Check out the video from 2011 Roc d’azur. It’s on the radar for 2012!

Morning,

We are off to on Stage 3 today, and are loving every bit of this race so far. Chris Carmichael and I are having a great time racing together, and have definitely been suffering! Day 1 ended up great with Chris and I placing 1st in the 80+ mixed category, and 5th overall in the mixed teams. Stage 2 was a bit rainy and sloppy, and thankfully was a bit shorter than all the other days, at only 50K. You can check out my Garmin Connect page for a view of the ride.

There is good race coverage on the following site for everyone to enjoy:

Trans Andes Website

A great blog by Jason Sager on Cyclingnews.com

I have also added quite few photos to my Facebook page and to my Flickr account so check them out! We are off on Stage 3 today, and I’ll check back in as soon as I get some quality internet time.

Stage 3: Distance 72 kilometers. Total Climb 2496 meters. Feed Zone 1 Km 26. Feed Zone 2 Km 49.

Buenos Dias,

We are racing today! Stage 1 is all set to go. Day 1 Panguipulli to Huilo Huilo (try to say that three times as fast as you can)!

Trans Andes starts today and I’m racing with Chris Carmichael from Carmichael Training Systems. Greg and I traveled down here with about 25 athletes and coaches from CTS. It’s the royal treatment with CTS and my friends from Adventure Store in Argentina as our support crew. Being in such a big, organized group is a logistical luxury and it’s also great to have so many instant friends to hang out with. The group ranges from a neurosurgeon to tech wizard to a BLM employee. The one common thread through us all is a love for riding bikes. Everyone here is addicted to cycling and are super stoked to be in the Andes. I am the only on in the group who has raced Trans Andes, so my role has been to share my experience and help get everyone excited and prepared for the event. This race is one of my favorite stage races in one of the best places in the world.


Today’s stage is long with...

NAMPA, Idaho -- Nampa Police are investigating what they call a homicide/attempted suicide Saturday afternoon. 


Around 3:22 p.m., Nampa Dispatch received a 911 call from the 16000 block of Blue Spruce Drive in the Evergreen Mobile Home Park.


Officers responding to the call found a 35-year-old woman who had died from an apparent gunshot wound.

They also discovered a 35-year-old man in the same room who was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was unresponsive, but still alive. He was rushed to a local hospital where his condition is unknown.


Nampa Police are investigating this as a homicide/attempted suicide based on information they received from family members who were in the home at the time of the crime. The initial investigation indicates that this may be the result of an ongoing domestic dispute between the victim and suspect.


Charges could potentially be filed against the man in this case. 


"In a case like this, obviously there's a homicide," said Nampa Police...

MORES CREEK SUMMIT -- With the snow coming down, it's finally time for winter recreators to get up into the mountains and enjoy it. But that also means it's time for Search and Rescue to train to help those people in case they're in an avalanche.

Saturday, the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Team was training for something they're expecting to do this season - finding and pulling people out from under feet and feet of snow after an avalanche. They say avalanches normally happen after a big snowfall.

"People start getting that high where they want to get out, and they want to go skiing and snowboarding," said Delinda Castellon with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue. "But they're not actually thinking about checking the avalanche conditions."


"We want to make sure that our members are prepared in case we need to do a search in avalanche conditions," said Winston Cheyney, also with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue.

The team drilled on probing, digging and locating beacons. But Cheyney said no matter...

BOISE -- Community members came together Saturday to help a non-profit organization in need.


This week, Handy Hands Reflections found the building they rent flooded. Water came down through the ceiling, ran down the walls and got into the lights.

   

Handy Hands Reflections makes scrapbooks for families who have a loved one in hospice care or have had a loved one pass away.


Until 11 p.m., scrapbookers are paying rent for table space to work on their projects as a way to raise money for Handy Hands Reflections.


"I can't thank them enough for all the support," said Jacki Kelsch with Handy Hands Reflections. "We've had so many reach out to us for whatever they can do. And it's awesome."

  

Organizers started Handy Hands Reflections  three years ago.

 

MERIDIAN, Idaho -- Meridian Police are investigating a rash of car burglaries.


The eight car burglaries were discovered by Meridian Police on patrol Saturday morning. 

   

Sgt. Matt Parsons with the Meridian Police Department said it looks like the vehicles, which were unlocked, were broken into between 11 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday. 


The burglaries targeted cars in the area between North Black Cat Road, North Ten Mile Road, West Cherry Lane and West Franklin Road.


