2 SnowGlobers found unconscious at Hard Rock
The low tonight at the SnowGlobe music festival is expected to be 1 degree. Photo Copyright 2014 Carolyn E. Wright
By Kathryn Reed
Two SnowGlobe attendees were found unconscious and suffering from hypothermia Tuesday night near a dumpster at Lake Tahoe Hard Rock.
“The security at Hard Rock did a great job knowing what was going on around the property. They found her by a dumpster and the kid had crawled up on one of the vehicles. Both were unconscious when they were found,” Eric Guevin, spokesman for Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, told Lake Tahoe News. “They are very lucky to be alive. If they had not been found, for certain they would be demised.”
He said they had been imbibing alcohol, drugs or both. They were taken to Barton Memorial Hospital.
Temperatures were in the teens most of Dec. 30, dropping below zero with the wind chill.
Guevin said when the two were revived they told paramedics they had been at SnowGlobe, the three-day music festival at the ball fields adjacent to Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe. They also had the wristband all concertgoers must wear and were dressed as though they had been there, Guevin added.
They were found about 9pm.
(Earlier in the evening a Hard Rock security officer was taken to Barton for a non-work related medical emergency.)
Two years ago 19-year-old Alyssa Byrne of Petaluma died of hypothermia after leaving SnowGlobe. Her body was found in a snowbank off Pioneer Trail near Al Tahoe Boulevard.
Members of her family are at this year’s three-day concert, which ends tonight. They are promoting the Always Buddy Program. The slogan is: “I promise to never let myself or anyone I love leave an unfamiliar place without a buddy system.”
Guevin also stressed the importance of friends staying together and letting people know when you will be returning so if you are overdue, authorities can be notified.
South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler told Lake Tahoe News there have been minor violations involving drugs and alcohol at the concert, but nothing significant.
Concert promoters went from a staff of 70 security officers to more than 100 this year. Part of the reason is to be better prepared for any situation, but also because more people are attending. The first year about 9,000 people showed up each night, while this year the projection was for 15,000 attendees each of the three nights.
The city received two noise complaints the first night and four the next. The loud thumping of the bass is the problem.
One person near the venue told Lake Tahoe News, “The sustained noise/bass just wears on you. If I had this noise issue with a neighbor, I could contact the police and have the noise level reduced.”
South Lake Tahoe City Manager Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News the decibel level is within the range of what the contract calls for.
Lack of snow has the sound traveling farther and the wind also carries it.
The city has made a concerted effort to make sure people are dressing appropriately. In years past lots of flesh could be seen, while this year people are more bundled up to handle the bitter cold. Lodging properties have been diligently telling concertgoers to dress for the elements.
“Start warm, stay warm” is the message on electronic signs that have been strategically placed in town.
This year’s event is over at 1am Jan. 1, with fireworks being the finale.
Buddy system doesn’t work so well when you’re both screwed up.
Glad security found ’em. Hope they learned something.
I’m with you Dog
I agree Dogula. I just don’t know what it takes for people to learn. Sounds like they came up here with no place to stay?? I don’t get it, but booze and drugs can do that to you…if that is the case here.
Glad to hear the two SnowGlobers were rescued before they froze to death. Be careful on the last big night kids, as it will be cold again and the residential streets are icy, making driving and walking hazardous.
Happy New Year! Old Long Skiis
City web site says snowglobe ends at 12:30 tonight. This event needs to go away before we loose another young kid. To think the city and the college condone this drug abuse by young kids is beyond me.
Did anyone else find it interesting that the City would enter into a contract that is inconsistent with their own laws regarding noise level? If there were a huge party in the Tahoe Keys at a rented house, would the police ignore the noise because “… the decibel level is within the range of what the contract calls for”?
I don’t have an issue with the Snow Globe event per se, but I have real problems with authority choosing to disregard the law whenever they feel like it.
Have fun tonight kids, please stay safe. Happy New Year.
The SnowGlobers walking down my street look to be dressed for the cold, so thats good! Why the city says the noise level is “Within what the contract calls for” is a bit of stretch for me. I can see the city wants to bring in more people because we all benefit from more viitors.That’s good because it brngs in money and the kids have a good time.
