Tahoe's SnowFest Kicks Off Friday with Fireworks

By: Olympic Valley, CA

Details: North Lake Tahoe's SnowFest kicks off this Friday at Squaw Valley USA's Opening Night Ceremonies, with laser show, torchlight parade and fireworks display. The 29th annual 10-day winter carnival continues through Sunday, March 14 at a variety of venues around the northern shore of the lake.

Olympic Plaza's Full House Opening Night Party gets things started immediately after the Opening Night Ceremonies at 7:30 p.m. with live DJ music with the Space Cowboys. The nearby Cornice Cantina is also rocking the house with their inaugural 80's Retro Dance Party at 9 p.m., when guests are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite neon ski fashions of the 80s.

Amateurs try their luck at the TransWorld TransAM Saturday, March 6 at Northstar-at-Tahoe with its jam-style format. On Donner Summit, Sugar Bowl Ski Resort presents the "Toyota Sick 'n Twisted Freestyle Tour – Rail Jam" that same day, with all ages and abilities invited to compete for gear and cash prizes. The wackiest and wildest strut their stuff at the Tahoe City SnowFest Parade, also on Saturday, March 6, at 11:30 a.m. Afterwards, brave souls take to Tahoe's chilly waters in the 20th Annual Gar Woods Polar Bear Swim at 2:30 p.m. in Carnelian Bay.

Cross country ski racers from all over the world take part in the Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue's 33rd Annual Great Ski Race Sunday, March 7, 9 a.m., at the Tahoe Cross Country Center that takes participants 30 kilometers from Tahoe City to Truckee.

Join players on the ice rink or simply watch as teams battle to be the champions at the Resort at Squaw Creek's Broomball Tournament, Wednesday, March 10, 8 p.m.

Kings Beach is home to the inaugural Snowman Building Contest Friday, March 12, 3:30 p.m., at the North Tahoe Events Center, when guests build Frosty solo or in teams. It's a 20's revival later that evening with the Joe King Poker Tournament, 7 p.m., at the Tahoe Biltmore Casino in Crystal Bay to celebrate the 1920s when Joe King allegedly acquired the Kings Beach area after an all-night poker game.

Get your chill on at the 2nd Annual Ta-Hoe Nalu's Arctic Standup Paddleboard Race Saturday, March 13, 11 a.m., with a one-mile sprint on Tahoe's waters starting at the Blue Onion Café in Kings Beach. Stay for the Kings Beach Parade scheduled for Main Street at 11:30 a.m. and the region's best homemade Tamale Dinner, 6 p.m., at the North Tahoe Boys & Girls Club in Kings Beach.

SnowFest wraps up Sunday, March 14 with the 6th Annual Tahoe Donner Association I-Dida-Run, when dogs pull covered wagon sleds over a racecourse. The event starts at 1 p.m. Best spot for viewing the scenic course is The Lodge Restaurant in Truckee via the dining establishment's pub or outside on the deck under the heaters.

For more information about SnowFest and a complete list of events, visit the organization's official website at www.tahoesnowfestival.com.