Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
We will open our doors for the spring conference season on Friday, April 20. With some midweek dates still available, we’re offering a 20% discount for midweek meetings of two or more nights for 25 or more participants. The discounted, spring midweek rates start at $158 per person, per day including lodging, three meals, meeting room set to your specifications, AV equipment, recreation including kayaks, etc. from our boat dock, and tax.
Spring at Stanford Sierra provides a quiet & serene setting for your group to focus on your important meeting content. During free time, enjoy hiking to nearby waterfalls or paddling Fallen Leaf Lake on a kayak, stand up paddle board or rowboat.
 Early morning at the lower falls. Lynette Kent photographer  A peephole view of the boat dock in spring Check available dates online or submit a request for proposal. Your meeting participants will thank you for choosing our comfortable conference center on beautiful Fallen Leaf Lake!
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Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
On our end of the Lake, Heavenly opened this past Saturday with a couple lifts and a couple runs. Stanford Sierra Camp director, Dave Bunnett, got out for a few runs and said conditions were pretty darn good!
On the north shore, Northstar opened last week and Friday, November 23 Squaw Valley Resort will open. If you’re planning a Tahoe ski trip, our sister property, the Stanford Alpine Chalet, is ready for winter guests! You can contact Geoff Armstrong, marketing manager at 530-583-1550 or chalet@stanford.edu.
 Geoff and Dusty at the Chalet and ready for winter! There are are a few available rooms at the Chalet for Thanksgiving weekend. Chef Ron will be cooking up a fabulous Turkey day feast if you’re that last-minute kind of person and still looking for a place to land tomorrow.
 Cozy, mountain view room at the Chalet Alpine Meadows, neighbor to the Chalet, has set an opening date of December 10, “weather and conditions permitting”. The exciting change this year, Alpine is now sister resort to Squaw Valley! Through November 30, you can purchase a season pass for $439 that is good at both mountains! Another option is a six pack of tickets for $399.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Stanford Sierra Camp, and we hope to see you on the slopes this winter!
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Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
Mid to late October seems to be the best time around Fallen Leaf Lake and the Lake Tahoe basin to view beautiful golden aspens and other annuals in fiery hues. Weather is pretty awesome too, with clear, blue skies and temperatures in the mid 60s to low 70s all week!
 St. Francis Chapel at Fallen Leaf Lake The lake is calm and glassy, so I really want to be out there on my paddleboard!
 Something missing in the middle, isn't there? Instead, I went for a little walk and took some photos.
 Gorgeous, isn't it? Many of the aspens and other annuals haven’t even turned yet and with mild weather in the forecast, colors will be vibrant for the next week or so. If you are in the area, come on out for a hike, paddle on the lake, or just to sit and take in the fresh air and amazing views. If you’re not in the area, contact me to schedule your fall 2012 meeting at Stanford Sierra and enjoy the serenity and beauty of Fallen Leaf Lake firsthand.
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Friday, July 8th, 2011
It seems summer just started, but it’s time to think fall! The application to work fall conference season is available online with a deadline of 9am on Monday, August 8. Fall season will begin the week of September 5 then end November 6. We will be hiring mostly all purpose staff. A/P staff perform a variety of duties including serving meals, cleaning rooms and working in our store, the fountain.
 Cory whipping up a latte in the fountain We keep an eye out for applicants with job experience that might come in handy during the season. For a few conferences in the fall, we will offer kids’ groups, so we will be looking for applicants who have run or supervised children’s programs.
 Captain Brittany keeping her young crew happy Many groups also enjoy yoga classes, so it’s always nice to have a yoga instructor or two, as we did in the spring with Caroline and Melissa, on staff.
 Melissa teaching yoga in the Cathedral room Staff live on site and are assigned to cabins. If you love the outdoors, Fallen Leaf Lake is a great place to be in the fall. During free time you can hike into Desolation Wilderness, take a boat out from the boat dock or just relax.
 Luna and Molly on the paddle boards fall '10 If all this sounds appealing, fill out an application and submit. Brian will be in touch!
