80, Castle Peak exit. Bring equipment.*

Snow park open Friday-Monday. Bring sleds. Plastic sleds available to buy. Tubes not allowed. Parking & snow park fee, cash only.

Mountain Adventure offers kids tubing carousel, all-age tubing, Snow Jeep rides, Start Park, snow play area and mini snowmobiles. Reserve online.

At Trout Creek Recreation Ctr. No personal sleds. Reserve online.

Highway 49 at Yuba Pass. Bring equipment.*

Snowplay area off Hwy. 89, 3 miles south of Tahoe City. Bring equipment.*

Machine-groomed snow play area; no tubes or toboggans allowed. All ages. Reserve online.

At Homewood Mountain Resort with Magic Carpet. Reserve online.

Gentle slope on Highway 89 South, one-eighth mile south of the wye. Bring equipment. TART

January 26-February 8, 2022 FAMILY FUN GUIDE Tips for Family Time on the Snow Fun

BY MICHELLE ALLEN

Be prepared for snow conditions and getting the kids ready for a day spent outside are essential to ensuring that everyone has a fun time in Tahoe.

Here’s some of our tips for helping make your day the best it can be. Find more information on snow safety in Ski California’s Mountain Safety Guide for skiers and snowboarders.

Teach kids to be respectful and to use common sense. Explain how their actions affect others and their decisions can either prevent or cause an accident.

Get children excited about skiing and snowboarding. Show them photos or videos of yourself or other people participating in snow sports. If you ski or ride, tell them what you enjoy about it. Kids of any age can have a hard time getting motivated but if you are excited, they might be, too. But be careful not to oversell it or your kid might go into stimulation overload and lose interest.

Avoid taking them during bad weather, especially if they are new to snow sports. If their first experience is during a rainstorm or in below-freezing temperatures, they might not want to go skiing or snowboarding again. Choose a sunny and mild day. Children will stay more focused on learning and not on how miserably cold or wet they feel.

It might be the most important piece of equipment. Wearing a helmet will help prevent a major head injury if your child falls or is involved in a collision.

Show your child how to find and read informational and directional signage. Children should know how to read a trail map and learn how to navigate the trail system. Show them signs, flags, ropes and disks posted to mark obstacles, slow zones, lift areas and trail difficulty and direction.

At altitude, the atmosphere is thinner than at lower elevations, which magnifies

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the damaging effects of the sun. Sun exposure at higher elevations can quickly cause burns to the skin and eyes. On the snow, people are exposed to twice the amount of sunlight, directly from the sun and from the sunlight’s reflection off the snow.

Wearing goggles or sunglasses can protect the eyes from damage. The intensity of the sun can be especially harmful to kids’ eyes and anyone with light-colored eyes.

Apply sunscreen every two hours to exposed skin, including the tops of the ears, the bottom of the chin and the underside of the nose.

Layers of synthetic fabrics are the best choice for winter sports. A quick-drying base layer; insulting and breathable middle layer; waterproof, windproof outer layer; waterproof, insulated gloves and warm, breathable socks will keep him or her warm and dry and will help prevent frostbite and hypothermia.

Make sure all components are working properly. If you are not sure how to check your child’s equipment, have a professional check it out. This includes skis, snowboards, bindings, boots, sleds, snowshoes and helmets. Failing equipment can cause injury.

Hot chocolate is a staple of a young skier’s or riders’ diet but save it for when he or she needs a break to warm up. Before they hit the trails, feed them foods that will sustain them during outdoor winter exercise for several hours.

A snack or meal that includes protein, carbohydrates and fat, like a multigrain bagel with cream cheese or nut butter, will provide the energy needed to keep them going. Avoid sugary foods and drinks. The sugar creates a short spike in energy followed by physical and mental exhaustion.

On-the-mountain snacks are important, too. I stash snacks in my son’s jacket pocket so he can nibble on something between runs. Although high-sugar snacks are not ideal, I sometimes give him gummy bears for continued motivation.

Let them enjoy their time skiing or snowboarding and avoid pushing them farther than they are ready to go. If they feel like it is a chore or a demand, they will be less likely to stay interested.

Consider enrolling your kid in a few group lessons or a weekly camp program. They will learn the basics of skiing and snowboarding, body awareness and technique. n

For the complete Mountain Safety Guide, the Skier & Rider Responsibility Code and other safety topics such as chairlift safety, visit skicalifornia.org.