Elizabeth & Justin’s Anticipation of the New Arrival: Sabella

Elizabeth & Justin’s Anticipation of the New Arrival: Sabella

Weddings at the Shore House in Tahoe Vista

Wedding season is in full effect and the weather couldn't be nicer in Tahoe. From a brides point of view, weddings can be a stressful affair from planning and expectations. Sometimes it can be a nice thing to just get back to the essentials of your day and keep things real simple. I recently shot a very intimate wedding at the Shore House in Tahoe Vista. Nestled on the north end of Lake Tahoe, the Shore House is a bed & breakfast venue that offers an alternative for those who are looking for a downsized private affair. This venue can handle only maximum of 25 of your closest friends & family. The backdrop is scenic with a view across to South Lake Tahoe and a stones throw away from popular North Lake Tahoe destination, Kings beach.

My Youngest

0X0R8068, originally uploaded by ela1974.

My youngest enjoying a nice spring day at Northgate park in Northwest Reno. He is all CHEEKS!
I was able to snap a few pics of my little man while his older brother was running like a wild man in the playground. Reno is a great place in the spring.
Shot with my favorite Camera Lens combo:
Canon 1D Mark III and 50mm 1.4 lens.

0X0R7605

0X0R7605, originally uploaded by ela1974.

Revived

Revived from Eric Asistin on Vimeo.

Last week I spent some time in Sin City taking some educational photography courses. I gotta say that time spent there was quite nice, but I'm glad to be out of the smoke filled casinos of Las Vegas and back into the mountains of Lake Tahoe. While away in Vegas, Tahoe was getting some good weather systems filling up the backcountry with fresh snow. A fast moving storm hit the West Coast on Friday March 12, 2010 bringing up to 2 feet of fresh snow in the Sierra's. The snowmobiles were loaded up on the trailers as I headed out for another great backcountry day. The crew included: Andy Finch, Ryan Eagan, Andy Spotts, Tyler Copeland & myself. After countless hours of trying to get a snowmobile track set, we were finally able to get some work done & have some fun. The upper parts of the mountain were uncharacteristically scoured from northern winds, but we did manage to find some protected areas and enjoyed the fresh snow.

Continuing Education

There are times in your everyday life when I bet you've beat yourself up for not being the best that you could be. In order to the be the best that you can, what have you done in order to improve? In any profession from A-Z.... to a photographer like myself, one has to keep sharping his tools & skill set in order to perform at a high level. For this past week, I have been attending WPPI in Las Vegas (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) to hone my skills & learn from master photographers in the industry. Today's leading industry professionals are here to help photographers become better & within their own peer group, they themselves push each other to become better developing a great sense of camaraderie.

For those of you who have visited my blog or my website know that I shoot some polarizing subjects...weddings & action sports. In terms of the education that goes into shooting these contrasting subjects, being here at WPPI is a perfect complement. As an action sports shooter, I can get all caught up in technical hoopla in the creation & process of a image. As a wedding photographer, I have to take that technical jargon from action sports and marry that into a happy medium remembering to get the emotional side as well. Us photographers are a passionate group to say the least and our egos can get in the way at times. In a creative field like photography, there is nothing better than getting together with a group of people that know more than you to break you down. In that break down process you can find out more about yourself than you ever imagined. I encourage you in whatever field you may be in, to join a great organization such as WPPI to further your education.

Castle Peak 02/13/2010 from Eric Asistin on Vimeo.

Finch and I have been venturing out in the Tahoe Backcountry searching for some fun snow. Last Saturday we hooked up with local Sledneck Jay Grube and missioned out to Castle Peak to see what it had to offer. The snow was questionable in some areas, but it didn't deter us from making something happen. Finch found a little drop he wanted to start the day out with. The drop won taking out Finches board & hopes for bagging any more shots. I told him..."We're already out here & you don't have a backup so rally my board." He switched out bindings to my Capita Charlie Slasher 164 and got some great turns. Hey, no busted board is going to stop ya from having fun is it? (Note: I carry backup cameras at all times just in case....ya may wanna carry a backup board for the same reason!)

Get In The H3

The Van Is Broke, but my stoke is still high.