 Brian McClintock, conference staff director
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Monday, June 13th, 2011
The conference in house this week, scheduled free time for this afternoon. Many of the group members headed out for hikes into Desolation Wilderness. Others chose to take to the water or relax on the boat dock with a book.
 Springtime at the boat dock The kayaks available at the boat dock are stable and a good way to get out on the water and stay relatively dry.
 Returning to the dock in a double kayak When I headed out to the volleyball court, it was empty with balls scattered across it, so I decided to practice my serve. A guest who had just finished shooting some baskets snapped a couple pictures for me.
 Ace! We also have a couple tennis courts with great views of Fallen Leaf Lake. We have a few tennis racquets at the front desk available for guests to use and the Fountain sells tennis balls. When planning your visit to Stanford Sierra, remember to pack your sporty clothes!
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Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
We’re running a weekly staff photo contest for the spring. Last week, Brandon Eldred submitted the winning photo plus a few other great shots of Fallen Leaf Lake and some wildlife in the area. The cute factor helped determine the winning shot. This little white rabbit let Brandon get pretty close.
 Cute, furry resident at the Point cabins Fallen Leaf Lake out our front door provides incredible scenery and a home to assorted waterfowl. A mallard couple are regulars here in the spring. (I don’t know if it’s the same couple each year. I do know, Make Way for Ducklings was a favorite book of mine and my son Oscar when he was a toddler.)
 Mr. and Mrs. Mallard More unusual, Brandon got this great photo of a pair of megansers hanging out at the boat dock. Female megansers are a common site on Lake Tahoe. It’s very entertaining to see a mom and her gaggle of ducklings with their mohawk-looking hairstyles bobbing along then all disappearing under the water and popping back up yards away.
 Mr. & Mrs. Meganser We’re hoping for a large batch of Meganser ducklings to show up soon!
Squirrels are a common site pretty much year round. Once weather is warm and we’re leaving the sliding glass doors to the lodge open, the squirrels make their way inside. I’ve found them in my office, but most often, they go for the dining room. Guests are surprised to see the squirrels inside, but staff become quite adept at corralling the squirrels back outside.
 Western Gray Squirrel Thanks to Brandon for sharing these excellent photos of some of our local furry friends!
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Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
May 12 through the 15th, we will host the 17th Annual Healthy Living Retreat for Women. This outstanding program with speakers from the Stanford School of Medicine and Bay area provides the latest information on women’s health and wellness. Featured lectures include Christopher Gardner, PhD, Stanford nutrition researcher on “Solutions to the Omnivore’s Dilemma”. Christopher’s work is at the forefront of nutrition research and he is a popular repeat Healthy Living speaker.
 Christopher with his wife Melissa at the 2005 retreat The weekend also includes workshops on more specialized topics. Dr. Margaret Deanesly is another popular return speaker and will share facts on aging. Dr. Margaret has an amazing ability to present important health information with clear and humorous delivery.
 Dr. Margaret at the 2007 retreat Four 45-minute hands-on workshops to fine tune or update your healthy habits round out the structured program. Check the website for topics and descriptions.
Normally we have about half return participants and half new. The weekend is a wonderful opportunity to treat yourself and maybe pick up an idea or two of easy changes you could make to your lifestyle. There are about 10 spots remaining for the upcoming Healthy Living retreat. For more information, visit the website or call Gracie Gurganus at 530-541-1244.
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Friday, April 8th, 2011
Inc Magazine’s review of the top 10 entrepreneur courses includes Tina Seelig who headlines Stanford Sierra’s April 28 to May 1 Creative Camp. Tina is fan and regular visitor to Stanford Sierra. Tina was a key presenter for three of the four Write Retreats, creative writing programs, and was an integral part of the planning for the upcoming Creative Camp.
