TRUCKEE, Calif. — A group of Tahoe snowboarders and trainers gathered at JAX at the Tracks in Truckee to chow down on a family style dinner of Caesar salad, mac n’ cheese, and pulled pork sliders, all in celebration of two of their teammates qualifying for the Olympic snowboard slopestyle teams. Karly Shorr, 20, and Ryan Stassel, 21, were surrounded by their shred buddies and good friends as they enjoyed a last meal before leaving for Sochi.

“They’re a part of the JAX crew and they’re our friends,” said Paul Heran, team manager of the JAX Snowboard Team. “We’re a small restaurant team and we’re helping support these local riders that might not have the most sponsorships, but they’re up and coming in the snowboard world.”

JAX at the Tracks gives its team riders the perfect spot to enjoy fresh, home-cooked meals while discussing their day on the hill and the new tricks they nailed. Fueling up for a day of riding is key, and the two JAX Olympians shared their favorite JAX breakfast items: Shorr’s is the JAX’s S.F. Scramble with sausage, while Stassel goes for the breakfast burrito.

---

---

Shorr finished sixth in women’s slopestyle, and Stassel claimed 14th in slopestyle at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, which continue through Feb. 23 in Sochi, Russia.

The JAX at the Tracks Snowboard Team also gives back to the community that has supported its riding by volunteering with groups like Project Snow, a nonprofit that organizes snowboard trips at Mt. Rose Ski Resort to teach foster youth the art of shred.

---

---

Members of the JAX team volunteer as coaches and spend the day teaching kids to snowboard — and many of these kids have never been snowboarding, or even to Lake Tahoe, and live a mere 30 minutes away

“It gives the kids a way to be out in nature, it gives them mentors, and it’s a creative outlet,” Heran said, who has volunteered with Project Snow for more than three years, and has introduced numerous friends to the program. “You see the kids’ faces light up and they’re like, ‘I’m doing it, I’m snowboarding!’ and the sense of accomplishment that they get and that the coaches get is awesome.”

This year, JAX at the Tracks will be provide healthy and energizing lunches (with the menu overseen by Moody’s dessert chef, Hannah Fuller) for every Project Snow student.

Snowboarding for the JAX Team is more than just a sport; they’re a family, created by getting together, supporting one another and tearing down the mountain. And in its two-season lifespan, they have already created a solid crew of riders and friends that kill it on the slopes, all the way to the 2014 Olympics, and truly care about their Tahoe community.

JAX SNOWBOARD TEAM

The JAX Snowboard Team was formed in the fall of 2012 and sponsors 12 local Tahoe snowboarders. Meet the team here: http://vimeo.com/61444502. A restaurant with an active role in the community, JAX at the Tracks (owned by Bud Haley) is a Truckee-based restaurant that serves traditional diner food with an upscale twist, as well as many healthy options like vegetarian and Paleo dishes. JAX was also featured on a 2010 episode of the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” Meet the whole team at http://vimeo.com/61444502.

PROJECT SNOW

Project Snow is a program that operates under the Children’s Cabinet Inc., a 501-C3 non-profit that exists to keep children safe and families together by offering services and resources that address unmet needs, through an effective cooperative effort between the private sector and public agencies in Northern Nevada. Project Snow thrives to provide and promote physical activity among foster youth living in Washoe County through snowboarding. Watch the JAX Snowboard Team Project Snow edit here: http://vimeo.com/84902398.