Winter XGames 14 Jan 29, 2009

Yesterday was a full day of competition at Winter X 14. Mens slopestyle, skiercross, boardercross qualifiers, Skiing big air and the main event Mens Snowboard Halfpipe finals. Mens slopestyle qualys was packed full of talent as the young gun Halldor Hellgason won the qualy's and took TWSnowboardings rookie of the year award last night at SIA. PortersTahoe.com Team rider Chas Guldemond qualified on his last run with some uncharacteristic falls in his 1st two runs. A little drama builds a nice story right? Chas was happy to get in and relieve his stress level. Boardercrosser Nate Holland qualified in 2nd during time trials just behind Seth Wescott as they take the course today going into finals. Errol Kerr took 8th in his time trial setting him up for the run into the finals. The big news of the night was Shaun Whites total domination of the Mens Halfpipe finals. Shaun went bigger than everyone else with the most difficult run. A 23ft first hit Method into a series of double corks that was at a level no one else could touch. Not to mention he almost knocked himself out in practice with his double McTwist to face smack on the deck! Way to overcome the hit & good luck into the O's.
Photos all taken bay yours truly & Mr. Zak Shelhamer. We'll be bringing you more content today as Nate Holland goes for a 5 peat in Boardercross!

Winter XGames 14 Jan 28, 2009

Last night on the treacherous drive from Denver to Aspen, I really needed an energy drink to keep me alert while driving in the snowy & slick conditions. My energy drink need was answered this morning as I arrived at Buttermilk in Aspen for Winter X Games 14 in one piece with plenty of energy drinks on site. This morning Aspen was blessed with clear blue skies and a great venue. Snow Park Technologies have really got building phenomenal snow obstacles down to a science as the Butermilk landscape has been masterfully altered by Chris Gunnarson & his crew. The first day at X is always full of anticipation & frustration. The anticipation of what you'll witness & the frustration of what exact credential you'll need in order to do your job. It seems you even need a credential to go to the proper restroom here! Since today was the first day, it was a good time to just cruise around & do a little recon of where you need to be and what you can and can't do. I met up today with Porters Team riders Nate Holland, Chas Guldemond and Errol Kerr. Nate is going for a 5-peat gold medal in boardercross, Chas is trying to get a medal in snowboard slopestyle, & Errol is trying to medal in skiercross. Nate & Errol will be attending the Olympics in Vancouver soon. Nate & Errol have both commented on how nice the course is and are both looking forward to competition. All the guys had practice today figuring out their lines. Tomorrow is qualifying for these guys and thye are all excited to get to business.

Mammoth Slopestyle Finals 2010

Paul Mitchell makes great hair care products that will hold up to the high speed velocity you can achieve while on the slopestyle course. This was the only Slopestyle contest on the USSA Schedule prior to the Olympic games. The boys at the Unbound terrain park at Mammoth put up an amazing course considering they were farming snow from all areas of the mountain in order to put together the great course. The course consisted of a double line to rail feature to another double line at the bottom. in the womens division, South Lake Tahoe's Jamie Anderson took the win and in the Mens, Porters team rider Chas Guldemond got back on top of the podium. Check the pics to see what went down.

MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CA (Jan. 10) - After six days of sunny snowboarding, the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix closed up shop at Mammoth Mountain on Sunday with Jamie Anderson (South Lake Tahoe, CA) and Chaz Guldemond (Reno, NV) winning the Paul Mitchell Progression Session.

Under bluebird skies and balmy temperatures, Anderson led the women followed by Isabelle Lalive (Breckenridge, CO) in second and Molly Wilson (Basalt, CO) third.

Anderson threw out a frontside 3, back 180, tailpress to a 270 out of the box, ollie onto the down rail, indie over the step down, frontside 7 off the last kicker.

For Anderson, being able to throw a 7 was a huge step forward in her progression.

"I'm so happy. I don't usually do 7s. I've been working on them, but they're not one of my consistent tricks. So I was proud of myself to actually step it up and try because it wasn't a guarantee that I was going to land," Anderson said. "I was risking it. The first one I kind of fell on, but the second one I stomped, so I'm pumped."

After landing her second set solidly, Anderson is ready to take on the rest of the season with a new level of confidence.