I’ll finish by saying it’s 4:38 Dec. 31 and the music from SnowGlobe is blasting here in my house in the middle of Sierra Tract. Sweet dreams(not!). I can always sleep tommorow. OLS
dumb, cities all over the country make exceptions to city codes all of the time the term is called a variance. There is noting illegal about it.
Stay safe morons. Shows how little common sense we have about dealing with drugged up kids. Freezing cold, snow, ice, wind, sounds like the perfect environment for an outdoor excuse for taking recreational drugs. Fascinating that we allow this to go on every year, yet this town still seems terrified about a few potheads.
snowglobe is stupid.
Reloman, don’t you think it odd that government is allowed to break the rules it enforces on us? Why are they above the law, when we are not?
7:08 p.m. Windows still rattling. Definetly the loudest night of the previous two this week.
Hope they’re having a good time and everybody gets home
safe and sound. Speaking of sound! Man thats gettin’ loud! OLS
I feel puzzled and somewhat ashamed that an event as such which promotes rampant drug use is promoted in our town. I see it as inexcusable that it is also allowed to disrupt residents as such – it is just wrong.
tahoeanhiker,
Drug use gets the governments’ ok if they stand to profit from it!
(And the same with absurdly loud noise.)
I agree, the binge drinking that goes on every night at the casinos is intolerable. Every time I want to spend a quite evening playing Sigma Derby I have to sit through insufferable conversations with some wasted Bro, or blabbering cougar-bra. Half of the time I go watch a martial arts event a few drunk bro’d out brahs start slapping each other. Its not like these people just use drugs on their own, and happen to enjoy combining drug use with some special event. Without the event, there aren’t drugs. I am glad that it is so cold that the females are forced to dress prudently. If I see one more expose’ of breasts when I go out to a community dance party I am going to write a very stern letter to the owner of the dance club, and the newspapers.
I pray to Angry Sky Man that no females are “twerking” right now to the techno dance music.
jk
party on you freaks. the square community is having as much fun being cranky as you are smoking dmt and the devil’s lettuce. your music is terrible but i like that you like it.
It’s one thing to have something going on in a specifically designated partying area like the casinos. But it’s entirely another thing to have residential areas made to feel like a concert is going on in their own neighborhood.
And I’m ambiguous on what our drug laws should be. But I hate hypocrisy!
So I hope that the next person that gets busted here in town for dealing some coke or meth or whatever, tells the judge, “Hey, I was dealing to people that came from out of town. They actually rented motel rooms, so the City made some TOT off my transactions. So I believe that means I have the City’s official approval for my business! Let me go and go talk to our elected and appointed officials if you have a problem with what I was doing!”
I live at the further-most point in the Keys, by the Pope meadow and this is the second night I’ve heard the thumping bass all the way over here! 3 more hours to go until it shuts down.
Happy New Year!
This event is great. I had a terrific time, it was well,organized, well run, transit was easy I took a city bus and people were having fun. Using the logic put forward we should stop having concerts at Harvey’s because people get high, stop those NFL games because people get drunk and high and how about those people drinking in the cheap seats at Major League Baseball. Most people don’t understand the music and thus don’t like the event. I have to tell you I thought it was great.
Parker, you bring up some good points! I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now. Do we have to “sell out” all so we can make a buck? Tahoe has been a party to “the worlds oldest profession” going to way back when.
Sure, we need jobs, a thriving economy, a healthy place to live, good schools and a clean enviornment. But at what cost? Disrespect for others, drug dealing and all of it’s ramifications, alcholism, gambling, gangs,people partying in residential ares untill sunrise, huge developements planned for all around the lake? All of this destroying a beautiful place with people who want to preseve what’s left of a truly wonderful piece of the Sierras.
And all for the sake of the almighty dollar!!!
They say ” To Hell with the public and their feelings and beliefs, to hell with the lakes clarity and air quality… I’m here to make as much money as I can and I don’t care about anything else”.
Did SnowGlobe help our economy? Yes! But where do we draw the line on all these other factors that are destroying our way of life?
Hopefully things begin to turn around in 2015. OLS
We realty should get rid of those popular Thursday night events at Lakeview commons too. Way to many locals dealing and getting high.
Happy New Year!
I remember going to the Day on the Green 1 concert at the Oakland Coliseum in 1973. PLENTY of drugs, booze and everything else. A couple actually got naked and did it on the pitchers mound. There were people getting sick and a couple of overdoses. Wall to wall people and the music was so loud I would bet people in Walnut Creek heard it.