 Tina Seelig (right) with fellow Write Retreat presenter Alyssa O'Brien The Creative Camp aims to coach, inspire and awaken the authentic creativity of participants. Tina Seelig kicks off the program Thursday evening with “Levers for Unlocking Creativity”. Friday’s workshops include a design project presented by Bay area creative and branding guru Dennis Boyle of IDEO and Peggy Burke. Instructors from Stanford’s Institute of Design, Forrest Glick and Leticia Britos Cavagnara will teach digital photography and improv respectively. Two of the Creative Camp workshops cover writing. Elise Bauer, creator and author of successful cooking blog Simply Recipes will cover blogging, and Professor Terry Castle from Stanford’s English department will lead Life into Art: Finding a Voice in Memoir and Autobiography.
The Creative Camp will include studio time to develop your creativity through charcoal drawing or watercolor painting and free time to explore the creative path of your choice. There are also opportunities for movement to get those creative juices flowing. Participants can start the day with yoga then after breakfast, Stanford Dance lecturer Aleta Hayes will lead a dance warm up. Space is still available for alumni or non alumni to register for the Creative Camp. For more information and to register visit the website or call Gracie Gurganus at 530-542-5600.
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Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
Congratulations to Brant Bishop, our new assistant director! Brant worked for us this past summer and fall and proved to be a reliable, thoughtful and mature employee. Brant graduated from Stanford University last spring with a degree in Sociology.
Brant was two months into a planned year of around the world travels when he got word the assistant director position was open. Within 24 hours of accepting the job, Brant was on a plane back from the heat of the Australian summer to winter in the deep woods of Fallen Leaf Lake.
During his two months of traveling, Brant covered about 1,100 miles on the East coast of Australia from Sydney to Cairns by bus. He was fortunate not to encounter any of these friendly critters on his travels. Brant’s best experience was scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef. He said “It was a whole different version of reality. An underwater 3D world of vibrant colors, plant and animal life.” He was really amazed by the great variety of the coral.
 Brant at the Maheno shipwreck on Fraser Island Brant is happy to be back in the mountains and living at Camp. Growing up in Missouri, Brant tried to convince his family to move to Colorado because he loved the mountains. He is looking forward to the upcoming spring conference season and having people at Camp. Brant said “The energy and spirit at Camp is amazing, not only the people that work here, but the guests that come visit. It’s an optimal environment with the mountains, lake and all the outdoor activities.”
Brant’s favorite fall activity at Camp was to go on long hikes. Every week he went on a 15 mile plus hike. He would pick a lake and set it as his destination. His favorite lake is Lake of the Woods.
For groups visiting Camp this spring, Brant recommends soaking up as much of the natural environment as possible. Taking a Hobie Cat or kayak out on the lake, he says “it’s incredible to get out on the water.” Also be sure to plan a hike, there are easy hikes into Desolation Wilderness, or if you have an afternoon and are up for a more strenuous hike, according to Brant “The view from Mount Tallac is incredible, and it’s a good milestone activity.”
 Brant and fellow staff on Tallac with Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe in the background
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Monday, March 14th, 2011
For the past 10 years Antja Thompson was an integral part of Stanford Sierra Conference Center as the associate director. Antja’s key responsibilities were with our summer family camp for Stanford alumni. During her tenure, Antja interviewed over 1,200 Stanford students, hired a new summer staff director each year, and helped the summer program run smoothly. In addition to summer, Antja was responsible for orienting and training our conference staff. Over the years, between spring, summer and fall, Antja trained 32 seasons worth of staff.
 Antja arriving at her send off party We will miss Antja’s unfailing enthusiasm and high spirits. In addition to excelling at her work, Antja is a talented musician and during impromptu performances and the summer music hour, she entertained countless guests with her fiddle playing and amazing singing voice.
 Antja practicing music with a guest on the Old Lodge deck Antja was active in the day-to-day operations during all seasons and would jump in to help whenever needed. She is knowledgeable about the area and regularly led nature walks for interested groups.
 Antja leading a nature walk Antja is staying within the Stanford community and will move to Palo Alto to work on campus with Stanford Athletics in the Outdoor Education Program as the leadership and training coordinator. (Sounds like the perfect position to organize a student, staff or alumni trip to Fallen Leaf Lake!) Thank you Antja for your hard work and dedication and good luck in your new role. We look forward to seeing you on campus and here at Camp.
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