News Briefs
Six Tahoe/Truckee Athletes Qualify for Olympics
TAHOE/TRUCKEE
The final U.S. Ski and Snowboard team rosters for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics were released on Jan. 22. Six athletes from Tahoe/Truckee made the cut for alpine skiing, nordic skiing, and snowboarding.
The U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team includes Carnelian Bay’s AJ Hurt, 25, on the women’s and Tahoe City local Bryce Bennett, 33, on the men’s. Both Hurt and Bennett are former Olympians and world cup podium-finishers. On the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team is another Tahoe Olympian, 25-year-old JC Schoonmaker.
Tahoe/Truckee also has debuting Olympians. Olympic Valley Freestyle Freeride (OVFree) Team’s 15-year-old Abby Winterberger joins the freeski team for the Freeski Halfpipe as the only club-level freeski athlete to qualify directly to the Olympics. Winterberger began on OVFree at eight years old and bypassed the traditional route of making it onto the U.S. pro team before the Olympics.
“I was competing with the girls I have looked up to my whole life and they really pushed me to try my best and that’s what I did,” Winterberger told Moonshine. “I knew I had it in me this year. I didn’t really set that expectation for myself, but I knew I could do it.”
The U.S. snowboard roster brings fresh faces to the games as well. The team includes Truckee native Hahna Norman, 21, who will compete in slopestyle and big air. North Tahoe’s Hanna Percy, 18, also made the team for snowboard cross. Percy is the youngest member of the snowboard cross pro team.
“I am at a loss of words for how it feels to be going to the Olympics,” Percy said. “I have worked so hard these past few years and now seeing it pay off is the best feeling ever. I feel like being the youngest person on our team is impressive but also comes with the pressure.”
Read more about the athletes who vied for a spot in the Olympics.
~ MR
Open BriefFanny Bridge Set to Reopen
TAHOE CITY
Fanny Bridge is reportedly set to reopen the week of Jan. 26 after several delays. Originally, the historic bridge, which was torn down and rebuilt during 2025, was scheduled to be finished in November.
According to Caltrans District 3 public information officer John O’Connell, delays occurred after issues with the river diversion, causing the introduction of sediment and cobble into the water. The cobble was intended to contain debris from the demolition of the bridge. Large tanks have been brought in to treat the turbidity of the water.
Before the bridge can open, O’Connell said the water quality has to be brought back up to acceptable levels by removing the sediment and cobble and restoring the riverbed to its original level. Additionally, concrete on the bridge must finish curing to develop its strength for sustaining the weight of traffic.
~ MR
Open BriefTCDA Leads Effort to Make City-Wide Firewise Community
TAHOE CITY
Wildfire preparedness is a shared responsibility, and the Tahoe City Downtown Association (TCDA) board of directors recognizes the importance of protecting downtown Tahoe City alongside its residents. As such, the TCDA is committing resources to take the lead on an effort to make downtown Tahoe City a Firewise Community, working alongside fire officials, business owners and managers, residents, and others to protect the town.
TCDA is currently recruiting Tahoe City residents, community members, and business representatives to join its Tahoe City Firewise committee. TCDA will hold a community forum open to everyone on Jan. 27, at 6 p.m., at the TCPUD board room at 221 Fairway Dr. in Tahoe City to inform the public about what a Firewise Community is, recruit volunteers to join the effort, and the next steps in this process. The meeting is offered in-person and on Zoom (login details available online).
Firewise participation supports long-term planning, improves coordination with fire agencies, and reinforces a commitment to responsible stewardship and community resilience.
For more information, email TCDA Executive Director Katherine Hill at kat@visittahoecity.com.
~ Tahoe City Downtown Association press release
Open BriefNational Brotherhood of Snowsports Announces 2026 Team NBS Roster
TRUCKEE
The National Brotherhood of Snowsports (NBS), a national nonprofit representing the largest and longest-standing network of Black and Brown Snowsports athletes in the United States across more than 60 ski and snowboard clubs, named 35 athletes to the 2026 Team NBS roster, comprised of rising stars representing the diverse future of winter sports in America.
Amongst those named to the 2026 roster was Truckee local Nathan DeVito who made it onto the B Team for snowboarding.
The NBS Olympic Scholarship Fund, established in the late 1970s, serves as the primary financial engine for Team NBS, providing need-based assistance for training, travel, competition, and equipment. The fund remains one of the nation’s longest-running support systems for underrepresented athletes pursuing elite competition. NBS has supported more than 45 athletes who have gone on to compete across regional, collegiate, national, Paralympic, and Olympic levels.
~ National Brotherhood of Snowsports press release
Open BriefFire at Sugar Bowl Lodge
Editor’s note, Jan. 26: Updated information on fire from Truckee Fire Protection District.
NORDEN
On Jan. 20 at around 5 p.m., a fire broke out at Sugar Bowl Resort’s Mid Mountain Café. According to Sugar Bowl public relations consultant Rachel Soeharto, the Sugar Bowl team suppressed the fire using snowmaking hoses. Truckee Fire Protection District Chief Kevin McKechnie said all Truckee Fire resources along with some from Cal Fire were sent to respond to the fire, effectively extinguishing it.
According to McKechnie, extensive damage was caused to part of the building. There is an ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the fire, but Truckee Fire’s preliminary analysis suggests a cooking appliance started the blaze.
Sugar Bowl closed its lodge on Jan. 21 and has yet to determine damage and repairs. The fire marshal and Placer County Building Department are working to isolate the damage so Sugar Bowl can continue using the rest of the building.
McKechnie said Sugar Bowl and Truckee Fire have been creating an emergency response plan due to the challenges posed by snow in the winter. Transportation of equipment and availability of water can be difficult with Sugar Bowl’s snowbound lodges. The plan allowed for quick action on Jan. 20.
~ MR
Open BriefTRPA Considers New Forest Health Standards
LAKE TAHOE
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is updating regional environmental goals, called threshold standards, for forest health and community wildfire protection in the Lake Tahoe Basin and is seeking public input.
As a founding member of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team and leader of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP), TRPA is working with land managers, scientists, and the community to restore balance and resilience to the basin’s forests.
In the 19th century, silver mining on the Comstock Lode drove clear-cutting of the majority of Tahoe’s forests. Later, decades of fire suppression created dense forests with accumulated dead vegetation, increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Since the founding of the Lake Tahoe EIP in 1997, land managers have treated more than 100,000 acres through forest fuel reduction and prescribed fire projects.
Thousands more acres are planned, including 44,300 acres as part of the Lake Tahoe West project and priority fuel reduction work along evacuation routes. Increasing the pace and scale of forest health projects underscores the need for clear, measurable benchmarks for the region.
A growing body of science and past wildfires in the Tahoe region show that modern forest management practices can reduce wildfire severity and support long-term ecosystem health. The four proposed forest health goals leverage advancements in fire science and climate research to restore a balanced mosaic of forest ages, manage canopy cover, and reduce stand density. They also set targets for predicted fire behavior in wildland areas and in the Wildland Urban Interface, which is the critical area along evacuation routes and around neighborhoods.
Members of the public can review the new goals at tinyurl.com/forestthresholds.
~ Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Open Brief
