Snow Angels, Meerkats and Me

After what could generously be described as a "bleak" month of weather here in February, yours truly was more than ready for a vacation come March. So, I took up my sister on an offer to join her family for a ski trip to Lake Tahoe, CA. That's right, I flew nearly 2,000 miles to California for an opportunity to experience MORE snow. I figured that unlike Chicago, where the snow is something to be removed from my car, driven through on the way to work and generally not a source of fun, this was a chance for me to experience snow in a different light: On actual hills, as fresh powder, with skis on and surrounded by family having a good time. The fact that I hadn't skied since high school was immaterial.

I have to say, it was very surreal to start out a drive like we did from my sister's house in the Bay Area in relative warmth and end it in sub-freezing temperatures and snowy conditions. The snow piles on highway 80 East were several feet deep and literally covered the street signs. As frequently as it has snowed in Chicago this winter, we have not had nearly this much of the white stuff on the ground due to periodic warm ups and thawing. On the drive up we were about 15 miles from our destination (Truckee) in North Lake Tahoe when they stopped traffic on the highway due to a couple of spinouts ahead. Often they require snow tires or chains on tires through stretches of 80 in the winter, but fortunately this was not the case as my sister's BMW had neither. After over an hour parked on the highway chatting with my sister and entertaining my 2 year-old niece, Erica, we were once again on our way.

The resort where we stayed - Northstar at Tahoe - is a very nice, family-friendly place with plenty to do for skiers and non-skiers alike. Make no mistake though, this is a ski resort first and foremost. There are free shuttles that take you from the condo developments that ring the resort to a village area complete with shops, restaurants, bars and plenty of comfy outdoor seating. One of the non-skiing highlights for my nieces (and no doubt my sister and brother-in-law, since it killed over an hour before dinner) was an area overlooking the skating rink where they bounced up and down on a trampoline with bungee cords attached to each arm. Who knew that paying a mere $12 to jump up and down for 10 minutes could bring such joy to a child?

Now to answer the question I'm sure you've all been wondering since I mentioned that I hadn't skied since high school. Yes, I fell down. Many times actually. I am proud to say, however, that I did not have any high speed wipeouts of the "Agony of Defeat" variety from the old ABC "Wide World of Sports" intro, nor did I once fall when getting off the chairlift. When I went down it was either at slow speed or while trying to stop, which proved quite challenging given my glaring lack of appropriate technique. I kept myself to either the green (easy) or blue (more difficult) trails, doing some runs by myself, some with my brother-in-law and a handful with my nieces Caroline and Meredith when they weren't taking ski lessons. The skiers share the trails with the snowboarders, and honestly the fact that I didn't collide with anyone over the two days was a minor miracle.

Let me just say that the views from Mt. Pluto, the summit at 8,610 feet, were breathtaking. I wasn't able to get photos but include one from the resort's web site at the top of this post. When not barreling down from said summit like a runaway freight train, I was able to show Erica how to do snow angels and learned from Caroline what a meerkat is by watching a DVD of the Animal Planet show "Meerkat Manor." It was good to know that Sean Astin, the narrator of the show, is still getting work post "Lord of the Rings." I also had what I am pretty sure is my first ever snowball fight with the girls, seeing that they live in California and all. Anyway, good times were had by all and I can't wait to get back on the slopes again. After a few ski lessons, of course.