"I definitely want to step up my game and do bigger tricks at all the events this winter with X Games and the Dew Tours," Anderson said. "Knowing that I have this trick dialed is a really good feeling."

On the men's side Guldemond put down cab 9, back12, half cab, 50/50 to back 3 out, gap to 50/50, backside rodeo, switchback 9.

Guldemond led with Tyler Flanagan (Encinitas, CA) in second and Brett Esser (Silverthorne, CO) in third.

For Guldemond, being on the podium, let alone winning, was a big step towards the success he's been missing the last few months.

"I work really hard at what I do. Since last spring I haven't been on the podium, let alone top 5, so I'm stoked to be back up here," Guldemond said.

As for the second best reason for throwing a winning run, Guldemond has the spectators in mind.

"I just like to put on a good show for all the people around and it definitely boosts the confidence," Guldemond.

Both Guldemond and Anderson now plan to fine tune their slope skills at the Winter Dew Tour, which will be held Jan. 14-17 at Snowbasin resort in Utah.

As for the Grand Prix, it takes a little break prior to the two event finale at Park City Mountain Resort Jan. 22-23.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix
Paul Mitchell Progression Session
Mammoth Mountain, CA - Jan. 10, 2010

Men
1. Chaz Guldemond, Reno, NV, 49.40
2. Tyler Flanagan, Encinitas, CA, 46.70
3. Brett Esser, Silverthorne, CO, 45.30
4. Spencer Link, Corona, CA, 43.30
5. Ryan Stassel, Anchorage, 42.00

Women
1. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 48.40
2. Isabelle Lalive, Breckenridge, CO, 36.20
3. Molly Wilson, Basalt, CO, 34.20
4. Lynn Neil, Ogden, UT, 32.40
5. Kaitlyn Farrington, Sun Valley, ID, 31.60

Mammoth Grand Prix Halfpipe Finals

Mammoth Grand Prix: 2nd Time around

The Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain is already over right? Nope...there's still the 2nd round to be had. The USSA had to squeeze in 5 events in order to satisfy FIS rules for the Olympic qualifiers. Why not save some time and have two halfpipe GP events back to back at Mammoth Mountain. Mens & Womens Halfpipe Qualifiers took place today on a very nice pipe. The weather was nice & sunny, but the wind was a bit of the factor as it was a bit gusty out of the west. It didn't matter to the competitors as they still did their best in trying to make the US Olympic team. The big story of the week was Danny Davis's win on Wednesday for the Halfpipe stop at Mammoth & unleashing a run that Shaun White could not even touch. However, today Shaun qualified 1st, but didn't face Danny as they were in separate heats. Riders were for sure saving themselves for finals as you didn't see any big back to back double corks & Michalchuk's. They were doing just enough to get them into the finals without sacrificing their standings. Porters team rider Andy Finch did just that and will be competing in tomorrows final. The format is the top 6 in each heat go to the final then the next 4 top scores of both heats combined get in.
Previously I had posted about the unfortunate incident that had happened to Kevin Pierce . Another unfortunate injury happened today as 2006 Olympic Team member Mason Aquirre suffered a dislocated shoulder in a practice run. It looks like Masons hopes to claim a medal at this years Olympics will come up short as he sought to be apart of the Olympic Team once again. Get well Mason.
At this particular Grand Prix, there is also a slopestyle event and the qualifiers went down yesterday. Porters team rider & contest machine Chas Guldemond qualified 1st and will be competing for the money on Sundays final. There's more boarding competition to be had tomorrow & I'll keep you updated on tomorrows results.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 Sprint U.S. SNOWBOARDING GRAND PRIX
Mammoth Mountain, CA - Jan. 8, 2010
Halfpipe Qualifiers

Men
1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 45.80
2. Danny Davis, Detroit, MI, 45.20
3. Dylan Bidez, Minturn, CO, 43.10
4. JJ Thomas, Golden, CO, 41.40
5. Elijah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 41.30
6. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 40.80
7. Nathan Johnstone, Australia, 40.70
8. Zack Black, Breckenridge, CO, 39.60
9. Steve Fisher, Breckenridge, CO, 39.50
10. Matt Ladley, Steamboat Springs, CO, 39.40
11. Mathieu Crepel, France, 38.30
12. Luke Mitrani, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 38.20
13. Andy Finch, Truckee, CA, 38.00
14. Jack Mitrani, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 37.90
15. Brad Martin, Canada, 37.20
16. Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 36.90

Women
1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 45.60
2. Hannah Teter, Belmont, VT, 44.00
3. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 41.30
4. Clair Bidez, Minturn, CO, 39.90
5. Holly Crawford, Australia, 38.90
6. Ellery Hollingsworth, Stratton, VT, 38.30
7. Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 37.90
8. Maddy Schaffrick, Steamboat Springs, CO, 37.20

Go Big & Stay Safe

0X0R7850, originally uploaded by ela1974.