Officers discovered the burglaries when they noticed opened car doors and glove boxes. Victims said they were not missing property from their cars, but a small amount of property was recovered in the 4200 block of Big Creek. Because of this, police suspect there may be more victims. 

So far, police do not have any suspects.


Meridian Police have increased patrols in the area. If you have any information, you are urged to call Meridian Police at 888-6678.


Parsons said to make sure to lock...

BOISE -- With all the snow we've had the last few days, the Boise WaterShed spent Saturday afternoon teaching kids about the importance of snow.


Kids were able to learn about avalanches and participate in activities that taught them about all the ways snow helps the environment.

    

They also taught a group of kids this afternoon just how fun snow can be by taking them snowshoeing up at Bogus Basin.


"We've got a great facility out here and it just helps to drive home the importance of our water resources and the importance of keeping and taking care of the resources we do have," said Dave Eiriksson, a Boise State graduate student.


The Boise WaterShed holds activities every third Saturday of the month.


Each activity is different, but they all have something to do with water.

 

BOISE -- One man was injured after a rollover crash on Interstate 84 Friday,


It happened around 6:30 p.m., between Gowen Road Exit 57 and Eisenman Road Exit 59.

Bernard Liss, 75, of Union City, Indiana, was traveling west on I-84 in a 2009 Ford F750 truck.


Liss drove the vehicle off the left shoulder, then overcorrected onto the right shoulder. The truck then slid and overturned at least once before coming to rest upside down in the right lane.

Liss was transported by ground ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.   


I-84 was partially blocked for over three hours while crews worked to clear the scene.

BOISE -- Boise Police are investigating after two people were found Saturday morning with what appeared to be stab wounds.

Officers were called to a home in area of W. Boise Ave. and Beacon Street around 5 a.m.


The first officers on scene saw a car leaving the house. They soon discovered a person inside the car with what looked like stab wounds.

A second person with stab wound-like injuries was also found a short distance from the house.


Both people are currently receiving medical attention. The extent of their injuries is unknown.


Police said they don't know the exact relationship between the pair, but did say that the cases appear to be connected.


Stay with KTVB and KTVB.COM as more details about this case come to light.

HAILEY, Idaho -- The police chief in the central Idaho town of Hailey says officers will be cracking down on dog owners who let their pets run loose.


Chief Jeff Gunter tells the Idaho Mountain Express that loose dogs are causing problems and pet owners need to be reined in.

 

He says police are getting 10 to 12 calls a week about dogs chasing kids, chasing cars, causing traffic problems, and fighting.

 

He says the city ordinance requires dogs not on the owner's property to be either on a leash or within voice command.

 

He says violators face a $300 fine along with animal shelter impound fees.

 

REXBURG, Idaho -- A tiny fish fossil found by a Brigham Young University-Idaho biology instructor a decade ago has been recognized as a previously unknown fish species.

 

Dave Stricklan found the 3-centimeter specimen in the Manning Canyon Shale Formation near Lehi, Utah.

 

KIFI-TV reports the university announced Thursday that experts identified the fossil as a new species last month. 

 

The fossil is named Bourbonnella jocelynae in memory of Stricklan's daughter, Jocelyn.

 

Experts say the fossil is the earliest known representative of its kind from North America.

 

BOISE, Idaho -- Lawmakers in the Idaho House introduced legislation to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. 

 

The so-called e-cigarettes allow the user to heat nicotine, herbs or other substances and ingest the active ingredients without actually burning the substance.

 

But Republican Rep. Bob Nonini, of Coeur d'Alene, says state health officials are increasingly concerned about sales of the devices to children. Nonini brought legislation to the House Health & Welfare Committee on Friday that would prohibit sales of e-cigarettes to minors.

 

The Spokesman-Review reports the panel voted to introduce the measure, which will now have a public hearing.

 

Advocates for banning sales of the devices to kids say it will send an important message about smoking in general.

  

BOISE -- Across the U.S., including here in Idaho, it has been a mild flu season.


The Centers for Disease Control shows minimal cases in Idaho, activity is even down this week from the past two weeks. But they are reporting indications that flu activity is going to pick up.


Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare confirms they have not seen many cases here yet , but the season could peak in late February.


With that in mind, they say it's not too late for a flu shot.

 

BOGUS BASIN --  Skiers and boarders have certainly rejoiced this week with all the snow coming down in the mountains.  Bogus Basin needed the snow desperately, opening just Thursday for a record late start.

