This year’s Wanderlust Festival features even more of the good stuff, expanded yoga offerings, more great music, a complement of organic foods and biodynamic wines, and the same incredible scenery and community that made last year’s event such a hit. The New York Times said it best, writing that festival-goers get “the same rejuvenating charge from raucous dancing as from mindful breathing.”

Wanderlust showcases a range of teachers, classes and styles that will inspire and challenge all practitioners, from the curious beginner to longtime students. This year’s yoga line-up features some of the most notable names in yoga, including Seane Corn, Baron Baptiste, Shiva Rea, Duncan Wong, Elena Brower and Schuyler Grant. Wanderlust will include other renowned instructors like Doug Swenson, Jason Nemer & Jenny Sauer-Klein (the Acroyogis), Janet Stone, Les Leventhal, Rusty Wells, Sianna Sherman, Annie Carpenter, Vinnie Marino, Brock & Krista Cahill, Suzanne Sterling and Maya Fiennes, among many others.

The music at Wanderlust is a soundtrack for the weekend, featuring both music to flow to and music to dance to. After a day of focusing on the inner self, at night it’s time to let loose at one of the high-energy dance parties down at the Kula Village. Leading the charge this year are Moby, Bassnectar, Brazilian Girls and Pretty Lights. Also performing over the weekend are Yard Dogs Road Show, Beats Antique, Rupa & The April Fishes, MC Yogi, Orgone, Princess Superstar, Dave Stringer, DJ Dragonfly, Ana Sia, Shaman’s Dream, Rara Avis, Desert Dwellers, and many more.

Wanderlust is produced by Velour Music Group, in conjunction with C3 Presents (Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Music Festival) and Starr Hill Presents (Bonnaroo, Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival).

Over the past nine seasons Last Tracks at Diamond Peak Ski Resort has grown into one of Lake Tahoe’s premiere winter happenings. Last Tracks is a wine tasting event for skiers and snowboarders at Diamond Peak’s Snowflake Lodge overlooking Lake Tahoe. You can take the last chair of the day up to Snowflake Lodge where you can enjoy a selection of wines from one of California’s top wineries like Rodney Strong, Clos du Bois and Simi and an array of hot and cold appetizers while enjoying the sunset over Lake Tahoe. At the end of the event you ski freshly groomed corduroy to the base area.

Diamond Peak is partnering with Yoshimi Sushi to up the wow factor on Last Tracks by offering a special sushi and sake tasting version of their signature event. This special Last Tracks will be held on March 21st to celebrate the first day of spring. Yoshimi, located in the Christmas Tree Village in Incline Village, has become one of the most popular dining spots on Tahoe’s North Shore.

Yoshimi will offer Last Tracks guests a sampling of nigiri including tuna, salmon, yellow tail and shrimp plus maki that will include spicy tuna and California rolls. They also will be serving some specialty items like octopus and fish roe. For the sake tasting Yoshimi is providing a variety of hot and cold sakes and will have an expert on hand to answer questions and provide advice on choosing the right sake.

Visit online or call 775.832.1177 for more information and reservations.  You can also stop by the Diamond Peak Guest Services Window in the base lodge.

North Lake Tahoe’s annual SnowFest, a 10-day winter carnival and one of the region’s most popular family celebrations, commemorates its 29th anniversary with a bevy of new events March 5-14.

Squaw Valley’s Cornice Cantina kicks it off after the Opening Night Ceremonies with the inaugural 80’s Retro Dance Party, Friday, March 5, 9 p.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in the neon trends of yesteryear with prizes for the best outfits.

In Tahoe City, the completely renovated Fat Cat Café offers up the Frosty Kitty Snow Party Saturday, March 6 with “wet your whiskers” appetizers and entrees and live music starting at 4 p.m. and running until the wee hours of 2 a.m.  Lakeside Pizza, also based in Tahoe City, has the grooving Snow Down Party with San Francisco’s Space Cowboys Saturday, March 6 at 9 p.m.

Are you smarter than a bottle cap? Prove it at the inaugural Tournament of Champions at The Slot in the Village at Squaw Valley Monday, March 8, 5 p.m., when participants are asked to solve the “Mickey’s” puzzle caps in a timed format.

Kings Beach hosts the first-ever Snowman Building Contest Friday, March 12, 3:30-4:30 p.m., at the North Tahoe Events Center.  This event is open to all ages, and participants can compete solo or in teams.

Sure to be a favorite is the new North Lake Tahoe Historical Society’s Prohibition Pub Crawl Friday, March 12 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The festivities begin at one of Lake Tahoe’s best burger joints, the Bridgetender Bar & Grill in Tahoe City, where guests pick up their speakeasy passwords and visit participating gin mills and speakeasies for old-time drink specials – all while learning about the Tahoe Basin’s lawless past and enjoying Tahoe City’s favorite watering holes.

Up on Donner Summit, Sugar Bowl Ski Resort hosts the Silver Belt Banzai Saturday, March 13, when ski-cross action meets downhill speed, with the first three down advancing to the next round.  Participants get star struck as ski Olympians Daron Rahlves and Errol Kerr also plan to put the pedal to the mettle in this swift race.