0X0R7850
Originally uploaded by ela1974

The Olympics are on the horizon & it seems that all competitive snowboarders are in a race to see how many double corks they can land in the Halfpipe. Double corks are gnarly and super dangerous. Just two days ago Olympic hopeful and Burton Team rider Kevin Pearce, sustained a traumatic head injury that has left him in critical condition. Our prayers & best wishes go out to Kevin & his family & hope that Kevin can make a strong recovery.
The new level of snowboarding has gotten so high that riders are literally putting their lives on the line in order to achieve whatever goals they have set for themselves. As the general public watch from the safety of their television sets, there is a false perspective that a viewer may get from that lazyboy. Snow is not as soft as it may seem and is very unforgiving. Lets put this into perspective..the halfpipes today have come a long way from highway banked hits to now the super 22 foot behemoths. These pipes are rock hard and are pretty much solid ice. So, a professional snowboarder can launch himself on a 22 foot pipe on average 10 feet above the lip at a minimum. That's 32 feet up in the air on an ice block straight to the bottom. how do you think your body would hold up to that? Not to mention the velocity & rate at which they are flying. Falling in a big halfpipe hurts, i dont care who you are. If your not ready for something like that...please know your limits. Kevin is a professional & this is part of the game....really just an unfortunate turn of events.As we watch these athletes push themselves for glory, please take note of what they are now sacrificing.
The photo is of Andy Finch & the newly cut Halfpipe @ Northstar at Tahoe. Going big & taking risks.

Kidwells Gulley 12/23/2009

Two Days before Christmas the sun was shining & the East winds were blowing. The holiday crowd slowly started to appear and it was time to find a place where you could be at peace without the crowd. Brandon Cocard, Alex Horgan, Brett Davis & I rallied up to ASI to see what the summit had to offer & decided it was a good call to visit the legendary Terry Kidwell Gulley. The Zone was wind-protected and sunny serving up a nice area for the windblown to accumulate and offer some great roadside distraction cutbacks & off the tops.

The boys had a fun session of slashes & hip transfers. That little gulley offers so much in just a small space. After everyone had thier taste of slashes, we proceeded to pay homage to Kidwell & built up the Quarterpipe for a great session. To be honest, no bangers or covers were made here....just a good time and lots of high fives. The session got even heavier as John Foy, Jason Tackit, Dan Pitbladdo, & Chas Guldemond all shared the gulley and got some as well. the trick of the day seemed to be the backflip as everyone layed one out. find your own roadside distraction & lay one out this holiday season!

KT-22 Spins for 2009-2010 Season!

