Ski Patrol

High on a ridge near Lake Tahoe last week, ski patrol experts bombed a massive snow cornice, 15 feet high and 50 feet across, that had formed at the Palisades at Squaw Valley USA. A man-made avalanche ensued, ensuring safe passage for skiers later in the day. "If it let loose when you were under it, it would roll right over you," said Don Schott, assistant ski patrol director at Squaw. In other places, human intervention wasn't needed. At Mount Shasta, an avalanche plummeted 1,000 feet below 11,800-foot Casaval Ridge, along with another below Gray Butte, reported Eric White, a lead climbing ranger at the Mount Shasta Ranger District.

Hot Tub Time Machine Comedy. Starring John Cusack and Rob Corddry. Directed by Steve Pink. (R. 100 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.) Trying to write a review of "Hot Tub Time Machine," I face a major linguistic challenge: Most of its screenplay is far too vulgar to recount. To paraphrase Mary McCarthy, every word is an obscenity, including "and" and "the." Except for the title. It's a straightforward description of this sorta-sci-fi comedy's central plot device, a bubbling Jacuzzi in a dilapidated ski lodge that sends four drunken occupants back to 1986 - where they encounter many people in puffy coats and a few tricky paradoxes in the space-time continuum.

Since his eight-year NBA career ended in the 1990-91 season Mark McNamara has followed a path similar to the one chosen by many ex-players: spending some time playing in Europe and working as a coach and an advance scout. Then again not many former pro centers live in a cabin in Strawberry (Tuolumne County) with a pet wolf and work for the ski patrol. Such is the varied life of Mark McNamara 44 who attended San Jose's Del Mar High School before going to Santa Clara in 1977 and then transferring to Cal in '79. "I rarely talk about basketball up here" McNamara said with a laugh during a recent phone interview.

Sure, watching the Winter Olympics was fun, but you probably can't ski 100 mph or do a double back flip in the half-pipe, and you probably have little interest in the luge or whatever it is they do in curling. But the recreational skier can still declare victory after the Olympics by flying north to enjoy all the Olympic upgrades done for the ski resort at Whistler-Blackcomb. With the Olympic cauldron extinguished last week, and the camera crews, onerous security and all those giant-thighed Austrians gone home, the largest ski mountain in North America will be available as your personal playground.

Avalanches and ski accidents may be better-known hazards, but the recent heavy snowfalls in the Sierra Nevada also heighten the risk of a different kind of disaster, emanating from deep within the Earth. On Thursday, three members of a ski patrol perished on the slopes of Mammoth Mountain while attempting to rope off a geothermal vent whose opening had been obscured by snow. The vent, or fumarole, is a natural emission point of poisonous gas from pockets of molten rock within the Earth's crust, some 6 to 12 miles below the surface.

A 13-year-old Millbrae girl died Sunday at a Reno hospital from injuries she suffered after hitting a tree during a Lake Tahoe ski trip. The Washoe County coroner's office said Bridgette Clement had died from head and neck injuries after crashing Nov. 28 at the Alpine Meadows ski resort. Clement was the first fatality of the new Sierra ski season. Clement was skiing on an intermediate slope called Weasel Run in a family zone shortly before noon when she lost control and slid off the groomed run into an island of trees said Matt Janney president of Alpine Meadows.

Michael Joseph O'Malley 55, of Pueblo, CO, passed away Dec. 8, 2008. Survived by his daughters, Claire (Aaron Shisler) O'Malley of Houston, TX and Tarah O'Malley of Denver; mother, Clyde Schauer of Burlingame, CA; sisters, Darren (Dennis) Carmassi of Menlo Park, CA, Courtney (Michael) Selfridge of Hillsborough, CA, and Susan (Kent) Barnes of Reno, NV; brother, Bob (Sarah) Schauer of Redwood City, CA; nieces and nephews, Caraghan, Patrick and Connor Selfridge; Bryn, Avery and Jack Carmassi; Matthew, Meaghan and Timothy Schauer; friend Carol Kemnitz; former spouses, Julie, Tonja and Nona; aunt and uncle, Joseph and Barbara O'Malley of Roseville, CA; cousins, Tom O'Malley and Patricia Voorhes; and loyal pet, Sweet Pea. Preceded in death by his father, Edmund Charles O'Malley and stepfather, Robert Schauer.

Hot Tub Time Machine Comedy. Starring John Cusack and Rob Corddry. Directed by Steve Pink. (R. 100 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.) Trying to write a review of "Hot Tub Time Machine," I face a major linguistic challenge: Most of its screenplay is far too vulgar to recount. To paraphrase Mary McCarthy, every word is an obscenity, including "and" and "the." Except for the title. It's a straightforward description of this sorta-sci-fi comedy's central plot device, a bubbling Jacuzzi in a dilapidated ski lodge that sends four drunken occupants back to 1986 - where they encounter many people in puffy coats and a few tricky paradoxes in the space-time continuum.

