Alpenglow Mountain Festival celebrates the Lake Tahoe lifestyle

Yoga, hiking, trail running and the natural history of Lake Tahoe will all be on display this month during a festival designed to celebrate the mountain lifestyle.

The second annual summer Alpenglow Mountain Festival runs from June 21-29 at and around Lake Tahoe’s North Shore.

The festival is focused on exposing beginner and intermediate outdoor enthusiasts to new activities and growing their passion for the ones in which they already participate.

“We want to share the passion behind these sports with our community,” said Brendan Madigan, the owner of Tahoe City’s Alpenglow Sports, adding, “We’re trying to make it so there is fun for many different types of these folks.”

While events like the Ironman and the 100-mile Western State Endurance Run, which takes place June 28-29, are great for experienced endurance athletes, the Mountain Festival targets a broader audience.

“For a lot of people that’s kind of an unattainable goal,” Madigan said of the longer-distance events. “So we want to get folks options to get out into the mountain environment.”

Events included in the festival are free, although people are encouraged to register online in advance because of space limitations. The variety of options at the festival should be able to keep people active and entertained for the full nine days of the event, Madigan said.

“They’re designed so people can come and spend a week doing fun stuff in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” according to the shop owner.

Madigan said he is probably most excited about a trio of presentations at the festival.

Patagonia trail running ambassador Jeff Browning will present “Running Strong Past Age 40: A Balancing Act” at 7 p.m. Saturday at Alpenglow Sports. The following morning, the ultrarunner will lead a 10-mile community fun run from the Meeks Bay trail head in Desolation Wilderness.

On 7 p.m. June 25 Alpenglow will show “Solstice,” a film portraying runner Ashley Lindsey’s rookie attempt to finish the Western States 100 Endurance Run.

“The world’s oldest and most prestigious 100-mile trail race, Western States runners travel from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California,” according to a press release from Alpenglow Sports. “Along the way participants battle bitter cold, stifling heat, and their own mental and physical limitations along the way. From mountain peaks to river canyons, runners climb over 18,000 vertical feet and descend nearly 23,000 feet on this ultimate challenge for long distance runners.”

The final presentation of the festival includes a screening of Luis Escobar’s photographic essay “Running with the Tarahumara,” which documents the running culture of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, made famous in Chris McDougal’s book “Born to Run.” The essay includes “images that bring a culture to life that most of us will never experience,” Madigan said. The presentation takes place at 7 p.m. June 26 at Alpenglow Sports.

The shop is located at 415 North Lake Blvd. in Tahoe City.

An events schedule, a map and additional detail can be found at http://www.alpenglowsports.com.