Some of the best homemade tamales you’ll ever eat are being served up at the Food for Thought Tamale Dinner Saturday, March 13, 6-10 p.m., at the North Tahoe Boys and Girls Club in Kings Beach. The event will also highlight traditional Mexican fare with local youths’ photography, film and writing showcased as part of the dinner.

Located along North Lake Tahoe’s historical Crystal Bay casino corridor, the Cal-Neva Resort puts on the Snow Ball Saturday, March 13, a fun-filled dancing evening, with tunes from the 60s, 70s and 80s, in a winter wonderland setting.

For more information about SnowFest and a complete list of events, visit the organization’s official website.

On February 28, Squaw Valley, USA hosts its second of six on-slope events with SkiDUCK, a new non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of disabled and underprivileged children by sharing the joys of skiing and snowboarding. Nearly 60 children from Reno’s North Valley schools will visit Squaw Valley for the first time to learn to ski or snowboard free of charge.

SkiDUCK is partnering with youth service organizations like Big Brother Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Clubs from western Nevada to the Bay Area to provide skiing and snowboarding for the rest of the season. Since many children don’t have mountain-weather attire, they’re seeking donations of youth ski or snowboard clothing and gear (including goggles, helmets, jackets, snow-pants, gloves and mittens).

Those interested in volunteering with SkiDUCK or learning more about the organization can visit online or call 775-287-6464.

Recently the Lake Tahoe Paddleboard Association and Ta-Hoe Nalu, both non-profit organizations, combined their stand-up and prone paddleboard events to create the 2010 Quiksilver Tahoe Stand-Up Paddleboard Race Series, with two of the five being elite races and offering a combined purse of $40,000 in cash and merchandise.

It all kicks off Saturday, May 29 with the 2nd Annual Donner Lake Memorial at the West End of Donner Lake in Truckee at 9 a.m. This is a five-mile race and free on-water stand-up paddleboard demos will be available to spectators after the contest.

Over on the scenic East Shore is the Thunderbird Run Lake Tahoe Saturday, June 5 with an eight-mile loop course that runs past Sand Harbor Beach State Recreation Area and turns around by the historic Thunderbird Lodge.

The 3rd Annual Jam to the Dam is Saturday, July 10, 8 a.m., when participants paddle the six miles from Patton Landing Beach in Carnelian Bay to the Tahoe City Dam located at the Gatekeeper’s Museum in Tahoe City. Spectators can also get in on the action as free on-water stand-up paddleboard demos will be available after the race.

The Ta-Hoe Nalu Stand-Up Festival runs the weekend of August 21-22 in Kings Beach with five races, including a 14-foot elite race class and OC-1 Outrigger Race.

The five races conclude with the Tahoe Fall Classic Sunday, September 26, 8 a.m. In its third year, there is also an additional 14-foot elite race class. This event has paddlers going 22 miles from Camp Richardson Marina in South Lake Tahoe, completely across Lake Tahoe, to Kings Beach on the North Shore. Visitors get wet with free on-water stand-up paddleboard demos.

Stand-up paddle boarding is an emerging sport with a Hawaiian heritage, and gave early surfers a higher viewpoint, increasing visibility of what was going on around them, such as incoming swells. Today boards are anywhere from nine to 18 feet with features such as padded decks, one to three surfboard-style fins for stability and equipped with a long paddle.

In Lake Tahoe, stand-up paddle boarding is popular with crossover athletes, especially skiers and snowboarders, along with mountain bikers and runners, as it helps develop a strong core, essential for succeeding in just about any outdoor sport.

Try stand-up paddle boarding with a rental from any of North Lake Tahoe’s equipment shops.

Diamond Peak Ski Resort is offering a new travel option for skiers and snowboarders in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through a partnership with Reno Tahoe Ski Vacations online, skiers and snowboarders can build and book their own customized ski packages that include lift tickets, lodging and luxury motor coach transportation. Departures will be from several locations throughout the Bay Area. Reno Tahoe Ski Vacations online has also announced the launch of 3-day/2-night all inclusive ski packages with weekly departures. The all inclusive packages include lift tickets to Diamond Peak Ski Resort, your choice of lodging in the Reno/Tahoe area and transportation to and from the Bay Area, the lodging property and the ski resort.

Diamond Peak 3-day/2-night ski vacation packages start as low as $450 per person, $640 for a couple and $940 for a family of four. You can book online to make reservations or to customize your all inclusive ski and stay package at Diamond Peak Ski Resort.

The three-time Olympian and 2006 Olympic Gold Medalist in Giant Slalom, Julia Mancuso, is turning on the heat just in time for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.  Having scored some of her best finishes of the season in January, Julia will be training at Squaw Valley USA from Friday, February 5 through Monday, February 8. Winter Olympic enthusiasts are invited to Squaw Valley USA to watch Julia train as well as participate in Julia’s Olympic Send-Off Party hosted at Le Chamois.  The party will begin at 3pm on Saturday, February 6.