"We had a good day yesterday, and a good day today.  We expect it to be even better tomorrow," Bogus Basin spokeswoman Gretchen Anderson said.

Paycuts still in effect and CEO, CFO still going unpaid 

With the late opening day, Bogus Basin's general manager told KTVB last week they've already lost over $2 million in revenue.  While getting the lifts going and seeing skiers coming down the mountain is a step toward a needed financial comeback, can they recoup the loss?

"I don't know.  I don't know.  We'll have to find out at the very end, Jamie. It's an interesting situation that we're facing because we've never faced this before.  A lot of us took pay cuts.  A lot of us were laid off for a while.  Then of course, our CEO and our CFO didn't take any...

TWIN FALLS -- Officials with the cheese manufacturer Glanbia Foods say the company is spending up to $15 million to build its corporate headquarters and innovation center in Twin Falls.


The expansion, announced Friday, is expected to add 100 jobs when the facility opens in March 2013, with plans to expand to 150.


Glanbia president and CEO Jeff Williams told The Times-News that city officials have been talking with the company about the expansion for the past five years. Williams said the company was excited to move forward with the project.


The plans call for a 35,000-square-foot office complex and a 14,000-square-foot research center. Williams said the center will give Glanbia employees and customers the chance to research new product ideas. Glanbia currently operates plants in Twin Falls, Gooding and Richfield.

MERIDIAN -- Many Idahoans are struggling to pay utility bills, but there is a government program that can help.

"Our members are telling us that their utility bills just keep going up, and up, and up. And their ability to afford to pay them, is going down, and down, and down," said Jim Wordelman, state director of the AARP.

Wordelman says energy rate hikes have put Idaho's elderly, most of which are on a fixed income, in a tough spot.

"Sometimes they have to decide whether they want to fill a prescription, or whether they want to turn the heat up," said Wordelman.

In a recent survey, 40 percent of Idaho's elderly say they're having a difficult time paying their utility bills. But there's help, and it's help that Wordelman says few people know about, "This has the potential of helping a lot more people."

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is a federal program, locally administered to help any person, not just the elderly, pay their utility bills. That program in Idaho just received an extra $5 million,...

IDAHO CITY -- Residents in Idaho City are bracing for round two of snow.

This comes after the small mountain town went from no snow just a few days ago to over three feet in some places.

All the snow has created problems for a lot of those who live in and around Idaho City. Power outages have been reported for the past couple days.

Idaho Power says they've had crews working around the clock trying to restore power Friday. The heavy snow caused trees to fall on lines all over the place leaving some residents there without power for hours, while others are still in the dark.

“When the lights started flickering I knew the power was going out last night, so I hurried dinner, made a really short dinner and got it eaten just in time for the power to go out,” said Rhonda Jameson, an Idaho City Resident.

At one of the local grocery stores, they have had to turn away customers because the frequent power outages have fried their computers leaving them without a way to ring up customers.

At Trudy's Cafe in Idaho City folks gather...

BOISE -- A group of Republican senators are looking to clarify their position on the senate's decision last week to allow Sen. John McGee to maintain his leadership role as Caucus Chairman.


In a joint statement released Friday, nine Republican senators said that while Sen. McGee is their friend and colleague, they would like to uphold the integrity of the institution. They also say the reason they issued the statement was because they felt that there was a perception that the voting to keep Senator McGee in his position was a unanimous one. These Senators spoke out to make it clear there was a descending vote.

The senators are Russ Fulcher of Meridian, Monty Pearce of New Plymouth, Chuck Winder of Boise, Dean Mortimer of Idaho Falls, Steve Vick of Dalton Gardens, Shirley McKague of Meridian, Lee Heider of Twin Falls, Mitch Toryanski of Boise, and Sheryl Nuxoll of Cottonwood.

Part of the statement reads, "Our constituents expect us to stand up for the convictions, principles and values we have said we represent and...

The best way to to remember Sarah is for the athlete she was and the smile she had. Our friends at Warren Miller Entertainment put together a nice little edit from a shoot they did with her in 2005 at Mike Wiegele's Heliskiing in British Columbia. She was killing it, as usual. Everyone should go make turns for her this weekend.

BOISE -- A former Boise State Bronco, who helped lead the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl win in 2010, is making a big donation to the BSU Athletic Department.


Daryn Colledge and his wife, Megan, announced they will donate $150,000 to the athletic department to help revamp the weight room and upgrade the equipment.


