Alpenglow Mountain Festival 2020

North America’s Premier Mountain Lifestyle Festival

Returns for 7^th Successive Winter

Alpenglow Sports excited to announce the seventh Alpenglow Mountain Festival, presented by The North Face. The nine-day festival in North Lake Tahoe, California is a celebration of human-powered mountain sports, clinics, equipment demonstrations, avalanche safety education, social gatherings, critically-acclaimed film and more. The 7th iteration of the Alpenglow Mountain Festival showcases over 80 individual events from February 15-23, 2020 and is almost entirely free.

Geared toward beginner and intermediate winter recreation enthusiasts, the Alpenglow Mountain Festival showcases some of the best activities Lake Tahoe has to offer – backcountry skiing and splitboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, natural history, yoga and breathwork instruction, educational workshops, nightly social gatherings and more.

“The Mountain Festival was born out of our desire to be accountable and giving to the community who has supported Alpenglow for over 40 years,” according to Brendan Madigan, founder of the Mountain Festival. “We’ve designed the Mountain Festival as a destination event for mountain enthusiasts of all ability levels who are interested in trying a multitude of human-powered sports in a safe and welcoming environment.“

Madigan added, “We’ve assembled a great calendar of 80+ individual events led by some of the best athletes and community leaders/instructors in the country. Building off the unparalleled of snow conditions of the 2018 edition, we’ve incorporated more guided tours as well new and exciting events that are designed to round out the experience for all those involved. These include nightly social events, more instructional seminars and splitboard tours, as well as more women’s-specific events.”

In addition to Alpenglow Expeditions, the premier guide outfit of nine-day event, Backcountry Babes, Rich Meyer Alpine Guide, Pika Outdoor Pursuits, Tahoe Cross Country, Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, Tahoe Adventure Company, The Yoga Room and Tahoe Backcountry Women all play a key role in making the event well-rounded and successful. Overall, the Alpenglow Mountain Festival consists of 45 guided ski and splitboard tours, 4 cross country ski events, 6 snowshoe outings, 15 educational workshops, 10 presentations and 4 yoga/breathwork seminars.

For 2020, The North Face, known for their top shelf adventure equipment, brings a global spotlight to the largest mountain lifestyle event in North America. The iconic outdoor brand has committed the attendance of famous mountain athletes in order to lead tours, give presentations and educate about their game-changing FutureLight waterproof-breathable technology. They will also be on hand with a mobile showroom that showcases the technology and allows participants to demo their new apparel.

North Face athletes in attendance include Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson, both of 28,000-foot+ Lhotse skiing-fame, local hero and High Sierra snowboarding pioneer Jim Zellers, freeskier Hadley Hammer and rock climber/skier Emily Harrington. Other famous athletes in attendance include high altitude mountaineer Adrian Ballinger (read the article on Ballinger in ASJ here) and retired US Ski Team member Daron Rahlves. (Read athlete profile on Rahlves from 2015 here)

Other Mountain Festival highlights include:

• Traditional kick-off party with a screening of the Telluride Mountainfilm On Tour
• Winter Speaker Series with Hadley Hammer
• Nightly social events and presentations
• Guided backcountry fundraising tours with Jim Morrison, Hilaree Nelson and Daron Rahlves
• The “Nachtspektakel” backcountry social with bonfire, three-course catered meal and adult beverages at Homewood Mountain Resort
• A litany of “Backcountry Basics” courses designed for classroom to field skill enhancement
• Women’s-specific events with Backcountry Babes and Tahoe Backcountry Women
• Backcountry Bartending with Garden to Glass
• Winter Astronomy with Tahoe Institute for Natural Science
• How to Design a Ski Graphic with Coalition Snow
• Avalanche Safety and Beacon Clinics

Registration for Mountain Festival opens on Tuesday, December 10th at 10am PST. The majority of events are free and space is limited, so participants are encouraged to register online to secure spots. Registration for most events requires a deposit that is refunded upon participation. Please note that cancellations are not allowed after February 1st and all calendar adjustments prior to February 1st are subject to a $10 adjustment fee. Any excess garnered from the cancellation policy will be donated to Protect Our Winters and the Tahoe Backcountry Alliance.

A complete event schedule can be found at https://www.alpenglowsports.com.

Outside Magazine calls the Mountain Festival a “Can’t Miss Winter Festival”.

The event is sponsored by The North Face, the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, Darn Tough Vermont Socks, DPS Skis, Tecnica, Elan, Arc’teryx, Black Diamond, Dynafit, Osprey Packs, OBOZ, Scarpa, Flylow, Sierra Nevada, Ambler Hats and Klean Kanteen. Lodging discounts are available from premier partner Tahoe Luxury Properties. Media partners include the Tahoe Weekly, Adventure Sports Journal and Tahoe Quarterly.

About Alpenglow Sports

Alpenglow Sports is an original California Mountain Shop that has been providing locals and visitors with inspiration, local knowledge, and the best equipment to enjoy the great outdoors for over thirty-six years. Based in Tahoe City, Alpenglow Sports takes pride in being community-minded and socially and environmentally responsible to ensure Lake Tahoe stays one of the best places to play, live, and visit in California.