Olympic Valley’s own Julia Mancuso went through the Squaw Valley Race Team Program, beginning with Mighty Mites when she was 3. Since then, Julia has been setting records and collecting medals at an impressive pace. The four-event athlete started World Cup racing and was a NorAm champion at the age 16, competed in the Olympics at 17, and started her twenties by capturing two World Championship medals and establishing a record for most consecutive U.S. Championships top-3s.

Watch Julia Mancuso get her best finish of the season

Lake Tahoe has been pitted against Utah and it’s a battle of the ski destinations as part of Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome “Cabin Fever:  Finding the Cure” campaign. Fans get into the action by voting between Lake Tahoe and Utah to decide where the roaming Gnome travels for his next great adventure. Voting starts today, Wednesday, January 27, and ends Wednesday, February 3 at 12 p.m. EST. Fans can vote as many times as they like. Vote now.

The current showdown is the second round of the campaign, with Banff beating Whistler in the first stop of the travel icon’s journey.

Once the winning destination is announced February 3, the resort region will be visited by the Travelocity Roaming Gnome, and all his entourage, who will be skiing, ice skating, dog sledding, snow tubing and, of course, après ski.

So why vote for Tahoe instead of Utah? As most skiers will agree, Tahoe has better snow conditions, more than 22 feet this winter alone; the largest alpine lake in the country and the second deepest; 300-plus days of sunshine each year; the largest concentration of ski resorts in the U.S. (more terrain, more lifts, more resorts); an outstanding culinary scene that has attracted Sir Paul McCartney, Robin Williams, Lisa Presley and Brad Pitt; home to past and future Olympic athletes; and host of the 1960 Winter Olympics (the first televised Winter Games in the history of the Olympics).

Last week, Lake Tahoe took home another accolade, remaining the most popular ski destination in the U.S. for air-and-hotel package bookings for travel in 2010 on the Orbitz Insider Index for the third consecutive year.

Get current ski resort conditions and hit Cool Deals, which is updated daily, for savings on North Lake Tahoe lodging, skiing, activities and special events.

This January, treat yourself to a weekend of health and wellness at one of the country’s most breathtaking locations - Lake Tahoe. Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Casino and Spa is hosting the first Lake Tahoe Wellness Weekend, January 29-31, 2010. The weekend includes a wellness breakfast; yoga classes from San Francisco-based yoga instructor Rebecca Blake; skincare analysis and seminar with experts from Kerstin Florian Skincare; and a seminar on “Strategies for Healthy Living” by Dr. ‘Lily’ Kuehne of The Lake Tahoe Wellness Center; as well as a welcome bag that includes tools to help to continue down a healthy path – discounts at yoga studios, skincare products, healthy recipes, etc.

In addition to classes, a special Wellness Weekend spa treatment by Kerstin Florian will be available by reservation at a 50% discount Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Stillwater Spa.  Rates for the Lake Tahoe Wellness Weekend start at $175 per person for the weekend (based on double occupancy for two nights), and include all classes, daily wellness breakfast and spa discount.

Tahoe Wellness Weekend Schedule:

Friday, January 29, 2010

8pm: Wellness Weekend Welcome Reception with healthy bites, organic wine and juices created by Chef Alan Kubler.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

6-10:30am: Order a special ‘Wellness Weekend’ breakfast to be delivered to your room via room service

8am: Yoga class by San Francisco yoga instructor, Rebecca Blake

11am: Skincare analysis and seminar by experts from Kerstin Florian

3pm: “Strategies for Healthy Living” class with Dr. ‘Lily’ Kuehne of the Lake Tahoe Wellness Center

Sunday, January 31, 2010

6-10:30am: Order a special ‘Wellness Weekend’ breakfast to be delivered to your room via room service

8am: Yoga class with San Francisco yoga instructor, Rebecca Blake

About the classes:

Yoga by Rebecca Blake: Rebecca guides students through an uplifting, challenging and explorative class format, infusing each class with bits and pieces of many styles, including: Meditation, Pranayama, Restorative Yoga, Partner Yoga, AcroYoga, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, Jivamukti, and Anusara. She’s even been known to sprinkle in a bit of Tai Chi, Dance or Pilates during class. Rebecca teaches at many prominent Bay Area corporations and a number of San Francisco yoga studios, including The Mindful Body.

Skincare Recommendations and Seminar by Kerstin Florian:

Julie Andrews and Kate Buford, skincare experts from Kerstin Florian, will provide skin analysis, skincare recommendations and tips for keeping your skin healthy. Kerstin Florian results-oriented products are built around mineral-rich water and plant extracts, vitamins, antioxidants and natural and organic ingredients. Combining Eastern and Western philosophy, the seminar will also emphasize the brand philosophy: outer beauty and inner health go hand in hand.

“Strategies for Healthy Living” by Dr. ‘Lily’ Kuehne:

Dr. Lily will give one of her most popular seminars from her private practice at the Lake Tahoe Wellness Center. With more than 19 years of experience in wellness, health and chiropractic healing, Dr. Lily’s strong belief in natural health care has brought her focus to correction of cause, rather than the treatment, with emphasis in wellness care.

For additional information about the Wellness Weekend at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Casino and Spa, visit online or by calling 775-832-1234.