When are these stupid kids gonna learn from our mistakes. :-)
Haddi T Uptahere, Yes, Led Zeppelin in 1977 at Oakland Coliseum was also quite loud. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Jon Bonham and John Paul Jones was a Rockin’!!!
My eardrums will never be the same! At least that concert was’nt in a residential area like SnowGlobe.
“What’s that you say?,I can’t hear you.” Too much Rock n Roll and operating heavy equipment over the years! OLS
First concert that ruined me was at Kezar Stadium with the Zep followed by Winterland, Days on the Green and ending with Montrose and Hagar at T Carson Speedway.
It was 7 degrees when we went out on the deck to watch the fireworks at midnight. Cars were dropping off groups of people to walk into Trout Creek Meadow ~ quite a party! Burr.
The sheer unbounded idiocy of an outdoor concert in near zero temperatures just boggles my mind. This is possibly the most stupid thing ever done in the name of “Entertainment”. There are so many indoor venues available (not here, mind you, but plenty elsewhere) that it would appear totally unnecessary to hold this event outdoors. I fail to see the logic unless the promoter is too cheap and greedy to pop for a properly heated and managed venue.
I, too, attended many outdoor concerts in the Bay Area in my youth, where the biggest weather related concern was avoiding a sunburn. Even with our limited experience and faculties, no one in their right mind would even have considered paying big bucks to attend an outdoor concert in the freezing a$$ cold. I guess we were just too stupid to know where all the REAL FUN happens… in the walk-in freezer.
relo: “Illegal…”? Never said that. Happy New Year and all the best in the remedial reading comprehension class.
I don’t see how South Lake Tahoe can change it’s image with events like this. I believe I read that SLT wants to become a family, hiking/biking, enjoy nature, destination. Events like Snowglobe, the Hard Rock Hotel, and even Heavenly’s Unbuckle at the Tamarack lodge only promote and strengthen SLT’s status as party central. And all this partying promotion leads right to a lot of the problems in our neighborhoods with vacation rentals.
Two days before Christmas, a group rented a house near me that legally holds 14. They were going to be there thru Christmas, 3 nights total. First night, a party took hold, sheriff was called and there turned out to be 45 people there ! They were evicted that night. With at least 4 sheriff vehicles and 6 officers on site for 3 hours, how much did the county make from the TOT ? Vacation rentals are a joke and are destroying our neighborhoods. And events such as Snowglobe promote more and more partying in our neighborhoods.
@Kenny, I was also at that Kezar Zeppelin concert. What a blast!
Wow! One more argument in favor of not promoting drugs, alcohol and our youth! Even the father of the girl who died does not get it…..there is not any amount of money that make child exploitation and the promotion of substance abuse acceptable!!!!
Thank God, 2 more children were not sacrificed last night for the money changers that run SLT.
dumb, remedial reading great burn!. Though it was certainly implied to be illegal.
Sounds like we oughta have border patrol at Echo Summit to keep out all the riff raff. Then our town can turn into a bible thumpin, gun toting red neck back woods. Come on people, young kids are as much a part of our society as the rest of us, they are part of what defines us as a country. Without visitors SLT would die and turn into a town like Washoe City NV or Walker CA, just a place to stop for gas between destinations. Do we want that?
On a side note, we were at Heavenly Village for the New Years festivities, and it was great with music and revelry, and yes, many visitors spending much needed money in this great town of ours.
I think the point is that the Tahoe outdoors are not an appropriate venue during the winter. No one is trying to stifle fun, just pointing out that money > safety around here.
Outdoor concerts in near sub zero weather is full on idiocy. The county/city should not be legally allowed to issue a permit for this knowing the liability involved. How many deaths and near deaths are enough?
There were no deaths this year ,Thank God Let the young be young ,We were young once.Let them have fun,I think Snow Globe rocked good this year.Good job staff,keep it going strong,Come back soon.
relo: just keepin’ it real. No offense meant. Happy New Year!
Justice using your logic the Green Bay Packers should not be allowed to play outdoor football games in the winter. Heavenly should not allow anyone to ski in cold weather. Get real. I was there last night everyone was bundled up. It was a great event. IT WAS FUN!