The Sierra Nevada after a big snowfall have a terrible beauty -- the danger of deadly avalanches that can roar down from the mountains smashing all before them. An avalanche killed seven people at the Alpine Meadows Resort near Tahoe City in a big snow year 20 years ago. The danger is always there in snow country -- but Alpine Meadows and other resorts throughout the Western ski country use science explosives and even anti-tank weapons and howitzers to head off the danger and use little avalanches to prevent big ones.

Gerilyn Marie Ewing was an experienced skier who had completed a six- day backcountry trip last year and was looking forward to a short expedition with friends near the popular Sugar Bowl ski resort. But despite Ewing's experience and the group's safety equipment the outing turned deadly prompting ski resort officials to warn others to take extra caution when heading for the snow. Ewing 45 of Reno died of asphyxiation on the cross-country skiing trip with 10 friends from Nevada and Truckee.

1999-01-22 04:00:00 PST LAKE TAHOE -- A snowboarder who lost his way in a Lake Tahoe blizzard and spent a night in a primitive hand-built snow cave was rescued yesterday by sheriff's deputies and a ski patrol team. Craig Calcott 20 of South Lake Tahoe used his trekking experience and basic survival skills to ward off frostbite and hypothermia during a long icy night. A powdery snowfall winds up to 50 mph and mounds of drifting snow reduced visibility to near zero at the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort Wednesday night.

2000-03-07 04:00:00 PST Norden -- A Danville woman who got lost at a Lake Tahoe area ski resort was found tired but in good condition yesterday afternoon after spending two nights in the snowy wilderness. While sitting in a makeshift snow cave at the base of a tree Sara Allis Norvill 37 a computer industry executive said she struggled not to think of her family or fiance lest she break down crying and grow weaker. Twice she scribbled notes to her fiance using mascara and a scrap of paper in her pocket.

Raiders coach Tom Cable will not be punished by the NFL after an investigation into allegations of domestic violence and a fight with an assistant coach. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Wednesday that Cable's role in the training camp altercation with Randy Hanson warranted an evaluation under the league's personal conduct policy. Cable was accused of breaking Hanson's jaw and teeth during a fight at the team's training camp hotel in August. The Napa County district attorney declined to file criminal charges because of inconsistencies in Hanson's story.

Donald Knut Anderson 07-13-1942~02- 6- 2010 With great sadness we say good-bye to our dear husband, loving and supportive father and great friend - DKA, Donnie Baby, The Big Kahuna. Words simply cannot capture the spirit of Donald Anderson. He built his career and lived his life with honesty, integrity and respect. Born and raised in Oakland, CA, he was proud to continue his father's legacy at Eric F. Anderson, Inc. for 50 years. He was an icon in the construction industry -- a long time member and past president of the Builder's Exchange of Alameda County.

High on a ridge near Lake Tahoe last week, ski patrol experts bombed a massive snow cornice, 15 feet high and 50 feet across, that had formed at the Palisades at Squaw Valley USA. A man-made avalanche ensued, ensuring safe passage for skiers later in the day. "If it let loose when you were under it, it would roll right over you," said Don Schott, assistant ski patrol director at Squaw. In other places, human intervention wasn't needed. At Mount Shasta, an avalanche plummeted 1,000 feet below 11,800-foot Casaval Ridge, along with another below Gray Butte, reported Eric White, a lead climbing ranger at the Mount Shasta Ranger District.

Mud-spattered, armor-clad warriors hunch on the steps of the village walkway, sweating after a day of doing battle with the rocks and roots of British Columbia's backcountry. A trickle of the wilderness they tackled on their mountain bikes murmurs beside them, a milky turquoise glacial stream tamed between boulders and landscaping as it meanders alongside luxury condos, a head shop called Hempire and chic bistros serving Ninja Crepes and vitamin-stoked bottled water. The air is filled with the high-octane aroma of espresso and microbrew induced chatter.

LECTURES & TALKS A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers Film fundraising expert and author Holly Million helps big thinkers translate their vision into practical plans. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. $125-$250. Ninth Street Independent Film Center, 145 Ninth St. (415) 503-1972. www.ninthstreet.org. SF Ann Wiklund The art historian examines the lives of five contemporary artists who have lived long, creative and inspiring lives. 5 p.m. Thurs. $8-$10. Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, 551 Broadway, Sonoma.

You could pick them out of the crowd right away. Men of sturdy countenance. Men who'd been to the top of the mountain and competed on the grandest stage. You could pick them out with ease. Helping matters along, they all were wearing name badges. I refer to the Nordic skiing heroes who gathered at Lake Tahoe's Granlibakken Resort over the weekend to be feted for their achievements at the 1960 Squaw Olympics, 50 years ago this month. The main event, where the former Olympians and their admirers gathered, was the Nordic Olympian Dinner on Friday night at Tahoe's oldest ski site.

Nancy Cushing's bright blue house is part of the skiing history at Squaw Valley USA. At the VIII Olympic Winter Games, held here in February 1960, the men's downhill finished uphill from her back door, and the women's downhill finished below her front door. It's a vantage she would like to have at another Olympics. With the XXI Winter Games about to open in the Vancouver area, Cushing, head of the Squaw Valley Ski Corp., is among those plotting to make sure that the next time the Games come West, they return to Lake Tahoe.