TAHOE DONNER
Cross-country Heaven

Tahoe Donner Cross Country (TDXC) is one of the nation's premier cross-country ski centers, with 4,800 acres of terrain and 50 trails spanning 102 km (63¼ miles). Skating through the aspen groves and pine trees to gorgeous views of valleys and mountain tops, the experience is breathtaking. The wide variety of terrain allows everyone to enjoy the sport of cross-country skiing, from those who want to try it for the first time to those who are fine-tuned experts. The trails are divided among beginner (30 percent), intermediate (50 percent) and advanced/expert (20 percent). There are also four snowshoe-only trails.

Let your day begin by cozying up to the fireplace at the Day Lodge, with its beautiful views and home-cooked food from the Alder Creek Café. There are five more warming huts throughout the TDXC terrain, all providing stunning panoramas. The Euer Valley cookhouse is nestled in the glorious Euer Valley, an easy 3½-km ski from the Day Lodge. A simple warming hut during the week, on weekends and holidays it becomes the perfect place to refuel and rest. Baked goods, soups and sandwiches can be purchased at the Euer Valley Cookhouse and the knowledgeable staff is happy to provide trail recommendations.

On Wednesday nights in January and February, Tahoe Donner Cross Country is open for night skiing on a 2½-km lit track from 5 to 7 p.m. In February, TDXC hosts the Presidents Cup Race, a 15-km freestyle contest, and the 3X5 Relays. TDXC's most popular event, the Tour d'Euer, takes place in March. There are three different-length tours you can choose, and immediately following the ski everyone enjoys lunch and live music on the deck. Throughout the entire season, TDXC's world-class instructors conduct night clinics, special women's clinics and skills clinics. For information regarding races, events and clinics, check out TDXC on the Web at www.tdxc.com.

This season there is a new snowshoe trail to explore, called "Walkabout," which is about 2 km (1¼ miles) long. "Walkabout" starts at the Cross Country Center and winds through the aspens connecting to "Snowshow," a snowshoe trail that goes up to "Hawk's Peak." You can choose at that connection to climb up or come down to Intersection 3, which connects you to "Tim's Trek"; this trail will bring you back to the center. The other option at Intersection 3 is to take "Solitude" down to the Euer Valley Cookhouse.

Tahoe Donner Cross Country is located at 15275 Alder Creek Road, in the community of Tahoe Donner, Truckee. TDXC is approximately 20 miles north of Lake Tahoe. Call (530) 587-9484 for more information, or check out the website tdxc.com with a Twitter site for the latest updates. Remember … the skiing is out there.