The Lost Sierra Hoedown: My Boots Are Packed

The Johnsville Ski Bowl, 50 miles north of Truckee, is considered to be the birthplace of skiing in California. Miners started one of the first longboard ski clubs in the late 1800’s and reportedly repurposed ore carts into some of the state’s first ski lifts. The Ski Bowl, now a part of Plumas Eureka State Park, operated until 2003, relying on Poma lifts purchased from Squaw Valley and the Rainbow Lodge. Efforts to revive the ski hill and preserve the history of skiing at Johnsville has been an ongoing effort since 2008. A number of fundraising efforts have continued to keep the dream alive.

The Lost Sierra Hoedown is the latest fundraiser event and it should prove to be a great event. The Hoedown is the  result of a service learning project by three Interdisciplinary  students from Sierra Nevada College: Drew Fisher, Cody Wilkins and Rachel Blum. With each sharing a passion for snow and a love for Americana music, it seemed natural to create an event that involved both. Working with Event Organizer Azariah “Z” Reynolds, all of the details are rapidly coming together, and the Lost Sierra Hoedown is rapidly becoming a reality.

“People have lost touch with the roots of skiing, and Johnsville is keeping the culture and core of the sport alive, and that’s something we are trying to support,” said Wilkins, the team’s social entrepreneur.

The event, scheduled for September 20-22, 2013, includes twelve different bands scheduled to perform over the first two days, with a number of acoustic performances scheduled “off the stage” and “on the peak” for Sunday. Limited on-site camping is available right at the Johnsville Ski Bowl, with additional family camping available in Plumas Eureka State Park, approximately one mile away. With sustainable living and low impact being key tenants of the project, tickets sales are limited to 500 participants.

There’s an incredible line-up of musical talent for the weekend, including small local bands, some well known regional bands and some artists on the verge of becoming very well known. The headline acts will include Dead Winter Carpenters, Miner, Rose’s Pawn Shop, and Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit. A complete lineup is available at the Lost Sierra Hoedown site.

The odds are almost certain that  over-development is going to make Lake Tahoe resorts less attractive as we continue to have mega mergers and real estate sales driving the ski and snowboard industry. It seems sensible to make sure that we do what we can to support small local hills. The last time I skied at Johnsville was around 1990. Hopefully we will all get a chance to ski there again sometime soon. Head on over to the Lost Sierra Hoedown site soon as tickets may not last long! There’s also a lot of updates available at the Lost Sierra Hoedown Facebook page. Be sure to “Like” their page to stay on top of the latest developments!