Slapshot, it’s HARDLY the same ‘logic’. Professional athletes in a stadium isn’t exactly the same thing as a rave in a dark meadow where most of the attendees have no idea where they are.
Glad it’s all worked out so well this year, though. I believe I actually heard it, faintly but distinctly, even out where I live, which surprised the heck out of me. Must have been some weird air currents.
The hub commented though, after he got back from skiing, that what he noticed as he drove up Al Tahoe Blvd this morning, was how spotless it was. Not a scrap of litter anywhere.
Good job.
Slapshot, EXCELLENT analogy.
Dog why don’t you go before you comment. You have no idea what your talking about. I was there from 5pm to midnight. Plenty of light, everybody was dressed warm, food being served, places to warm up if you needed to, very well organized and a fun event. Some of you just don’t like it and that’s fine, just say you don’t like it but don’t tell me it’s a rave in dark meadow.Pleaseeeeee. You have no idea what your talking about. Maybe Heavenly should prohibit skiing when it gets below 20 degrees? Get real these people are adults.
Get over it whiners… There are more deaths each year at our ski resorts and bars than most realize.. Take care of yourself and quit worrying about everyone else.. Lock your doors, pull down the blinds and become recluse if your that worried about what happens outside!
Fully agree with last two comments. Snow globe does a great job at keeping people safe and warm, it’s very well lite. There are fire fighters and paramedics everywhere, police and security. Rock Med also does a spectacular job of taking care of event participants. Teach your children to be safe, talk with them about drugs and alcohol. Snow globe is a great event for our town. It’s only three days but brings a lot of money and exposure for our great city. Stop being haters.
Dog, in that analogy the athletes are the performers, and the people watching the game are the concert goers.
If you want to questions someones logic you need to understand the most basic parts of it first.
‘ isn’t exactly the same thing’
Yeah. That is one of the traits of an analogy.
‘Must have been some weird air currents.’
Possibly, that is exactly how sound works, pressure waves can be blown around by wind. If I want to talk my friend across the room, i stand in front of a fan.
To those that are interested, TRPA’s Community Plan for the College sets clear noise standards to which everyone (supposedly) must adhere. To the extent that these standards are more strict than the City’s general noise standards, TRPA’s rules preempt the City’s rules per the TRPA Compact. Suffice to say that Snowglobe absolutely decimates the Community Plan standards. TRPA’s rules very clearly DO NOT allow for a variance for “special events,” regardless of the tax revenues they bring the City.
But we know the rules in Tahoe only apply to the little guy. The CSLT government and TRPA sold out to the highest bidder years ago.
Also heard of an overdose near Strawberry lodge on January 1st around noon. Pray they lived. Time for the insanity to stop.
Does anyone know when the meeting to address concerns,etc is? Its all about the money. Only a matter of time where more young people die. Drugs and freezing temps do not mix. Young people under 25 brains are not developed enough to make rational decisions. The city is in debt, this is how they are trying to recoup some of that. A concert of this type brings in drugs! Not benign drugs, drugs that are comparable to horrible chemicals. Mix with freezing weather and its a disaster in the making. When did these concerts become acceptable? Why?
As a lover of music; I’m always going to be an advocate of outdoor festivals. However, something about Snowglobe has always rubbed me the wrong way. Why does it have to be in held during one of the busiest times of the year, in freezing temps? At least make it a day-time event if that’s going to be the case.
I believe the type of music is what brings such a following of drugs/substance abuse and the age group. If there was a broader range of tunes; perhaps that would change things?
I don’t say “no” to eliminating this concert. I do say “yes” to evolving it into something different. IE: hold it in spring or fall, change the venue location, and change the type of music.
I’ve attending many festivals in my day and concerts. Something about freezing temps and a concert held in residential areas just doesn’t mesh with me.
Also: do not understand the parents of Alyssa Byrne who died a few years ago at this event. If I were them, I’d be protesting to change it; not enabling.
It is amazing to me that the most obvious point is being missed by many….condoning drug use because,”they are going to do it anyway” OR “we did it and we should let them do it”. We are suppossed to be stewards for our children, not turn a blind, greedy and irresposible eye!
