When mutual Tahoe friends introduced Pam and Dale Chamblin in 2000, one of their first dates was a ski day at Squaw Valley. At the end of the day when Dale asked Pam if he had passed the test, she said, “Your groomers looked okay, but your off-piste needs a lot of work.” He says he’s been working on that ever since.
In 2001, they married in the tiny crypt of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in northwestern Spain during a bike trip through Spain and Portugal. Pam refers to Dale as “Mr. Community Service,” but, both Chamblins are passionate about playing in the outdoors, giving back to their community, and protecting Tahoe’s fragile environment through promoting reasonable development.
“Another thing I really appreciate about this community is that we have so many healthy friends who enjoy the same activities,” Dale said. “The sense of community I have here is something I didn’t have in Oakland.”
Before moving to Tahoe, Dale was an active member of Rotary International for more than 25 years, and served one year as president. He continued his affiliation after he moved to Tahoe and became treasurer of the Tahoe City Rotary. Prior to his move, Dale spent most of his life in Oakland as a single father of two daughters. He was chief financial officer for a multi-state electrical parts company, and then turned to custom homebuilding in the post-fire Berkeley hills.
Pam moved to Tahoe nearly 30 years ago to fulfill her childhood dream of living in Tahoe. During college she taught skiing at Squaw and led a kids hiking program in the summer for the Tahoe City Parks and Recreation Department. A member of the Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund, Pam volunteered for its dynamic Fab Fifty fundraising group where 50 women helped raise $50,000 dollars to hit the fund’s $1 million target.
Moonshine Ink caught up with the Chamblins to learn about their Tahoe stories.
How did you end up on the North Shore?
Pam Chamblin: I first saw Lake Tahoe when I was 8 years old on a two-week vacation with my family at Fallen Leaf Lake. I thought Tahoe was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen and I said to myself that when I grow up, I’m going to live here forever.
What did you first do when you moved to Tahoe?
PC: I attended UC Davis, then transferred to UC Berkeley to study psychology. When I graduated, I worked at Squaw as a Mighty Mite racing coach and later as an all-mountain ski coach. I taught skiing at Northstar, too. Now, I ski for fun and I love skate skiing.
Pam, what is your specialty massage business about?
PC: I do therapeutic massage and I work with some of the athletes from the High Fives Foundation. My clients range from pregnant moms to people who have arthritis and severe injuries. I spent a year at the National Holistic Institute and got my massage certification. In 2013, I studied in Costa Rica and got a therapeutic yoga certification. Massage, yoga, and optimum wellness are really important to me.
What’s your community involvement?
PC: I look around and see a community of souls that are passionately in love with the outdoors, which I share. I do environmental work with the Friends of Tahoe Vista and we interface with agencies like the TRPA and the county. I think we all have a stewardship and a stake in protecting Tahoe. Each one of us needs to be willing to participate because there are a lot of pressures here.
Dale Chamblin: I served on the grants committee for the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation for a number of years. I’ve been on the Tahoe Forest Hospital Board for two years in an appointed position. When the Measure C bond passed, I chaired the citizens oversight committee.
PC: One of the highlights of my career was being the therapist for the U.S. Paralympics team. The games were in Finland in March 2008.
DC: I went along on that trip, too. My job was chasing reindeer off the racecourse. Real reindeer.
What are some things about you that most people don’t know?
PC: Dale is an amazing swing dancer. I love my garden and spend a lot of time there.
Pam and Dale recommended Randy Pomin, a member of the founding family of Tahoe City, for the next Tahoe Stories.
~ Comment on this column below.