"We are extremely grateful for all that BSU and the city of Boise have done for us,” Colledge said in a written statement.  “We are excited for this opportunity to give back to our university, and we hope that with this gift and others like it, BSU will be able to continue to give so much to Boise.  We are grateful we can contribute to those who have supported us for so long."


Colledge earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in 2004 and 2005 at Boise State.  He helped the Broncos win four consecutive WAC Championships.


Bronco head coach Chris Petersen said  it is always great when former athletes remain involved in the program.


“Daryn and Megan’s generosity towards...

BOISE -- First it was snow, then it was rain, and next came the flooding.


The Ada County Highway District crews had their hands full Thursday trying to get rid of water that had backed up onto the road.


By Friday, most of those areas were clear.


ACHD crews responded to more than 100 reports of flooding.  Thanks to some high powered vacuum trucks, crews were able to suck some of the water off the roads.


The first step for crews is clearing blocked storm drains.  Some drains became blocked by debris and ice.


In Eagle, near Floating Feather Road and Edgewood Lane, the drainage system was overwhelmed by water.  Crews brought in two vacuum trucks and they say those trucks made all the difference.


"If it wasn't for the vacuum trucks we'd still be there just baby sitting it and trying to get other pumps out there. Trying to pump water with a lot more hoses and it would just take a lot longer to get the water out of there.  I  mean these trucks that we have and the water trucks that were there were...

BOISE -- The Boise Police Department added some new suspects to the "Most Wanted" list this week.


Click through the photos (to the right) and if you recognize any of these suspects, you are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 343-COPS.  Your tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers anonymously.  You can also help Boise Police by text messaging TIP236 to 274637, along with your tip.

Boise Police asks that you do not apprehend any of these suspects, and if you know the current location of a suspect, call non-emergency dispatch at 377-6790. 

Book your trip now!

Track the snow as it piles up at Skinet's Snow Reports, or download the app for your phone and take it on the road.

Just before 2:00 PM today, the first heartbreaking reports shot across the social media realm, compounded, no doubt, by the fact that much of the skiing community is currently in Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show. Sarah Burke died this morning from the injuries she sustained in a halfpipe training accident on January 10 at Park City Mountain Resort.

All of us at Skiing Magazine are stunned and deeply saddened by the passing of this freeskiing icon and Olympic hopeful. Her imprint on the sport won’t fade anytime soon. Our thoughts go out to Sarah’s family. A pioneer of women’s freeskiing, Sarah inspired countless people both on and off the slopes and will no doubt continue to do so for years to come. #BeliveinSarah #WewillmissyouSarah #ThankyouSarah

For more information on the story visit the Deseret News.

A fund has been set up in her memory. For those that would like to contribute visit giveforward.com/sarahburke.

You played a massive Red Rocks show in August and now you are back for the second time in six months, what keeps you coming back to Denver? 

You guys make us feel like we’re really awesome and that’s validating. You know, once in a while you’ve got to feel awesome. Na. The real reason is people keep asking us to come back. Playing music is our favorite thing in the world to do so how can we say no.

As the headliner of the first ever winter Red Rocks Show, what has got you most excited about this particular gig?

The nervousness. I’m the type that thrives on nervousness. For starters, its in winter and anything could go wrong. There could be a blizzard while we played and that alone scared me enough to agree to it. Then the organizers asked us to put together a bill and told us we could get anyone. So we asked about Common and they said yes. Common is one of my heroes. He’s a legend. And now I have to go out on stage after him. Do you know how scary that is for me?

And if there is a blizzard?

The show goes on....

Greg Ditrinco, editor-in-chief of SKI, our sister magazine, was interviewed on NPR about the controversy surrounding the undergarments of Slovenian World Cup skier Tina Maze. Listen with the NPR widget below.

Original story on NPR.

Tina Maze official fan club.

Track the snow as it piles up at Skinet's Snow Reports, or download the app for your phone and take it on the road.

Women's Only Skate Ski Clinic

Saturday Jan 21

10:30 to 1:30

$60 (includes lunch)

Join Galena Ski Instructor Abbie Harris for this fantastic skate clinic for women only. Learn proper skating technique in a supportive and encouraging community of like minded women. All levels are welcome for this clinic.

Call 208-726-4010 to sign up

Sunday Jan 22

Ski the entire BMT course

11am start time at Galena

Join SVSEF and Fischer Athlete Nicole DeYong & Galena Lodge ski instructors for this fantastic event. Learn race tactics while skiing in a fun and supportive group. Cost is $40 and includes transportation. Please call to reserve a spot.