All the problems start with the legal drug- alcohol. It has permeated every square inch of our society and we are not better-off with it. If you want to talk about the impact of certain activities on our law enforcement, read the police/sheriff blotters. Lots of time and energy being spent responding to alcohol related problems and over indulging.
How about having Snow Globe in the Spring? Call it Spring Thaw?
Sensationalism is alive and well to say the least. All the facts surrounding SnowGlobe are available and it would be prudent for anyone interested in investing their time in this conversation to do actual research before posting a comment. Like any event with tens of thousands of people, there is always room for improvement. Talk with the firefighters, nurses and doctors from the medical team and the police officers who consistently work the event and interact with the attendees and staff each year to get an actual account of the event and they will tell you just how positive their interactions with the attendees are and how professionally the event is coordinated. Drugs and alcohol are involved with nearly all events (NBA, NFL, MLB, Coachella, Outside Lands, Stagecoach, Bonnaroo, Olympics, NCAA, etc) by both the attendees and the athletes/musicians and education and awareness is the most important thing we can do for both the youth and the adults who attend and participate in these events. There is a very small percentage of folks who unintentionally and sometimes intentionally push things too far in all walks of life, but it isn’t fair to cast aspersions on the majority of folks who are enjoying life and their experiences in a responsible manner. As for SnowGlobe specifically, the festival appears to be here to stay. There are several community members who have already stepped forward to assist in varying capacities and I recommend that the people on this forum who truly care about the attendees and the City of South Lake Tahoe to contribute and volunteer with their actions as we all know that talk is cheap. I have personally contributed for years and I am confident you will find your interactions with the SnowGlobe team and attendees overwhelmingly positive. Like I mentioned earlier, there is room for improvement like anything else in this world, so let’s work together to build an event we can all be proud of going forward.
I have worked Snowglobe every year. There is nothing cheap about the production. I have worked thousands of shows all over the world and there is nothing different about Snowglobe, one event in Canada brings temps into the neg 30’s. Drugs are everywhere you ignorent people a well as underage drinking. The Harvey’s outdoor series is geared for a different age group but cocaine and alchohol use is very much a part of theses events. If Snowglobe was Sunglobe and held in July, you people would still ***** because you have nothing better to do. Let’s just cancel ALL live events around the lake….You can’t fix stupid……
Lived here for many decades now. Perhaps its the new world. It seems unacceptable to attract crowds, one of their goals being taking drugs, not just a gentle high. These new designer drugs are frightening. I guess its the acceptable behavior now. Sorry I do not think we need that up here in our beautiful town. I think the bottom line is always greed and the almighty dollar. If Tahoe was still the small town I moved and stayed for then such events wouldn’t be needed.
“It seems unacceptable to attract crowds, one of their goals being taking drugs, not just a gentle high. ”
Binge drinking and gambling go hand in hand and are a part of this town and other parts of this country.
Time to change Tahoe. We live in Gods country and should respect it as such, not Satan’s hellhole.
I say yes to a music festival during the spring or fall that isn’t centered on Electronica music and new-age drugs. I say no to Snowglobe. That’s all there is to it.
Thank you SnowGlobe Action, richard, slapsot, snoplease, and a few others for trying to talk reason. You knew this article would bring out all the trolls. Old people hate change. Hopefully the youth can help save the town the old fogies are letting die. Funny how they all talk about how great this town was back in the 70’s and 80’s(when THEY were young). Back when certain restaurants in this town would give you a mirror after dinner to do your blow off of. 15,000 people attended the event each night and 2 were foolish? How many fools do we have on a nightly basis down at the casino’s starting fights, harassing women, or driving drunk all over town? Now that doesn’t make it right but things happen every single night in this town. Stop blaming snowglobe.
Yo, yes correct in many ways. I was not one to do what you were referring to. I came for the peace and quiet. I lived up in the mountains far outside of town. I am disgusted by drinking drugs and gambling and all that it attracts. Tahoe has become too crowded for me, not going to grow old here. So hopefully you all enjoy.
‘ We live in Gods country and should respect it as such, not Satan’s hellhole.’
god and satan are imaginary.
Cosa pescodo, you are certainly tolerant of bad behavior, either you must profit from or belong to the addicted group. Just saying, you must not belong to the Sierra Club.
Thank god they’re gone. Now if the rest of the tourons could go back to sacramento that’d be great.