Of the cast of colorful characters that have manned Martis Peak Lookout's "Hotel de Chipmunk," circus tumbler and cigar roller Frank "Waddles" Maher was king.

Ice, not snow, has been the region’s recreation surface of choice during this snowless start to winter.

As the Rahlves’ Banzai Tour makes its way through a tour of four Tahoe ski resorts, it is becoming part of a long tradition of local ski competitions that date back to the days of wooden skis.