The Northern Sierras has been getting pounded with snowfall for the past week. A total of 73 inches has fallen at Squaw Valley USA. After countless hours of snow removal for the past week, I finally decided it was time to take advantage of my new Squaw Valley season pass. Like many other opportunistic individuals, I took advantage of the early season season pass offered by Squaw this summer for the low $369.00 price tag. This pass was just too good a deal to pass up as regular all day adult lift tickets carry the price tag of $83.00! Do the simple math right there & the purchase of the pass pays for itself in just 4 all day tickets.
Many phone calls were made in the morning asking team riders where they were planning to ride. I was able to rally Brendon Drury and Alex Horgan to the cause. Brendon arrived 1st and had to settle his pass situation and I couldn't wait so I decided to do a hot lap up Red dog while he worked his mojo with the pass office. Brendon for sure was blowing it. It really didn't matter at that point as the KT chair was not yet confirmed to open. I did have a feeling it was going to happen as I was on the Red Dog Chair i noticed for a brief minute the KT chair started to churn for a second and I heard a few "hoots" off in the distance. Really?! Could this be happening?! After my quick run down the Dog, I met up with Drury and we bro'd down heavy as the rumor was confirmed...they we're going to crack KT around noon! We decided to take a few laps on Exhibition as to keep a close eye on the KT situation. At 10:30 am, there was a small pack of people already waiting to get the goods on KT. However not enough, to justify us waiting while the day was beautiful and sunny so we decided to take a few more laps. In hindsight there was no regrets with that move, but after just 2 short runs, the like at KT was filling up fast & stacking pretty deep.
Alex finally showed up & it was time to stand in line & get ready. Everywhere you looked you saw smiles from ear to ear in anticipation of he 1st true Pow run of the season. Not to mention it was about to take place on the famed KT, with blue skies on a beautiful mid December day. The thing I love about standing in line on the 1st official Pow day is all the familiar faces you see in line. Old friends that you haven't seen in a while always make it out on days like that. Former PortersTahoe employees Chris Doyle & Alex were in the line up as we caught up on current events. Our Norther California 32 & Airblaster sales rep Eric Wallis was in the lineup as well and as excited and stoked as can be. The Chair finally cracked & it was game on!
Once again, if its on, IT"S ON!

Horgan and I got a chair together & once we downloaded, rushed for our zone of choice and made some great turns. The snow was perfect! I must have waxed just right cause my board felt like a magic carpet. I was riding my LibTech TRS 159 while Horgan was on his Ride DH2. Both perfect boards for the situation having rockered cambers. We nailed slash after slash & pillow after pillow.....Oh damn it was good! DAMN GOOD! After the gut of KT was pretty much tracked, we decided to go up the Funitel and check out the upper mountain. It was also a great time to rest our legs and get to know an older gentleman who has been skiing Squaw since 1972, Dan Kiley. He gave us some past insight to some of his skiing and drinking adventures. I love meeting people like this as they share the same stoke as all of us avid snowboarders & skiers. This guy is 66 years old, fit as can be, and having the time of his life...I hope to be doing the same.
After the ride up, we noticed that we should head over to the saddle to finish out the day. There was still some untouched snow & pillow lines to be had. When we got down in there, I decided to stay behind and snap some shots as I noticed a herd of skiers getting aggro and dropping some questionable lines. They made it out alive & were happy as can be. What more do I have to say...wish you could have been there!
Another note....don't blow it like Drury, his pass situation was still in question as the day ended I finally saw him out in the saddle zone with Andrew Irwin, "Krizzler" & Sammy Lubke. Don't blow the early part of the day cause you don't have your pass lined up.

Urban Reno Snowboarding

I woke up early Monday morning to grey bird sky's and almost a foot of new snow in Northwest Reno. The National Weather service called for substantial amounts of snowfall along the crest of the Sierras and low level valleys even as low as elevations of 200 ft! I received a text message from my sister this morning that they had received snow in the foothills just west of Tracy, Ca. Snow falling in farm towns is a pretty big deal and unheard of, especially in CA. Almost a foot of snow in Reno, NV means that the town will literally shut down as they really do not have the infrastructure & resources to deal with the snow. It also means playtime for all snowboarders looking for urban features to express their riding style.

