All resorts open around Lake Tahoe

All 15 mountain resorts around Tahoe are finally open. Snow is natural on top of man-made stuff and most runs are open to skiers and boarders, although some black diamonds still are closed.

Tuesday we tried Diamond Peak over at Incline Village. We were lucky to get just about the last parking spot close to the lodge, and by the time we quit for the day the parking lots were overflowing. Snow early on was boiler plate but quickly softened, so from the top down the runs were fine. Of course, many boarders and skiers were out, but that's common on holidays. Did note there were more skiers than boarders at

Diamond Peak, could be the upper-income brackets are more ski-oriented.

New at Diamond " after the $4 million upgrade " is an upper level deck looking out on the runs and a larger dining area and upstairs bar area and restaurant. Diamond is very much a family operation for Incline. The Bee Ferrato Child Ski Center for those 3 to 7 is one of the best around Tahoe. There's a very nice kids fenced area just outside the center where instructors guide little ones down lanes on a smooth incline. Check out www.diamondpeak.com for more information.

Once again the Poker Run is back, and the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe has become its sponsor. The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Poker Run is taking place on Sunday at Diamond Peak Ski Resort from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration is at the Base Lodge Loft Bar at 9 a.m. and the entry fee is $10, which includes a logoed T-shirt. There are five dealers at different locations on the mountain with a deck of cards. Each participant is given a card with clues on where to find them. Ski or snowboard around until you find the dealers and then pull a card within the two hour time limit. The person with the best hand wins and top prizes include two Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe spa treatments, one gift certificate for a weekend stay at the Hyatt, and great Diamond Peak swag. Other sponsors for this event include Stallar Skate & Snow.

SIERRA-AT-TAHOE ACTION

Volcom Peanut Butter and Rail contest is Saturday at Sierra. This amateur snowboard contest is for kids of all ages. Sierra Resort is the first stop on the series that lasts all season and travels all over North America. The rails challenge snowboarders to get creative and impress the judges to make it to the final competition in late spring where the prize purse can get upward of $20,000. Check the Web for details at Sierraattahoe.com.

The resort is also celebrating its 40th anniversary on Jan. 9 with reduced lift tickets.

There will be a skiing through the decades demonstration by Ski School and, beginning at 3 p.m.

LOCALS OFFER TIPS

Regulars at the Stagecoach Base of Heavenly know that to get a parking spot they've got to get there early. By 8:30 a.m. most of the close-in lot is full, with the lower lot filling up rapidly. But they can be cheered by the presence of Stu Coffey at the bar at Stagecoach, as he has been for 15 years. Stu is a veteran of the Stagecoach ski trails and is happy to advise on which runs are best on a given day. He's a resident of Stateline and a vet with Heavenly. And the Aussie young lady who helps out around the food counters is also good for tips about the day.

We often use Stagecoach as a base for a morning's runs. The quad is rarely lined up with folk and the trail over to Comet and Dipper lifts is fast. Getting back to Stagecoach is a dash from the top of Comet, straight ahead, tucked, and then down to the base of the Olympic quad chair, which has opened to trails to intermediates and above. Then it's a long run down to Stagecoach (or to Boulder Base is you like to tourist) and back to the bar and Stu.