The night before the big part of the storm, I called Brandon Cocard to see what his plans were for Monday morning. Not to be disappointed, Brandon had informed me that he was already planning on making the trip down to Reno with Alex Horgan to start filming for their next installment of the "Get Into The Van" movie. The rail mission was on as we me up at one of the more popular rail spots as our 1st destination. To my dismay, when I showed up there were 3 other crews along with ours and an insane amount of people. When it's on I guess it's on. The guys battled the lineup of participants and the rail won most of the time. Alex tacoed super hard on one of his boardslide attempts that it put him down for the rest of that session. Brandon was having issues from the start trying to drop in switch. After numerous attempts, he finally go one in the bag, switch boardslide to tail 270 out. Lunchtime!
As we broke down the setup there was another crew setting up on another set of rails nearby, then the boys in blue showed up asking us what we were doing. The boys replied, " we're sledding & having fun just like those guys". The cop smirked at them & moved on to the other crew to take out his life frustrations. Since school was out on a snow day, there were lots of kids in attendance on their boogie board shreds catching air and getting the whiteroom as well. Since the cops had nothing on us and none of our camera gear wasn't in sight, no problem. The other boys on the other hand were having some issues. Hopefully they didn't get stacked with too large of tickets...ouch.
After a tasty lunch courtesy of Raleys, the boys got in the van and rolled to another spot. I had to separate with them for a bit to go grab some other camera gear that I was anticipating to use. Right when I pulled up to the session was on. Once again to my dismay the session was now stacked at least 20 deep with skiers as well. I've shot this spot before & I knew it wasn't going to last long as I have dealt with property management here in the past. Alex was up again and went for a Five-O which ended up into another Taco...damn! Once again, sat the rest of the session out. Brandon dropped in next with a nice & clean half cab front board. Right when he unstrapped, "You guys need to stop that!" Property management showed and session 2 was done.
It was time for our final session and we really had to try to get to a spot without the herd. Filmers Rob & Cam went to a spot ahead of us to see if it was doable...right when they showed up, boys in blue again. Since we weren't with them we proceeded to rendevous to site B. Site B, no cops, but a herd of shreds trying to get the shot as well. It was getting late in the day as the sun was starting to fall on the western crest of the Sierras. Cam & Brandon decided to hit the rail while Alex sat this one out deciding to take on more classical snow advetures hooky bobin behind a quad that showed up to check out the show. Cam was on his game an landed a few slides. Brandon got a nice backlip in the bag & decided to step it up a tad. It took him a couple of tries and put a frontside 270 board on the bolts....call the day done.
In retrospect, Monday December 7, 2009 was a very fun & productive day. We learned that Horgan should be sponsored by Taco Bell, don't roll around with too large a crew (given), and Cocard is a machine. There's more snow in the forecast this week so wax up your board & get ready to ride.

Powerful Photo Essay

I ran into this photo essay just now and I thought that I would share it for those of you who happen stop by into my blog.
http://www.dayswithmyfather.com/

I found this in the Livebooks blog written by Benjamin Chesterson. I felt the need to share this as some of the issues the photographer Phillip Toleando deals with, many of us have to deal with as well. I cannot speak for the photographer so please check out this body of work. FYI the site is a bit of a task to navigate...just scroll to the bottom of each photo and once the image moves, click & you'll be to the next image.

Karen & Trent

The Lake Tahoe Basin has a lot to offer the outdoor enthusiast. Biking and hiking in the summer, to Skiing and snowboarding in the winter. Tahoe is truly a majestic place that draws people to it's beauty. This last summer, a friend referred Karen & Trent of my photographic services as they were looking for someone to document their wedding in a style they saw fit to capture their wedding day. Being outdoor enthusiasts, they ended up being a perfect match! Trent served for a few years on Ski Patrol at the north shore ski resorts and was very familiar with the area living up here in Tahoe years previous. They chose the Lodge at Tahoe Donner as their venue & stayed at the Cedar House in historical Truckee, CA. The Lodge at Tahoe Donner is home to a signature golf course that is recognized for having the best greens in the Tahoe Region. The Cedar House is a hotel that "explores our need to connect to nature, emphasizing in its design a harmony that is sympathetic to the human body, mind and spirit." If you have a dog, this hotel is for you!

Bear Valley Wedding

Choosing wedding venues can be tough at times and quite a task. For those of you who want a wedding venue that is very private without a lot of glitz & glam and stays true to the outdoors, look into having a wedding at the Bear Valley Lodge. This summer I shot a very intimate wedding there for Brooke & Ryan. The valley holds a place in their hearts as they traveled all the way from Portland, OR to get married at the place where their family has owned a cabin there for over 30 years. The setting for their ceremony took place at Alpine Lake which has great vistas nestled within the pine trees and granite. The reception took place at the modest Bear Valley Lodge. The Lodge has minimal amenities and may be a perfect setting for those who are budget minded. If you can get past the dated decor, this may be the setting you're looking for. DIY couples could take advantage of this location as Brooke & Ryan did, as they took the responsibility of doing their own decorations, centerpieces, & cupcake wedding cake. Bear Valley has a miniature Lake Tahoe feel if you will and can offer a great alpine feel. This location is home to many skiers & snowboarders who seek a winter getaway from Central California.